Lilly’s Phenotypic Discovery Initiative Open to Universities, Research Institutes and Small Biotech
Eli Lilly’s Phenotypic Drug Discovery Initiative, PD2 (pronounced PD-squared), offers nonprofit research facilities and small biotech companies an opportunity to gain access to highly relevant assay modules and publication-quality biological data to test hypotheses and possibly establish collaboration with Lilly. It also provides increased access to resources. For more information on the program and eligibility, go to https://www.pd2.lilly.com.
Salk Institute President Joins State Stem Cell Institute’s Board
William Brody, who recently became President of the Salk Institute, has been appointed as a board member for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Testing Gene Therapy to Improve Brain Function in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
Researchers at the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of California San Diego are about to launch a Phase 2 clinical trial to test a gene therapy treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) called CERE-110. Previously, CERE-110 was carefully studied in animals as well as in a small study to assess safety in humans. These studies showed that CERE-110 can safely induce long-term production of a natural brain cell-survival molecule called Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in the brains of AD patients.
Researchers at 12 U.S. sites, including the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of California San Diego are now seeking 50 study participants with mild to moderate AD for the Phase 2 clinical study. The experimental treatment utilizes viral-based gene transfer. Brain cells that receive gene transfer will, in turn, make NGF, a naturally occurring protein that maintains nerve cell function and survival in the brain.
Scripps Research Scientists Find Early Evolution Maximized the "Spellchecking" of Protein Sequences
As letters of the alphabet spell out words, when amino acids are linked to one another in a particular order they "spell out" proteins. But sometimes the cell machinery for building proteins in our bodies makes a mistake and the wrong amino acid is inserted. The consequences can be devastating, resulting in a garbled protein that no longer has the correct function, possibly leading to cancers and other diseases.
Now scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have examined how an enzyme responsible for adding one amino acid, alanine, to proteins has come to have its own spellchecker. In their paper published in the August 7, 2009, issue of Science, Scripps Research Professor Paul Schimmel and colleagues show that two separate functions—alanine adding and editing—were joined together in a single enzyme during early evolution, in a way that greatly enhances these activities. The findings provide a glimpse into how enzyme functions have evolved.
Tumor Suppressor Pulls Double Shift as Reprogramming Watchdog
A collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies uncovered that the tumor suppressor p53, which made its name as "guardian of the genome," not only stops cells that could become cancerous in their tracks but also controls somatic cell reprogramming.
Although scientists have learned how to reprogram adult human cells such as skin cells into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, the reprogramming efficiency is still woefully low. The Salk study, published in the Aug. 9 advance online edition of Nature, gives new insight into why only a few cells out of many can be persuaded to turn back the clock.
Researchers Uncover Potential Mechanisms to Protect Against Genetic Alterations, Diseases
Peering into the DNA of tiny yeast, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego and the San Diego Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have pinpointed a large number of genes that can prevent a type of genetic rearrangement that may lead to cancer and other diseases.
The presence of these genes and their accompanying pathways, many of which are involved in repairing mistakes in DNA replication, may help explain how the body fends off so many potentially damaging genetic alterations while maintaining its stability.
Urologic Oncologist Kellogg Parsons MD Recognized as Health Leader
Kellogg Parsons MD, a urologic oncologist at UC San Diego Medical Center and Moores UCSD Cancer Center, has recently received multiple recognitions for his leadership in the field of urology and cancer care. He has been appointed to the prestigious American Urological Association (AUA) Practice Guidelines Committee. Reaching a global community of physicians, the committee recommends specific indications, guidelines and practice parameters for diagnosis and treatment of urological diseases, outlining appropriate procedures for care. Parsons is currently their youngest member.
New Genetic Research Study Could Transform Breast Cancer Screenings
A study by Scripps Health may lead to personalized alternatives to the annual mammogram, with each person’s genetic makeup guiding how often they get tested.
The study by Scripps Health will initially assess whether a woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer can be more accurately predicted by the presence of recently discovered common DNA variants that are associated with the disease. If these low-risk variants prove predictive, healthy women could be divided into three different categories for breast cancer screening, instead of just one.
Scripps Stem Cell Research in Mice Could Lead to Techniques for Growing Replacement Organs
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute of La Jolla have reported breeding live mice using skin cells, progress that could one day lead to using a patient’s own cells to grow replacement organs, according to a paper published online Aug. 2 in the journal Nature.