SciBX: Science-Business eXchange Contents: June 06 2013, Volume 6 / Issue 22

TABLE OF CONTENTS June 6 2013, Volume 6 / Issue 22 Analysis Cover Story Translational Notes Targets and Mechanisms The Distillery: Therapeutics Cancer Cardiovascular disease Endocrine/metabolic disease Hematology Inflammation Neurology Other Pulmonary disease Transplantation The Distillery: Techniques Disease models Drug platforms Imaging Instrumentation Markers Advertisement Biopharma Dealmakers A supplement to Nature Biotechnology and Nature Reviews Drug Discovery The April 2013 issue of Biopharma Dealmakers showcases companies with partnering opportunities. This week, find out about how you can collaborate with Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and The Menarini Group. Advertisement SciBX: Science Business eXchange Innovation in Drug Discovery Challenge: Harnessing Endocytosis for Drug Discovery SciBX, in partnership with Innocentive, is requesting ideas from the scientific community to progress the understanding of how large therapeutic molecules can effectively intercept and use the endocytosis process to achieve class-wide cell permeability.   Click here to find out more!   Advertisement Nature Publishing Group and Relay Technology Management present: The Epigenetics Target Explorer Click here to access this free online tool and the accompanying article in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.   Analysis Cover Story Top Driving cancer through ErbB3 Kai-Jye Lou doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.535 Genentech researchers show that mutations in ERBB3 can drive oncogenesis in a process dependent on the receptor's ability to form a heterodimer with HER2. The findings suggest existing HER2-targeted therapies also could be effective against cancers driven by mutations in ERBB3. Full Text | PDF Translational Notes Top Not-so-fast track Lev Osherovich doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.536 GSK's Discovery Fast Track competition, which aims to establish direct collaborations with academic researchers, hit a road block when the UCLA Office of IP said that UCLA researchers cannot participate. The head of that office believes GSK is doing an end-run around traditional IP vetting by tech transfer offices and that his policy should be UC system–wide. Full Text | PDF Targets and Mechanisms Top Watching obesity on a new channel C. Simone Fishburn doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.537 UC-Irvine researchers have found that an inhibitor of the potassium channel Kv1.3, a known autoimmunity target, may represent a new class of therapeutic for treating obesity-related diseases. The team has licensed the inhibitor, ShK-186, to Kineta and thinks it could treat the indication via a trio of distinct mechanisms. Full Text | PDF Nanoparticles for the flu Tracey Baas doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.538 An NIH team has created a self-assembling influenza nanoparticle that induces the production of antibodies against a wider range of flu strains than traditional vaccines. The next step is immunogenicity testing in humans. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Therapeutics Cancer Top Epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (EGFR3; HER3; ERBB3); HER2 (EGFR2; ErbB2; neu) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.539 Patient sample and mouse studies identified oncogenic somatic mutations in ErbB3 that could guide the use of HER2 and ErbB3 inhibitors. Full Text | PDF Integrin α4β1 (CD49D/CD29) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.540 Human and mouse studies suggest inhibiting integrin α4β1 could help prevent metastasis. Full Text | PDF Poliovirus receptor–related 4 (PVRL4) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.541 In vitro and mouse studies suggest inhibiting PVRL4 could help treat cancer. Full Text | PDF Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1; THBS1); prosaposin (PSAP) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.542 Cell-based and mouse studies suggest increasing TSP-1 expression could help treat metastatic cancer. Full Text | PDF Tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFRSF1A; TNFR1; CD120a) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.543 A study in mice suggests decreasing TNFRSF1A could improve the safety of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-based cancer treatments. Full Text | PDF RAD51 homolog (RAD51); activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AICDA; AID) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.544 Studies in patient-derived cells and in mice suggest antagonizing RAD51 could be useful for treating AID-expressing CLL. Full Text | PDF VEGF receptor 2 (KDR/Flk-1; VEGFR-2) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.545 Mouse studies suggest co-delivery of engineered T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting VEGFR-2 and engineered T cells expressing tumor-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) could help treat melanoma. Full Text | PDF Cardiovascular disease Top Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.546 Studies in mice suggest GDF11 could be useful for treating age-related cardiac hypertrophy. Full Text | PDF Endocrine/metabolic disease Top Fatty acid binding protein 4 adipocyte (FABP4) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.547 In vitro and mouse studies suggest blocking FABP4 could help treat diabetes. Full Text | PDF Hematology Top Factor VIII doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.548 Mouse studies suggest phosphatidylserine-bound factor VIII could help treat patients with hemophilia A. Full Text | PDF Inflammation Top Dendritic cell–specific ICAM-3 grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN; CD209) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.549 Cell culture and mouse studies identified DC-SIGN-binding mannodendrimers that could help treat inflammatory diseases. Full Text | PDF Neurology Top Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (TSPO; PBR) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.550 Mouse studies suggest TSPO ligands could be used to treat AD. Full Text | PDF Protocadherin 17 (PCDH17) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.551 Mouse and nonhuman primate studies suggest inhibiting PCDH17 could help treat depression. Full Text | PDF Other Top Isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (ICMT) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.552 Mouse and cell culture studies suggest inhibiting ICMT could help treat Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), which causes premature aging. Full Text | PDF Pulmonary disease Top Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.553 In vitro and cell culture studies identified the molecular mechanism of action for CFTR corrector compounds and suggest new combination approaches that could help treat CF. Full Text | PDF Transplantation Top Tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.554 TRAIL-overexpressing T cells could be useful for both treating GvHD and improving antitumor immunity following a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Full Text | PDF Distillery: Techniques Disease models Top Clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based editing system for one-step production of multigene knockout mice doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.555 CRISPR-based genome editing could be used to rapidly generate mice with multiple genetic mutations. Full Text | PDF Modeling skeletal muscle deficits in Huntington's disease (HD) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.556 Mouse muscle fibers could be useful for modeling HD-associated musculoskeletal deficits and could aid the development of new therapies to treat the disease. Full Text | PDF Mouse model for autosomal-dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.557 A mouse model for adult-onset ADLD could be useful for identifying myelin regeneration therapies to treat ADLD and multiple sclerosis (MS). Full Text | PDF Mouse model for partner and localizer of Brca2 (Palb2)-deficient breast cancer doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.558 A mouse model for Palb2-deficient breast cancer could be useful for evaluating new therapies. Full Text | PDF Drug platforms Top Direct conversion of fibroblasts to insulin-secreting cells using DNA demethylating agents doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.559 In vitro and mouse studies suggest demethylating agents could be used to directly convert adult fibroblasts into insulin-producing cells. Full Text | PDF Humanized shark variable new antigen receptors (VNARs) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.560 Humanized versions of VNARs could be used to bind protein epitopes that are difficult to access using traditional antibodies. Full Text | PDF Imaging Top High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mimicking nanoparticles to detect vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.561 In vitro and rat studies identified synthetic, HDL-mimicking nanoparticles that could help detect vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques, which can rupture and cause fatal blood clots. Full Text | PDF Instrumentation Top Poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (PCBMA), zwitterionic hydrogels to coat implantable devices doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.562 Mouse studies identified PCBMA hydrogels that could be applied to implantable devices to prevent foreign body reactions. Full Text | PDF Markers Top G-CSF receptor (CSF3R; CD114) mutations to guide diagnosis and treatment of atypical chronic myelogenous leukemia (aCML) and chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) doi:10.1038/scibx.2013.563 Patient sample studies suggest mutations in CD114 could help diagnose aCML and CNL and guide treatment decisions for the diseases. Full Text | PDF You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. 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