SciBX: Science-Business eXchange Contents: December 1 2011, Volume 4 / Issue 46

TABLE OF CONTENTS December 1 2011, Volume 4 / Issue 46 Analysis Cover Story Targets and Mechanisms Tools The Distillery: Therapeutics Cancer Cardiovascular disease Endocrine/metabolic disease Infectious disease Neurology Renal disease The Distillery: Techniques Assays and screens Computational models Drug delivery Drug platforms Recommend to your library Web feed Available online only Subscribe 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 Turning back the malarial hordes Tim Fulmer doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1282 Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have identified a host receptor, basigin Ok blood group, that could be a good candidate for a vaccine against blood-stage malaria infection. The vaccine could be more effective at preventing clinical symptoms than vaccines that target the asymptomatic liver stage of the parasite. Full Text | PDF Targets and Mechanisms Top Stemming CSCs Kai-Jye Lou doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1283 A Belgian team has identified VEGF and its co-receptor NRP1 as promoters of cancer stem cell proliferation in skin papillomas and now wants to investigate whether NRP1 inhibition is a strategy against a broader range of cancers. Full Text | PDF Taken to heart Tracey Baas doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1284 A Stanford study has suggested that the mitochondrial enzyme ALDH2 activator Alda-1 could decrease the risk of cardiac injury in patients treated with nitroglycerin. ALDEA Pharmaceuticals has already raised money to optimize Alda-1 for clinical use, while other Aldas are under development. Full Text | PDF Tools Top Stem cell jackpot for Parkinson's disease Lev Osherovich doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1285 A Memorial Sloan-Kettering team has honed a protocol for producing large quantities of human dopaminergic neurons that could be grafted into patients with PD or used as a screening platform for the disease. Scaling up the protocol remains a challenge, and demonstrating safety will be a prerequisite for therapeutic development. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Therapeutics Cancer Top Mitochondrial translation doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1286 In vitro and mouse studies suggest Tygacil tigecycline could be repurposed to help treat AML. Full Text | PDF Pyruvate kinase M2 isozyme (PKM2); β-catenin (CTNNB1) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1287 A study in mice and in cell culture suggests antagonizing interactions between PKM2 and CTNNB1 could help treat glioblastoma. Full Text | PDF Cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (CYR61); sonic hedgehog homolog (SHH) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1288 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting CYR61 could help treat SHH-driven breast cancer. Full Text | PDF Parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH; PTHRP) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1289 Mouse studies suggest inhibiting PTHRP could help prevent breast tumor progression and metastasis. Full Text | PDF Ubiquitin specific peptidase 7 (USP7; HAUSP) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1290 Cell culture and mouse studies identified USP7-inhibiting peptides that could help treat cancer. Full Text | PDF Chitinase 3-like 1 cartilage glycoprotein-39 (CHI3L1; YKL40) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1291 Cell culture and mouse studies suggest inhibiting CHI3L1 could help treat colorectal cancer. Full Text | PDF Diablo homolog (DIABLO; SMAC) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1292 In vitro and mouse studies suggest the SMAC mimetic JP1201 could sensitize nonresponsive NSCLCs to chemotherapy. Full Text | PDF NEDD8 activating enzyme (NAE) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1293 In vitro and mouse studies suggest NAE inhibitors could help sensitize pancreatic cancers to radiation therapy. Full Text | PDF Cardiovascular disease Top Collagen type VI α2 (COL6A2); Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (DSCAM) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1294 Drosophila, mouse and human cell line studies suggest mutations causing DSCAM and COL6A2 overexpression could help predict risk of congenital heart disease (CHD). Full Text | PDF Fc γ-receptor IIa (CD32A; FCGR2A) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1295 A genomewide association study identified a SNP in FCGR2A that could help predict susceptibility to Kawasaki disease, which is characterized by systemic vasculitis. Full Text | PDF Chemokine CX3C motif ligand 1 (CX3CL1; fractalkine) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1296 Rodent studies suggest CX3CL1 could help decrease ischemia-induced tissue damage. Full Text | PDF Endocrine/metabolic disease Top Gap junction protein δ2, 36 kDa (GJD2; CX36; connexin-36) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1297 Mouse studies suggest increasing CX36 levels could help treat or prevent type 1 diabetes. Full Text | PDF Nuclear receptor corepressor 1 (NCOR1); peroxisome proliferation–activated receptor-γ (PPARG; PPARγ) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1298 Studies in mice suggest inhibiting interactions between NCOR1 and PPARγ could help treat diabetes. Full Text | PDF Infectious disease Top Burkholderia pseudomallei lethal factor 1 (BPSL1549); eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A1 (EIF4A1) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1299 In vitro and mouse studies identified a toxin from B. pseudomallei that could be blocked to treat the bacterial infection melioidosis. Full Text | PDF Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte-binding protein homolog 5 (PfRh5); basigin Ok blood group (BSG; EMMPRIN; CD147) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1300 In vitro studies suggest a vaccine targeting the malarial antigen PfRh5 could be useful for preventing blood-stage malaria infection. Full Text | PDF Neurology Top Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 4 (mGluR4; GRM4) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1301 In vitro and rat studies suggest mGluR4 positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) could be combined with existing PD therapies to treat PD. Full Text | PDF Renal disease Top Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1302 A study in mice suggests inhibiting STAT6 may help treat PKD. Full Text | PDF Distillery: Techniques Assays and screens Top A targeted sequencing method to identify genetic alterations in fixed tumor samples doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1303 Targeted sequencing of clinical tumor samples could help guide treatment decisions for cancer patients. Full Text | PDF A yeast functional screen for identifying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) genes doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1304 A yeast functional screen could aid the discovery of candidate genes that cause ALS. Full Text | PDF Single-cell PCR analysis of tumor samples to identify prognostic gene expression signatures doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1305 A method to measure gene expression in individual tumor cells could help identify new cancer biomarkers and targets. Full Text | PDF Computational models Top Automated quantification of breast cancer morphology features in microscopic images for prognosis doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1306 Microscopic quantitative analysis of breast cancer tissue morphology could help determine histological tumor grade. Full Text | PDF Drug delivery Top Poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) dextran polymers coated with polysorbate 80 (PBCA nanoparticles) for brain delivery of imaging agents doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1307 Mouse studies suggest PBCA nanoparticles could be used to deliver imaging agents across the blood brain barrier (BBB) to help detect and diagnose neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Full Text | PDF Drug platforms Top An improved protocol to derive dopaminergic neurons from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1308 Studies in cell culture, rodents and monkeys suggest an improved procedure for deriving dopaminergic neurons from ESCs could help treat PD. Full Text | PDF Embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived anterior pituitary tissues for treating endocrine diseases doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1309 In vitro and mouse studies identified a method to generate anterior pituitary tissues from ESCs that could help treat endocrine diseases. Full Text | PDF Engineered pancreatic islets doi:10.1038/scibx.2011.1310 Engineered pancreatic islets could help lower rejection risk in patients with type 1 diabetes. Full Text | PDF You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. 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