SciBX: Science-Business eXchange Contents: August 2 2012, Volume 5 / Issue 30

TABLE OF CONTENTS August 2 2012, Volume 5 / Issue 30 Analysis Cover Story Translational Notes Targets and Mechanisms Tools The Distillery: Therapeutics Autoimmune disease Cancer Cardiovascular disease Infectious disease Neurology Various The Distillery: Techniques Computational models Drug delivery Drug platforms Instrumentation Markers Advertisement BioPharma Dealmakers A supplement to Nature Biotechnology and Nature Reviews Drug Discovery The June 2012 issue of BioPharma Dealmakers showcases companies with partnering opportunities within the academic and vaccine fields in the U.S and abroad. This week, find out about how you can collaborate with Merck. 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 Cylene takes pol position in cancer Tim Fulmer doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.774 Australian and U.S. researchers have shown that a small molecule inhibitor of RNA polymerase I blocked tumor growth in mouse models of lymphoma. Cylene Pharmaceuticals and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre plan to start a Phase I trial of the inhibitor in Australia this year. Full Text | PDF Translational Notes Top AZ goes APOE Lev Osherovich doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.775 AstraZeneca has assembled an academia-industry consortium to unravel the role of apolipoprotein E in Alzheimer's disease. The team hopes to uncover basic mechanisms about how APOE drives the disease process and to discover therapeutics tailored for carriers of the AD-associated APOE4 allele. Full Text | PDF Targets and Mechanisms Top New options for NEC Tracey Baas doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.776 A team from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has mouse data showing that amniotic fluid can decrease the severity of necrotizing enterocolitis, a gastrointestinal disease primarily seen in premature infants. An important next step will be figuring out the factors in amniotic fluid that underlie the beneficial effect and turning those factors into medicines. Full Text | PDF Tools Top Drug design on the fly Joanne Kotz doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.777 UCSF and Mount Sinai researchers have used whole-organism screening in a Drosophila cancer model to identify and optimize a multitargeted kinase inhibitor with activity in a mouse model of medullary thyroid carcinoma. An undisclosed pharma is negotiating to license the IP. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Therapeutics Autoimmune disease Top IL-23; IL-23 receptor doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.778 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting IL-23 signaling in a T cell subpopulation could help treat nonrheumatoid arthritis spondyloarthropathies, such as ankylosing spondylitis. Full Text | PDF Cancer Top MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.779 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting miR-155 with locked nucleic acids (LNAs) could help treat low-grade B cell lymphomas, such as Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM). Full Text | PDF Cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1; CDC2); CDK2; phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.780 Mouse and cell culture studies suggest combined inhibition of CDK1 and CDK2 could help improve the efficacy of PI3K inhibitors in glioma. Full Text | PDF Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1; VR1) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.781 Mouse studies suggest TRPV1 agonists could help treat high-grade astrocytomas. Full Text | PDF Cerebral cavernous malformation 2 (CCM2); serine/threonine kinase 25 (STK25) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.782 In vitro studies suggest increasing STK25 activity could help treat pediatric neural cancers. Full Text | PDF Unknown doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.783 Mouse and retrospective patient studies suggest cardiac glycosides such as digoxin could complement certain chemotherapies to help treat cancer. Full Text | PDF RNA polymerase I (Pol I) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.784 Cell culture and mouse studies suggest inhibitors of Pol I could help treat hematological cancers. Full Text | PDF Not applicable doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.785 Mouse and cell culture studies suggest tumor-specific nanoparticles encapsulating the mRNA of an artificial transcription factor could help treat ovarian cancer. Full Text | PDF Cardiovascular disease Top Apelin receptor (APLNR; APJ); apelin (APLN) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.786 In vitro and mouse studies suggest selectively targeting one of two APJ functions could help prevent left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) that leads to heart failure. Full Text | PDF Infectious disease Top Ubiquitin specific peptidase 14 tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (USP14; TGT) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.787 Cell culture studies suggest inhibiting cellular deubiquitinases such as USP14 could help prevent RNA virus infection. Full Text | PDF Staphopain A doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.788 Cell culture studies suggest inhibiting the Staphylococcus aureus cysteine protease staphopain A could help treat staphylococcal infection. Full Text | PDF Neurology Top Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.789 Mouse studies suggest increasing ADIPOQ signaling in the brain could help treat stress-induced depression. Full Text | PDF Huntingtin (HTT) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.790 Mouse and nonhuman primate studies suggest transient knockdown of HTT expression could help treat HD. Full Text | PDF Peroxisome proliferation–activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PPARGC1A; PGC-1α) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.791 Human studies suggest mutations in a newly identified region of PPARGC1A could be a prognostic marker of HD. Full Text | PDF NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.792 Mouse studies suggest NOX4 inhibitors could help treat neuropathic pain. Full Text | PDF Various Top Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.793 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting ATM kinase activity could help treat diseases associated with pathological angiogenesis, including cancer and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Full Text | PDF Distillery: Techniques Computational models Top Whole-cell computational model for predicting phenotype from genotype doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.794 A whole-cell computational model could guide development of in silico drug discovery technologies. Full Text | PDF Drug delivery Top Shear-activated nanoparticles for targeting drugs to obstructed blood vessels doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.795 Shear-activated nanoparticles could be useful for targeted delivery of drugs to obstructed blood vessels. Full Text | PDF Drug platforms Top Chemically modified bispecific antibodies doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.796 Chemically modified bispecific antibodies could be more effective than monovalent antibodies for treating cancer. Full Text | PDF Mn2+-peptide complex for preserving immunogenicity of irradiated vaccine epitopes doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.797 A radioprotective Mn2+-peptide complex could help improve the efficacy of vaccines generated from lethally irradiated viruses and bacteria. Full Text | PDF Cord blood–derived induced neuronal cells (CB-iNCs) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.798 In vitro and mouse studies suggest human CB-iNCs could be used to treat and study neuronal disorders. Full Text | PDF Crystal structure of the JH2 domain of Janus kinase-2 (JAK-2) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.799 In vitro studies identified the crystal structure of the JH2 domain of JAK-2, which could guide the development of new drugs to treat myeloproliferative disorders. Full Text | PDF Genetic sequencing using nanochannel arrays doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.800 Sequencing studies suggest nanochannel arrays could be used for de novo genome sequencing. Full Text | PDF Nanozymes for antiviral therapy doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.801 Nanoparticle-based, RNA-silencing complexes called nanozymes could be useful for antiviral therapy. Full Text | PDF Instrumentation Top Combined photoacoustic and ultrasonic endoscopy system for in vivo imaging of soft tissues doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.802 An imaging system that combines photoacoustic and ultrasonic endoscopy could help improve in vivo imaging of soft tissues. Full Text | PDF Markers Top Serum biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.803 A study in patients with AD suggests low plasma levels of apolipoprotein E (APOE) could help predict AD onset. Full Text | PDF Subtype-specific somatic mutations in medulloblastoma doi:10.1038/scibx.2012.804 Identification of new subtype-specific somatic mutations in medulloblastoma could aid the development of new treatments for the disease. 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