SciBX: Science-Business eXchange Contents: March 14 2013, Volume 6 / Issue 10

TABLE OF CONTENTS March 14 2013, Volume 6 / Issue 10 Analysis Cover Story Translational Notes Targets and Mechanisms Tools The Distillery: Therapeutics Autoimmune disease Cancer Cardiovascular disease Dermatology Endocrine/metabolic disease Infectious disease Inflammation Neurology Pulmonary disease Various The Distillery: Techniques Assays and screens Drug delivery Drug platforms Imaging Advertisement BioPharma Dealmakers A supplement to Nature Biotechnology and Nature Reviews Drug Discovery The October 2012 issue of BioPharma Dealmakers showcases companies with partnering opportunities and contains a focus feature on those active in Neuro-partnering. This week, find out about how you can collaborate with Sanofi Pasteur. 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Join the global dialogue on life science entrepreneurship: http://blogs.nature.com/trade_secrets   Analysis Cover Story Top Squaring the RNA circle Chris Cain doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.229 Two European teams have shown that circular RNAs are widely expressed in humans and have regulatory functions, although their biomedical relevance remains to be established. However, the continuing emergence of links between other noncoding RNAs and disease offers some promise. Full Text | PDF Translational Notes Top GSK goes deep with DPAc Lev Osherovich doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.230 GSK's Discovery Partnerships with Academia (DPAc) program is helping the pharma cast a wide net for early stage therapeutics beyond its core areas. So far this year, GSK has struck discovery deals with Vanderbilt University and The Hospital For Sick Children in severe obesity and cystic fibrosis, respectively. Full Text | PDF Targets and Mechanisms Top Placing kinases in the WNT pathway Joanne Kotz doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.231 A Boston-based team and a group led by Roche's Genentech unit have each identified new kinase regulators of WNT signaling—YES1 and RIPK4, respectively—that provide two new, druggable targets. Each team will now look for the cancer subtypes most likely to respond to inhibitors of these kinases. Full Text | PDF Tools Top VentriGel goes into pigs Kai-Jye Lou doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.232 Researchers at UCSD and Ventrix have developed a catheter-compatible hydrogel that restored cardiac function in a pig model with myocardial infarction. Ventrix is now scaling up manufacture of the hydrogel, called VentriGel, and hopes to take it into clinical trials by year end. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Therapeutics Autoimmune disease Top IL-17 receptor (IL17R; IL17RA); IL-17A doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.233 In vitro and mouse studies identified variants of IL17RA that could help treat plaque psoriasis. Full Text | PDF Cancer Top Placental growth factor (PGF; PlGF); neuropilin 1 (NRP1) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.234 In vitro and mouse studies suggest inhibiting PlGF or NRP1 could help treat medulloblastoma. Full Text | PDF Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase 3 (EIF2AK3; PERK); eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2A (EIF2A) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.235 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting PERK and EIF2A signaling could help treat radiotherapy-resistant cancers. Full Text | PDF Cardiovascular disease Top Endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3; eNOS); regulator of G-protein signaling 4 (RGS4) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.236 In vitro and mouse studies suggest inhibiting eNOS or increasing RGS4 could help prevent cardiac hypertrophy. Full Text | PDF MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a); protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 10 (PPP1R10) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.237 Patient tissue and mouse studies suggest inhibiting miR-34a or increasing PPP1R10 levels could help improve post-MI recovery. Full Text | PDF Dermatology Top Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.238 Studies in mice and in patient samples suggest a modified form of Hsp70 could help treat vitiligo, an autoimmune skin disease characterized by loss of pigmentation. Full Text | PDF Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.239 In vitro studies suggest a heparin mimetic could be used to stabilize bFGF for use in indications such as wound healing. Full Text | PDF Endocrine/metabolic disease Top Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.240 In vitro and in vivo studies suggest phenylbutyrate could help treat mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) deficiency, the most common genetic form of lactic acidosis. Full Text | PDF Infectious disease Top Influenza virus neuraminidase doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.241 In vitro, cell culture and mouse studies suggest covalent neuraminidase inhibitors could be useful for treating influenza infection. Full Text | PDF Inflammation Top Formyl peptide receptor-like 1 (FPRL1; FPR2) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.242 Cell culture studies suggest agonizing FPR2 in innate immune cells could be useful for treating asthma. Full Text | PDF Neurology Top Caspase-1 (CASP1); high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1); NF-κB; pannexin 1 (PNX1) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.243 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting PNX1 in neurons could help treat migraine aura and headache. Full Text | PDF Pulmonary disease Top Rho kinase; myocardin-related transcription factor A (MKL1; MAL; MRTF-1) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.244 Human tissue and mouse studies suggest inhibiting Rho kinase or MKL1 could help treat pulmonary fibrosis. Full Text | PDF Various Top MicroRNA-7 (miR-7); cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 antisense (ciRS-7; CDR1as) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.245 In silico and cell culture studies suggest inhibiting the circular RNA ciRS-7 upregulates miR-7 expression, which could help treat cancer or neurological diseases. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Techniques Assays and screens Top MicroRNA detection with hairpin-mediated quadratic enzymatic amplification (HQEA) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.246 HQEA for miRNAs could enable sensitive detection of disease-associated miRNAs in clinical samples. Full Text | PDF Drug delivery Top A peptide fragment based on CD47 to prolong circulation time and improve nanoparticle delivery doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.247 Mouse studies identified a CD47-derived peptide that could improve the bioavailability of nanoparticle drug delivery vehicles. Full Text | PDF Mucosal delivery to improve cancer vaccine efficacy doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.248 Mouse studies suggest cancer vaccines formulated for mucosal delivery could have better efficacy against mucosal tumors than vaccines delivered via subcutaneous injection. Full Text | PDF Drug platforms Top Clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) interference system for gene regulation doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.249 The CRISPR interference platform for modulating gene expression could be used to modify DNA in diverse biological systems. Full Text | PDF Injectable extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel for treating heart failure following myocardial infarction (MI) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.250 An injectable, porcine-derived ECM hydrogel could be useful for treating MI. Full Text | PDF Predicting disease progression by measuring the evolution of mutational heterogeneity in cancer samples doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.251 Computational analysis of patient whole-exome sequencing data could be used to measure the evolution of tumor heterogeneity and help predict disease progression. Full Text | PDF Imaging Top Chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) for detection of myeloperoxidase (MPO) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.252 An imaging method called CRET could help assess oxidative stress and inflammation in vivo. Full Text | PDF You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. 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