SciBX: Science-Business eXchange Contents: February 2 2012, Volume 5 / Issue 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS February 2 2012, Volume 5 / Issue 5 Analysis Cover Story Targets and Mechanisms Tools The Distillery: Therapeutics Cancer Cardiovascular disease Genitourinary disease Hepatic disease Infectious disease Musculoskeletal disease Neurology Other Pulmonary disease Renal disease Various The Distillery: Techniques Assays and screens Disease models Drug platforms Advertisement SciBX: Science-Business eXchange Recommend SciBX to your library today SciBx is a weekly publication that identifies and analyzes the most important translational research articles from over 40 journals. Find out which papers have real scientific and commercial potential, and why. Subscribe to SciBX and you won't miss the next big thing. For more information visit: www.nature.com/scibx.   Trade Secrets A Nature Network blog by BIOENTREPRENEUR Brought to you by Nature Biotechnology Access the insights, advice and commentary from scientists and entrepreneurs building biotech sectors around the world. Join the global dialogue on life science entrepreneurship: http://blogs.nature.com/trade_secrets   Analysis Cover Story Top Browning fat Joanne Kotz doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.114 Dana-Farber researchers have identified a hormone, irisin, that converts white fat into brown-like fat in mice. Ember Therapeutics has licensed the findings and is generating stabilized irisin variants for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Independently, a Harvard team has developed a method for converting human pluripotent stem cells into white and brown adipocytes. The team is collaborating with Roche to screen for molecules that induce or activate brown fat. Full Text | PDF Targets and Mechanisms Top Closing the gap on liver toxicity Tim Fulmer doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.115 U.S. researchers have identified a small molecule gap junction inhibitor that protects mice from drug-induced liver toxicity. The team has founded Heprotech to further characterize and optimize the inhibitor. Full Text | PDF Tapping into TASP1 Kai-Jye Lou doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.116 U.S. researchers have identified a small molecule that inhibits TASP1, a protease implicated in several cancers. They now plan to use the small molecule as a scaffold to design inhibitors of the enzyme to treat cancer. Full Text | PDF Tools Top 2HG on the brain (tumor) Michael J. Haas doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.117 Harvard Medical School researchers have shown that noninvasive detection of a key metabolite in the brain can diagnose IDH1-mutant tumors. Agios plans to use the method for the preclinical development of its glioma therapies. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Therapeutics Cancer Top Keratin 14 (KRT14) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.118 Patient sample studies suggest KRT14 could help predict bladder cancer prognosis. Full Text | PDF IL-20 doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.119 Studies in mice and in human samples suggest inhibiting IL-20 could help treat breast cancer and breast cancer–induced bone loss. Full Text | PDF Lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG3; CD223); PD-1 receptor (PDCD1; PD-1; CD279) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.120 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting both LAG3 and PD-1 could help treat cancer. Full Text | PDF Wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 3A (WNT3A); BRAF doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.121 Mouse studies suggest activating WNT signaling may increase the efficacy of BRAF inhibitors in melanoma. Full Text | PDF Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.122 Patient sample and mouse studies suggest inhibiting SYK could help treat retinoblastoma. Full Text | PDF Cardiovascular disease Top Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2); syndecan 4 (SDC4) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.123 Rat studies suggest delivering FGF2 together with SDC4-containing liposomes could help treat ischemia. Full Text | PDF Genitourinary disease Top Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3 (CHRM3; HM3) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.124 In vitro and rat studies suggest 1,4-dioxane–based HM3 antagonists could help treat overactive bladder (OAB). Full Text | PDF Hepatic disease Top Gap junction protein β1, 32 kDa (GJB1; CX32; connexin-32) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.125 Mouse studies identified a small molecule inhibitor of CX32 that could help treat DILI. Full Text | PDF IL-11 receptor doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.126 In vitro and mouse studies suggest agonizing the IL-11 receptor could help treat liver damage. Full Text | PDF Infectious disease Top Growth hormone–releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.127 Mouse studies suggest GHRHR agonists may help treat pulmonary permeability edema, a complication of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. Full Text | PDF Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5); IL-1β doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.128 Cell culture studies suggest agonizing TLR5 and IL-1β could be useful for treating pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Full Text | PDF Musculoskeletal disease Top MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.129 Patient sample and mouse studies suggest inhibiting miR-21 could help treat muscular dystrophy. Full Text | PDF Neurology Top AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.130 Cell culture studies suggest inhibiting AMPK signaling could help treat SOD1-driven ALS. Full Text | PDF Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.131 Studies in mice identified a pregnenolone derivative that could help treat depression. Full Text | PDF Acetylcholinesterase (AChE); butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.132 Studies in vitro and in mice suggest amidine-oxime–based compounds could help reverse organophosphate nerve agent poisoning. Full Text | PDF Other Top Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.133 Rodent studies suggest PDE-5 inhibitors could help prevent or treat noise-induced hearing loss. Full Text | PDF Pulmonary disease Top Chemokine CC motif ligand 5 (RANTES; CCL5); platelet factor 4 (PF4; CXCL4) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.134 Human and mouse studies suggest inhibiting the CCL5-CXCL4 interaction could help treat acute lung injury (ALI). Full Text | PDF Renal disease Top Kelch-like 3 (KLHL3); cullin 3 (CUL3); solute carrier family 12 potassium-chloride transporter member 3 (SLC12A3; NCCT) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.135 Genomic analysis suggests mutations in KLHL3 and CUL3 could help predict the risk of pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII), a rare, genetically inherited renal disease caused by electrolyte imbalance. Full Text | PDF Various Top Rhomboid 5 homolog 2 (RHBDF2; iRhom2) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.136 Studies in cell culture and in mice suggest inhibiting iRhom2 could help treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Techniques Assays and screens Top Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell–derived adipocytes to screen for obesity and diabetes therapeutics doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.137 Human iPS cell–derived adipocytes could be used to identify therapeutics for obesity and diabetes. Full Text | PDF Disease models Top Mouse model of cigarette smoke–induced emphysema doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.138 A mouse model of cigarette smoke–driven emphysema could aid the development of new treatments for the disease. Full Text | PDF Drug platforms Top Depletion of tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 9 (TNFRSF9; 4–1BB; CD137)+/CD4+ T cells to improve adoptive cell therapy treatment of cancer doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.139 Studies in mice and in patient samples suggest depleting CD137+/CD4+ T cells could help increase the efficacy of adoptive cell therapy. Full Text | PDF You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at: www.nature.com/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant) For further technical assistance, please contact our registration department For print subscription enquiries, please contact our subscription department For other enquiries, please contact our customer feedback department Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th Floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA Nature Publishing Group's worldwide offices: London - Paris - Munich - New Delhi - Tokyo - Melbourne San Diego - San Francisco - Washington - New York - Boston Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. © 2012 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.