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Career Decision After Intermediate

April 28, 2014, 10:42 am
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Question by Chikki Renu:

i just now completed my intermediate 2nd year,and wanted to do biotechhnology so which way should i choose degree or engineering?

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Dear Renu,
This is an important decision of your career. So, before you opt for any Major Degree/Course, first set out your career goals. Donot opt for any degree/course blindly. Please answer some of my questions so that I may help you out in whatever capacity I have for the same:

1. Your specialization (major subjects) in intermediate?
2. Any competitive exam applied by you?
3. Your financial condition (how important is it for you to grab a job immediately)
4. Are you interested in long term research?
5. Your academic performance in intermediate.

It's important for me to know answer to these root questions before shedding any blunt advice.

Best wishes

Sunil
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April 29, 2014, 12:30 am
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April 29, 2014, 11:06 pm
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Clinical Data Management ,SAS Training Course @ Vizag

April 30, 2014, 12:22 am
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Skin grown in the lab can take place of animals to test drugs and cosmetics

April 30, 2014, 6:26 am
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In a new study scientists have grown human epidermal equivalents, with skin barrier and cellular properties similar to normal skin, from stem cells. The innovation offers the potential for a cost-effective alternative to animals, both for studying skin barrier defects and for drug and cosmetic screening. The study is published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

The skin provides a permeability barrier between us and our environment. The outermost layer is called the epidermis and protects us from entry of pathogens as well as retaining moisture. Some skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis are caused by defects in genes in cells called keratinoctyes, from which the cells of the epidermis are derived.

Previously, scientists had been able to generate human epidermal equivalents, which are 3D in vitro models for skin cells. However, use of these human epidermal equivalents was limited by the fact that they did not form a functional permeable barrier. Furthermore, they could only be generated in limited numbers from single samples of epidermis. The current study turned to human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells to generate a population of keratinocytes whose genetic signature was very similar to that of normal human keratinocytes. The researchers then used these engineered keratinocytes in a closely controlled procedure involving sequential high-to-low humidity and an air-liquid interface culture. In this way, they were able to generate an unlimited number of human epidermal equivalents which had the cellular strata of human epidermis and crucially also formed a functional barrier with similar properties to normal skin.

Authors on the study are confident about the utility of their new model for study of skin diseases and testing of drugs and cosmetics. Lead author Dr Dusko Ilic said: “This is a new and suitable model that can be used for testing new drugs and cosmetics and can replace animal models” while co-author Dr Theodora Mauro explained: "We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery."

Sources:

Petrova, A. et al. (2014). 3D In Vitro Model of a Functional Epidermal Permeability Barrier from Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2014.03.009

Press release: King’s College London; Stem Cell Reports
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Lab-on-a-chip with multiple applications

April 30, 2014, 8:07 am
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Scientists from the University of New South Wales in Australia have developed a tiny new ‘lab-on-a-chip’ device with potential applications that include screening of biological molecules, toxic gas detection and integrated circuit fabrication. In the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers solve the issue of solvent volatility, which has been a problem in making miniaturised devices, by using ionic liquids.

Lab-on-a-chip and miniaturised systems have recently become very popular with their potential for faster reaction times, minimal use of materials and relatively high yields. However, they face problems in terms of lack of reproducibility in some cases and with solvent volatility. Dr Chuan Zhao, senior author of the study, explains how the research team addressed this issue of solvent volatility: "We use a class of 'green' solvents called ionic liquids, which are salts that are liquid at room temperature. They are non-volatile, so this overcomes one of the main problems in making useful miniaturised devices - rapid evaporation of the solvents on the chip." Dr Zhao further explains the potential functions for this device: “The versatility of our chips means they could have a wide range of prospective functions, such as for use in fast and accurate hand-held sensors for environmental monitoring, medical diagnosis and process control in manufacturing."

Other researchers have attempted to address the problem of solvent volatility by confining solvents within walls or channels or using reservoirs for storage of extra solvent on the chip. However, in the current study the researchers used a process called microcontact printing to create a microarray of ionic solvent droplets which were chemically attached to the chip. Each droplet was about 50 micrometres wide- this is about half the width of a human hair- and 10 micrometres long. Dr Zhao explained the practicality of the devices for use in a variety of commercial applications: "These microarray chips can be easily produced in high numbers and are very stable. They can survive being turned upside down and heated to 50 degrees and some can even survive being immersed in another liquid. These properties will be important for commercial applications, including storage and transportation of microchips."

The research team demonstrated the utility of their system in processes including use as substrates for protein immobilisation, high-performance gas sensor arrays or electrochemical cells and reactors for metal microfabrication.

Sources
Gunawan, C.A., Ge, M. and Zhao, C. (2014) Nature Communications 5(3744); doi:10.1038/ncomms4744

Press release: University of New South Wales; available from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...042914.php
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How does dietary fibre digestion help in weight loss?

April 30, 2014, 8:47 am
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It has been recognised for some time that increased intake of dietary fibre can help in weight loss, however the mechanism has remained poorly understood. A new study from research teams in the UK and Spain may have solved the mystery. The study shows that when fibre is fermented by the microbes in the colon a molecule called acetate is released. Acetate is then transported to the brain where it acts as an appetite suppressor. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Obesity has become one of the most serious public health issues facing westernised societies. This new study provides proof of the mechanism behind the effectiveness of including more fibre in our diets to help suppress appetite and thus avoid over-eating. Fruit and vegetables are high in dietary but usually at low levels in processed food. When we digest fibre, it is fermented by microbes in our colon resulting in production of acetate as a waste product.

In the current study, the research team used a form of dietary fibre called inulin which is found, for example, in chicory and sugar beets and is also added to some cereal bars. They used a mouse model, which were fed a high fat diet either with or without added inulin. The mice who had inulin added to their diet ate less and gained less weight than mice with no inulin in their diet. The mice with the inulin-containing diet also had a high level of acetate in their guts.

The researchers used inulin labelled with 13C and traced the 13C-labelled acetate derived from this fibre throughout the body using PET-CT scanning. The labelled acetate was observed to cross the blood-brain barrier. It targeted the hypothalamus region of the brain, which is involved in control of hunger and appetite. The researchers further investigated acetate metabolism in the hypothalamus with a new cutting-edge scanning method called High Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HR-MAS). Study co-author Professor Sebastian Cerdán explained: "From this we could clearly see that the acetate accumulates in the hypothalamus after fibre has been digested. The acetate then triggers a series of chemical events in the hypothalamus leading to the firing of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMPC) neurons, which are known to supress appetite."

Lead author on the study, Professor Gary Frost explained the implications of these findings for approaching obesity, diet and over-eating: "The average diet in Europe today contains about 15 g of fibre per day…..In stone-age times we ate about 100g per day but now we favour low-fibre ready-made meals over vegetables, pulses and other sources of fibre. Unfortunately our digestive system has not yet evolved to deal with this modern diet and this mismatch contributes to the current obesity epidemic. Our research has shown that the release of acetate is central to how fibre supresses our appetite and this could help scientists to tackle overeating."

This study is the first to show that acetate from dietary fibre affects appetite responses in the brain. Similar effects on amount of food consumed and weight gain in mice were obtained if acetate was directly injected into the bloodstream, colon or brain. Professor Frost explained the challenges inherent in applying these findings to tackling obesity and over-eating: "The major challenge is to develop an approach that will deliver the amount of acetate needed to supress appetite but in a form that is acceptable and safe for humans. Acetate is only active for a short amount of time in the body so if we focussed on a purely acetate-based product we would need to find a way to drip-feed it and mimic its slow release in the gut. Another option is to focus on the fibre and manipulate it so that it produces more acetate than normal and less fibre is needed to have the same effect, providing a more palatable and comfortable option than massively increasing the amount of fibre in our diet. Developing these approaches will be difficult but it's a good challenge to have and we're looking forward to researching possible ways of using acetate to address health issues around weight gain."

Professor David Lomas, Chair of the MRC's Population and Systems Medicine Board, added: "It's becoming increasingly clear that the interaction between the gut and the brain plays a key role in controlling how much food we eat. Being able to influence this relationship, for example using acetate to suppress appetite, may in future lead to new, non-surgical treatments for obesity."

Sources:

G. Frost et al. (2014). The short-chain fatty acid acetate reduces appetite via a central homeostatic mechanism, Nature Communications (2014), doi: 10.1038/n-comms4611

Press release: Imperial College London; available from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...043014.php
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Osmotic Engine Model of Tumour Spread: A Water Machine That Propels Cancer

April 30, 2014, 12:26 pm
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In a very intriguing research carried out at the Johns Hopkins University, researchers have unveiled an interesting mode of spreading used by the deadly tumour cells. A propulsion system based on water and charged particles has been introduced, which is proposed to have been used by the tumour cells to spread through extremely narrow three-dimensional spaces in the body. This interesting study marks the need for moving out of the boundaries of the 2D cell-culture studies carried out in controlled conditions of petridishes! Following is a graphical abstract of the concept:

[Image: 48b41.jpg]


Till date, it has been believed (through the 2D petridish based studies), that the cancer cells need actin and other proteins to grip and crawl through the flat surfaces. This has infact been considered the basis of metastasis (spread of tumour systemically) till date. Image below summarizes the mentioned concept:
[Image: ijbsv03p0303g01.jpg]
(courtesy:http://www.ijbs.com)
Thus, deactivation of these actin grips was considered one of the probable ways to curb the spread of the disease, untill in 2012, when Dr. Konstantinos Konstantopoulos (chair person of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, John Hopkins) made the astonishing discovery that cancer cells could move through narrow spaces even without the need of actin filaments or other proteins. That finding ultimately led to further study to decipher the mechanism behind that movement, and which came to fruit with the recent publication in the April 24 issue of the journal Cell.

The tests were carried out in a lab-on-a-chip microfluidic device with state of art imaging techniques, which lead to the development of the Osmotic Engine Model that propels the cancer cells through the tight spaces even without the need of actin filaments. The Osmotic engine is actually a combination of sodium-hydrogen ions, cell membrane proteins called aquaporins, and water. Acting more or less like a Sailboat, tumour cells tend to generate a flow of liquid that takes in water and ions at a cell's leading edge and pumps them out the trailing edge, propelling the cell forward (refer image above).

The Osmotic Model thus highlights following points (as suggested in the article):
1. Actin-independent Movement
2. Polarized distribution of Na+/H+ pumps and aquaporins in confined regions leading to propulsion mechanism
3. Dependency of speed and movement on osmotic conditions of the growth region.
4. Water permeation can thus drive movement through narrow channels

The new biochemical model thus gives us a reason to look into the wider and different aspects of cancer growth. And, infact it reasons as to why some forms of cancer dont respond to a common treatment mode. Whereas this research is in quite an infant stage, the future does seem fruitful and productive in fighting the deadly disease of cancer.

About the source:
The article has been published in the latest issue of the Cell, and titled as "Water Permeation Drives Tumor Cell Migration in Confined Microenvironments"
Authors: Kimberly M. Stroka, Hongyuan Jiang, Shih-Hsun Chen, Ziqiu Tong, Denis Wirtz, Sean X. Sun, Konstantinos Konstantopoulos

Link to abstract: http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-...%2900340-7

Courtesy: http://www.sciencedaily.com (For the first report on this article)
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CANCP: new 50-Gene Cancer Panel Test launched by Mayo Clinic

May 1, 2014, 3:54 am
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A new 50-gene cancer panel test launched by the Mayo Clinic is designed to generate “results that oncologists can use to help find the right drug the first time.” That’s according to Dr Benjamin Kipp, a Mayo Clinic molecular geneticist and lead designer of the test. The new test is called CANCP, an abbreviation for Solid Tumor Targeted Cancer Gene Panel by Next-Generation Sequencing.

CANCP is designed to scan ‘hot spots’ of the 50 genes, meaning specific regions of the genes that are known to frequently harbour tumour-causing mutations. Mutations in these 50 genes have been identified as contributing to tumour growth and resistance to chemotherapy. It is specific to solid tumours. The test is aimed at providing a treatment regime tailored to the individual patient. Dr Axel Grothey, a Mayo Clinic oncologist who orders CANCP on selected tumours explains the utility of the test in individualising treatment: “Every patient’s cancer is different, and oncology is moving away from treating cancer based on its location in the body in favour of selecting the best medication for the individual patient based on molecular changes in the tumour….This test helps providers identify such molecular changes without infusing irrelevant details from genes that we know will not affect our choice of medications.”

Currently, CANCP is available to both Mayo Clinic patients and to providers worldwide via Mayo Medical Laboratories. Testing is conducted in the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) -certified Next-Generation Sequencing Lab of the Mayo Clinic Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP). DLMP and Mayo Medical Laboratories also offer another 17-gene next-generation sequencing panel screening test for hereditary colorectal cancers. Both these tests were developed together with the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine.

Sources

Press release: Mayo Clinic; available at http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discus...panel-test [Accessed 1 May 2014].

http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/center-for-...d-medicine
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Look after your teeth! Dental pulp stem cells and potential stroke therapy

May 1, 2014, 4:48 am
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There is currently widespread interest in the potential of dental pulp stem cells from teeth as a source of neurons for treatment of stroke and traumatic brain injury. In order to make this a reality, a mouse model of neural stem cell transplantation would be a very useful pre-clinical tool. A research team from the University of Adelaide in Australia have developed a system for culturing murine dental pulp stem cells in conditions in which they developed into networks of neuron-like cells. The study is published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy.

A stroke is the result of damage to blood vessels carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain which causes interruption of blood supply to part of the brain. This can result in damage to or destruction of brain cells (neurons) that control body functions such as movement, ability to speak or mental processes. Dr Kylie Ellis, lead author on the current study explains why new therapies are needed to help victims of stroke: "The reality is, treatment options available to the thousands of stroke patients every year are limited….The primary drug treatment available must be administered within hours of a stroke and many people don't have access within that timeframe, because they often can't seek help for some time after the attack.”

Use of dental pulp stem cells for generation of neurons for brain transplantation would have several advantages. According to Dr Ellis, a major one would be that they can be derived from the patient themselves “for tailor-made brain therapy that doesn't have the host rejection issues commonly associated with cell-based therapies.” Another advantage is that the dental pulp offers an on-going source of stem cells that could be harvested for treatment months or even years after the stroke.

In the current study, the research team investigated the neuronal potential of mouse dental pulp stem cells in an effort to advance the development of a mouse model for neural stem cell transplantation. They developed culturing conditions for mouse dental pulp stem cells that would encourage differentiation of the cells to neurons. On examining the proteins expressed by the cells under these conditions, the researchers found that they expressed biomarkers typical of neurons. In addition, the cells grew in networks resembling those of brain cells. Dr Ellis explains that there is still work to do but that the results are promising: "What we developed wasn't identical to normal neurons, but the new cells shared very similar properties to neurons. They also formed complex networks and communicated through simple electrical activity, like you might see between cells in the developing brain."

The potential of this type of work on dental pulp stem cells is enormous for modelling stroke and other brain disorders and carrying out pre-clinical studies to allow development of revolutionary new treatments and techniques for patients.

Sources:
Ellis, K. et al. (2014). Neurogenic potential of dental pulp stem cells isolated from murine incisors. Stem Cell Research & Therapy 5: 30 doi:10.1186/scrt419

Press release: University of Adelaide; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...043014.php [Accessed 1 May 2014].
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Hijack! Viruses plunder sulphur from deep-sea bacteria at hydrothermal vents

May 2, 2014, 1:54 am
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In deep sea waters, over a mile below the surface, microbes rely on inorganic compounds such as sulphur as an energy source rather than sunshine. There, in the mineral-rich waters that cascade from hypothermal vents (seafloor hot springs) viruses prey on the SUP05 bacterium to plunder the energy released from its sulphur reserves. SUP05 is the gene that is responsible for energy extraction from sulphur. This relationship between the bacteria and the virus has featured exchange of genes as the viral DNA contains genes closely related to the bacterial SUP05 genes. This has important implications for implicating viruses as agents of evolution as the viruses then force the SUP05 bacteria to use viral SUP05-like genes to process elemental sulphur. These are the findings of a paper published online in the journal Science on May 1st from researchers in the University of Michigan.

Microbial interactions like these have been previously observed in shallow to mid-depth ocean waters featuring photosynthetic bacteria. The current study used an unmanned submarine at a depth of over 6,000 feet, to obtain DNA samples from deep-sea microbes at hydrothermal vent sites. These samples were collected on trips to the Eastern Lau Spreading Centre in the Western Pacific and the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.

Having obtained the samples, the research team set about reconstructing the viral and bacterial genomes by combining information from DNA snippets retrieved at six sites. As well as confirming the presence of the common sulphur-consuming bacterium SUP05, they discovered genes from five viruses that had never been previously identified. The most surprising result was that the viral DNA contained genes closely related to the bacterial SUP05 genes that are responsible for energy extraction from sulphur.

Co-author on the study, Dr Melissa Duhaime explains the viral strategy: "We hypothesize that the viruses enhance bacterial consumption of this elemental sulphur, to the benefit of the viruses.” First author Karthik Anantharaman continues: “We suspect that these viruses are essentially hijacking bacterial cells and getting them to consume elemental sulphur so the viruses can propagate themselves." It is not known for sure how the SUP05-like genes ended up in the viruses. However, the researchers hypothesise that the exchange occurred during an ancient microbial interaction. Senior author Gregory J. Dick says: "There seems to have been an exchange of genes, which implicates the viruses as an agent of evolution. That's interesting from an evolutionary biology standpoint."

The findings are important as oxygen-starved zones are growing in the world’s oceans due to global environmental changes. This means that bacteria such as SUP05 and the viruses that prey on them are likely to expand their range. These bacteria may generate nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. It is important to gain a full understanding of the sulphur cycle and the bacterial-viral relationships.

Sources
Anantharaman, K., Duhaime, M. B., Breier, J. A., Wendt, K., Toner, B. M., and Dick, G. J. (2014). Sulfur oxidation genes in diverse Deep-Sea viruses. Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1252229 [Accessed 2 May 2014]

Press release: University of Michigan; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...042814.php [Accessed 2 May 2014]
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EUROPEAN BIOTECHNOLOGY CONGRESS 2014 | May 15-18 2014 | Lecce, Italy

May 2, 2014, 2:30 am
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Organisers: European Biotechnology Thematic Network Association (EBTNA)

Dates: 15th–18th May 2014

Location: Grand Hotel Tiziano e dei Congressi, Lecce, Italy

Website: http://eurobiotech2014.eu/php/
The website gives all the necessary information on conference agenda, hotel, exhibitions and other important facts.

About the conference:

The congress will feature sessions on Plant Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nutrition in Biotechnology, Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering, Medicine & Biotechnology, Bioinformatics & System Biology, Metabolic Engineering, Enzyme & Protein Engineering, Renewables, Biorafinery, Bioenergy, Biofuels, Bioproducts, Biocatalysis & Biotransformation, Bioprocess Engineering, Animal Biotechnology, Nanobiotechnology and Omic Sciences.

Plenary sessions are as follows:
• Novel technological approaches and their applications in biotechnology
• Current Biotechnology in Italy
• Process-based vs data-driven modelling of cancer cell behaviour in cancer
• Mass spectrometry imaging and tissue microproteomic for clinical applications
• Biological markers for bladder cancer
• The two-hybrid system: A powerful tool to dissect molecular mechanisms underlying membrane traffic diseases
• Lysosomal enzymes in CSF and brain tissues and their potential role as biomakers for neurological diseases such as Parkinson disease
• RNA polymerase genetic engineering (RPGE) as a new strategy for drug discovery and improvement of industrial microorganisms

The full programme can be viewed on the website.

Speakers:

• Alberto Magi, University of Florence, Italy
• Alessandro Sannino, University of Salento, Italy
• Angelo Quattrini, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Italy
• Anita Slavica, University of Zagreb, Zagreb
• Burak Durmaz, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey
• Cecilia Bucci, University of Salento, Italy
• Daniele Vergara, University of Salento, Italy
• Daumantas Matulis, Vilnius University, Lithuania
• Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Macedonia
• Edo D'agaro, University of Udine, Italy
• Emin Karaca, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey
• Ferda Özkınay, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey
• Giovanni Romeo, University of Bologna, Italy
• György Kéri, Semmelweis University, Hungary
• Hande Yapışlar, İstanbul Bilim University, Turkey
• Haydar Bagis, Adiyaman University, Turkey
• Hilal Ozdag, Ankara University, Turkey
• James Bown, University of Abertay Dundee, United Kingdom
• Juraj Krajcovic, Comenius University, Bratislava
• Kevan Gartland, Caledonian University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
• Laura Cortesi, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
• Mariapia Viola Magni, University of Perugia, Italy
• Michel Salzet, University of Lille, France
• Michele Maffia, University of Salento, Italy
• Munis Dundar, Erciyes University, Turkey
• Nikolai Zhelev, The University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland
• Oscar Vicente – Politecnica, Universidad Politcnica de Valencia, Spain
• Pietro Alifano, Università del Salento, Italy
• Saverio Alberti, University ‘G. D' Annunzio’, Italy
• Sezen Arat, Namik Kemal University, Turkey
• Sonia Abdelhak, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunisia
• Tommaso Beccari, Universita degli Studi di Perugia, Italy
• Tommaso Pippucci, University of Bologna, Italy
• Ugur Ozbek, Istanbul University, Turkey
• Vito Racanelli, University of Bari, Italy
• Yusuf Deeni, University of Abertay Dundee, United Kingdom

Best Biotechnology Product Award 2014

The congress features an award for a European Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) which will be honoured with Best Biotechnology Product Award.
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BioStatistics Workshop, Pune, India

May 2, 2014, 10:37 pm
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A Level 1 workshop on Bio-statistics is being organized by International Center for Stem Cells, Cancer and Biotechnology (ICSCCB), Pune, India scheduled for May 10-11, 2014.

A wide range of topics will be covered in this hands-on training workshop, from Data collection to statistical analysis (like hypothesis testing, ANOVA, parametric analysis, regression, probability theory etc).

It will be a "certified" workshop.

It's open to UG/PG/PhD students, faculty, scientists as well as people working in industry in the field of Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Sciences and related subject areas.

Note:

Only 10 seats per batch are planned.

Next batch is scheduled for 7th – 8th June 2014

Fee: INR 2000/- (US $50 for International candidates)

Workshop Timings: 9:00am to 6:00pm

Venue: ICSCCB, R.H. 2, Ujwal Regalia, Near Prabhavee Tech Park, Baner Road, Pune – 411045, India

For further details, please refer: Link to the Workshop Webpage
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Christian louboutin ron lauren has took like their very own fashion 7 days

May 5, 2014, 8:39 pm
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AURORA: International molecular screening program for metastatic breast cancer

May 7, 2014, 2:11 am
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AURORA, a new international molecular screening programme for metastatic breast cancer, has been presented at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium. The programme is the first of its kind and will involve approximately 1300 women and men from about 60 hospitals in 15 European countries. AURORA is being launched by the Breast International Group (BIG), a non-profit organisation for academic breast cancer research groups headquartered in Brussels and consisting of a network of 49 collaborative groups based in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Australasia.

While research into early breast cancer has greatly progressed in recent decades, improving and extending patients’ lives, there remains much less understanding of advanced or metastatic disease. This is in a context where metastasis is the leading cause of death among breast cancer patients. The AURORA programme will involve collection of metastatic and primary breast cancer tissue specimens for screening against a panel of more than 400 cancer-related genes for the first time on a large scale. Plasma and blood samples will also be collected. Samples not use immediately will be kept in storage in an independent bio-repository for future research.

Ultimately, BIG hopes to expand AURORA beyond Europe to include thousands more patients. A newly developed innovative bioinformatics platform will support collection of AURORA data. This process will be carried out in a way that facilitates sharing of data and collaboration with researchers in North America who are setting up other initiatives. BIG already works closely with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the North American Breast Cancer Group (NABCG).

The ultimate aims of AURORA are to enable scientists and clinicians to understand both why breast cancer metastasises and why there are differences in response to standard treatment among patients. BIG is involved in running or developing 30 clinical trials at any one time. Thus, when appropriate and feasible, patients participating in AURORA will be offered the opportunity to participate in clinical trials testing new and promising drugs specific to the genetic characteristics of their individual tumours. AURORA would then benefit patients by leading to better, individualised treatments and finding cures for advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Dr Martine Piccart-Gebhart, Chair of BIG and Director of the Medicine Department of the Institut Jules Bordet, sums up the driving force behind the development of AURORA: "It is almost unethical that we continue to treat women with metastatic breast cancer when we have so little knowledge of their disease. We now have powerful technologies for investigating the molecular landscape of tumours, and we have an obligation to women to establish AURORA as a large translational research effort that can hopefully lead to more effective treatments in the future".

Sources:

Press release: Breast International Group (BIG)-aisbl; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...050614.php [accessed 7 May 2014]

http://www.BIGagainstbreastcancer.org [accessed 7 May 2014]

http://www.esmo.org/Conferences/IMPAKT-2...st-Cancer/[accessed 7 May 2014]
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Unpicking two locks to selectively deliver cancer therapy

May 7, 2014, 2:44 am
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Intense research efforts are ongoing on methods for effectively targeting therapies to disease sites, such as delivery of cancer medication selectively to tumours. One method which is receiving a lot of attention is use of adeno-associated virus (AAV), which are relatively benign, as a delivery vehicle for gene therapy. An innovative adaptation of this method has been developed by researchers in Rice University in Texas and in the University of Florida to improve specificity of delivery of AAVs containing tumour therapeutic agents. The paper appears online this week in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.

The method involves incorporating peptides in the capsid of the AAV that can only be degraded in the presence of two proteases, whose activity is increased in the tumour microenvironment. Only then can the AAV release its therapeutic contents. Tumours themselves over-secrete proteases and infiltrating immune cells such as neutrophils also release a high level of proteases in the region of the tumour. In the absence of these correct proteases the AAV is effectively locked so that the contents are unlikely to be released ‘accidentally’ at sites distant from the tumour.

Senior author Dr Junghae Suh further explains the ‘double lock’ strategy: “So that’s what we’re going after to do targeted delivery. Our basic idea is to create viruses that, in the locked configuration, can’t do anything. They’re inert”. However, when programmed AAVs encounter the correct proteases at sites of disease, “these viruses unlock, bind to the cells and deliver payloads that will either kill the cells for cancer therapy or deliver genes that can fix them for other disease applications.” She goes on to further explain the specificity of the method in targeting therapy to the correct site: “If we were just looking for one protease, it might be at the cancer site, but it could also be somewhere else in your body where you have inflammation. This could lead to undesirable side effects…By requiring two different proteases – let’s say protease A and protease B – to open the locked virus, we may achieve higher delivery specificity since the chance of having both proteases elevated at a site becomes smaller.”

Dr Suh is confident that the applicability of this method could extend beyond tumours to neurological and cardiovascular diseases. Also, advances in molecular-imaging techniques should help in identification of and assessment of concentration of elevated proteases. Ultimately, it is hoped that targeting can be even more sensitive so that viruses can be designed to carry out a combination of steps for targeting. Dr Suh concludes: “To increase the specificity of virus unlocking, you can imagine creating viruses that require many more keys to open…For example, you may need both proteases A and B as well as a cellular receptor to unlock the virus. The work reported here is a good first step toward this goal.”

Sources:

Judd, J. et al. (2014). Tunable Protease-Activatable Virus Nanonodes. ACS Nano, Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/nn500550q (May 5, 2014)

Press release: ACS Nano; Rice University; available at http://news.rice.edu/2014/05/06/two-lock...r-therapy/ [Accessed 7 May 2014]
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Possibilities for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis therapy

May 7, 2014, 3:39 am
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The neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Motor Neuron Disease (MND), has been in the news in the last week. The team behind project MinE, a major genetic research project into ALS, have founded a for-profit investment fund aimed at targeting a marketable cure for ALS. To this end, the fund founders, who all have ALS themselves, are hosting an ALS investors day on May 19th 2014 in the offices of their sponsor Accenture in Amsterdam. The group are hoping to raise €100 million from so-called ‘impact investors’. These are investors who invest in projects designed to cause social or environmental improvements, while also expecting a return on their investment.

ALS is a rare but devastating disease for which no cure currently exists. It is characterised by loss of essential voluntary muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing and ultimately leads to paralysis and death. Motor neurons, which under normal circumstances control muscles, lose the ability to relay signals from the brain to the muscles.

For most rare diseases, mainly basic scientific research is performed without regard to the possibilities of making a profit. Most research is carried out and accumulated in academic institutions. This limits successful translational research due to lack of know-how in bringing discoveries to the market. The co-founder of the investment fund Bernard Muller, who is nominated as EY entrepreneur of the year in the Netherlands, explains that their proposal marries the ideas of bringing hope to patients with return on investment to investors: "Our latest initiative - we already successfully launched the biggest global genetic research study ever, called project MinE - will enable us to show the potential impact of a truly meaningful investment that will bring hope to patients without ignoring the demand from investors for a return on their investment and it will also bring cost savings for health insurers as well as real translational research and shared scientific success."

The founders will reveal the blueprint for their approach to finding a marketable cure at the ALS investors’ day. There they will seek funding from and create sound investment opportunities for investors outside the traditional pool of biotech investors, while feeding directly into the ALS treatment pipeline to give hope to the thousands of patients who currently have no cure.

Elsewhere, further hope was offered to ALS patients when the FDA in the USA cleared the Israeli biotech company BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to advance a stem cell therapy for ALS into Phase II. The trial will be carried out in Massachusetts General Hospital. Stem cell manipulation will be carried out in designated cleanrooms at the nearby Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Sources
Press release: Project MinE, available at http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-release...22921.html

Website: http://www.alsinvestorsday.org

http://www.fiercebiotech.com/
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Concerns in UK over proposed AstraZeneca takeover by Pfizer

May 7, 2014, 4:19 am
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The drugs company Pfizer has made a $106 billion-plus takeover bid for AstraZeneca. However, the move has prompted a statement from AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot which lays out his projections of how his company’s experimental drugs are well-placed to yield tens of billions of dollars for investors in the future. Meanwhile, the proposed takeover has met with concern in the UK, where four scientific bodies say recent mergers and acquisitions have resulted in lab closures. Pfizer have, for example, closed laboratories in US companies which it acquired and also sold its UK-based research facilities in Kent in 2011. This resulted in the loss of 1500 jobs.

Pascal Soriot dispensed with the usual caution applied by biotech and pharma companies in making projections by offering an assessment that AstraZeneca can deliver a "risk-adjusted" payoff of $23 billion a year or a non-risks-adjusted payoff of $63 billion. He points chiefly to the company’s late-stage and mid-stage testing for its immuno-oncology drugs. Other experimental drugs under development in AstraZeneca include AZD3293, a high-risk BACE program for Alzheimer's, as well as diabetes and respiratory disease drugs. Pascal Soriot states: "AstraZeneca is completing its transformation, and now has the right size, focus and team to deliver on one of the most exciting pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry….We have fostered a culture of innovation where science is at the heart of what we do and today we set out the greatly improved quality of our mid and late stage pipeline and its significant commercial potential. We are continuing to create significant value for shareholders from our independent strategy."

Meanwhile in the UK, the proposed takeover is causing real concern that Pfizer may seriously cut back AstraZeneca's research facilities. AstraZeneca is currently the UK's second biggest research and development industrial spender; last year it invested £2.8bn. It has eight sites and employs about 6,700 people. According to BBC News, Adrian Bailey, who is a Labour MP and chair of the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, is considering an inquiry into the issue. Many leading scientific bodies have expressed serious concerns to the government. Dr Melanie Lee, who is a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, is concerned that the move could be a "nail in the coffin" of the UK drug industry. However, not all commentators think that the move would necessarily be detrimental. For example, Professor Sir Richard Sykes, who is chairman of the Royal Institution, and a former head of GSK, doubts that it would be of benefit to Pfizer to close AstraZeneca’s UK research facilities.

Sources
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27208899 [Accessed 7 May 2014]

Press release: AstraZeneca; available at http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-relea...areholders
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handinhand with the one you loveSometimes there are

May 8, 2014, 1:54 am
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Hydrogel scaffold for new bone growth degrades when no longer needed

May 8, 2014, 4:00 am
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A new hydrogel developed by bioengineers in Rice University in Texas has potential as a bioscaffold for fresh bone growth or other three-dimensional tissues from a patient’s stem cells. The major advantages of this hydrogel are that it turns instantly from solid to liquid at close to body temperature, meaning it readily fills and stabilises a space upon injection, and that it degrades in response to enzymes produced by newly growing bone. The results of the study are published in the American Chemical Society journal Biomacromolecules.

The new hydrogel overcomes problems associated with other thermogelling polymers in terms of tendency to collapse and expel water upon hardening. This process, termed syneresis, prevents the gel being able to fill the space where the new tissue is to be seeded. The research team addressed this issue by introducing chemical cross-linkers to the gel’s molecules. First author Brendan Watson, from the lab of Dr Antonios Mikos, explains: “It’s a secondary mechanism that, after the initial thermogellation, begins to stabilize the gel.” The crosslinking begins at the same time as the gel formation, but takes up to a half-hour to complete.

The hydrogel is designed to be stable over the long-term to allow the stem cells to establish themselves and begin proliferating to give new bone. However at this point, when the need for the scaffold declines, the hydrogel is degraded in a timely fashion. Brendan Watson explains the elegant mechanism of timed degradation: “These chemical crosslinks are attached by phosphate ester bonds, which can be degraded by catalysts – in particular, alkaline phosphatase — that are naturally produced by bone tissue. The catalysts are naturally present in your body at all times, in low levels. But in areas of newly formed bone, they actually get to much higher levels.”

The hydrogel represents the culmination of years of painstaking work in refining its’ properties from the research team which included input from Paul Engel, chair of Rice’s Department of Chemistry, and F. Kurtis Kasper, a senior faculty fellow in bioengineering. The expectation is that the degradation kinetics can be further fine-tuned in order to match various bone growth rates, with input from biotechnology companies. Brendan Watson concludes: “Optimizing the degradation kinetics is nontrivial and may be better suited for a biotech company…We focus more on the performance of the hydrogels and the underlying molecular mechanisms."

Sources

Watson, B.W., Kasper, F.K., Engel, P.S. and Mikos, A.G. (2014). Synthesis and Characterization of Injectable, Biodegradable, Phosphate-Containing, Chemically Cross-Linkable, Thermoresponsive Macromers for Bone Tissue Engineering. Biomacromolecules, Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/bm500175e

Press release: Rice University; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...050714.php

Figure: A new hydrogel invented at Rice University turns from liquid to semisolid as it moves from room temperature to near body temperature in an experiment. The material inside the tube quickly turns white as it gellates. Chemical links in the gel take longer to form, but help it hold its size and shape as a scaffold for growing new tissue. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

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