“Key Systems Biology Components Of Therasis Filter™ Lead To Discovery ... - Medical News Today” plus 4 more

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• Key Systems Biology Components Of Therasis Filter™ Lead To Discovery ... - Medical News Today
• We challenge assumptions about Australian heroes, history and humanity - BBC
• Four Springfield teachers reach a career high - MontgomeryNews.com
• Bill Marchel: An imbalance in the equation - Minneapolis Star Tribune
• Sutter Buttes hikes offered this month - Chico Enterprise-Record

Key Systems Biology Components Of Therasis Filter™ Lead To Discovery ... - Medical News Today Posted: 02 Jan 2010 11:54 PM PST Main Category: Cancer / Oncology Also Included In: Genetics;  Neurology / Neuroscience;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics Article Date: 03 Jan 2010 - 0:00 PST email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article Co-Founder, Andrea Califano, Ph.D., and Wei Keat Lim, Ph.D., Head of Computational Systems Biology at Therasis, along with a team of scientists at Columbia University, have reported in the journal Nature the identification of two genes that, when simultaneously activated, cause the most lethal form of glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. The findings were first published in an advanced online edition of Nature on December 23, 2009. The genes were identified by reverse-engineering a map of the complex molecular interactions that occur within the actual tumor cells, also known as a cellular network, using advanced cancer systems biology algorithms. These computational methods and algorithms were developed in the laboratory of Dr. Califano, who is also the Director of the Joint Centers for Systems Biology and Associate Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center. The team used one of the algorithms (ARACNe) to reconstruct the cellular network that controls the behavior of these tumors. Then, a second algorithm (MARINa) was used to identify the master regulators of the worst prognosis in glioblastoma from this network. This analysis pinpointed two genes, with no known prior association with brain cancer, as playing a key, synergistic role in determining the most aggressive properties of glioblastoma, including invasion of normal surrounding tissue and angiogenesis. ARACNe and several other algorithms are exclusively licensed to Therasis from Columbia University. Together, they form the computational foundation of the company's robust drug discovery platform, known as the Therasis Filter™. The computational findings were confirmed by a follow-up validation study, in which the expression of these genes was found to be strongly correlated with increased mortality. Furthermore, the tumor network and genes' functions were confirmed both in cell lines and in mouse models. Expression of the two genes in neural stem cells caused them to display all the hallmarks of the most aggressive glioblastoma. Conversely, silencing these genes in aggressive human glioma cells, which are normally highly tumorigenic when transplanted in mice, completely blocked their ability to form tumors. "This study validates the potential of the Therasis Filter™ to transform oncology drug discovery and development by enabling a comprehensive understanding of the inner regulatory interactions in actual tumor cells to guide target identification," commented Dr. Califano. "These findings of two new Therasis synergistic glioblastoma targets support our technology platform and will guide new approaches to combination therapy and associated diagnosis through targets and biomarkers that are causally, rather than statistically, associated with the tumors." Dr. Stefan Catsicas, founder of Tilocor Life Science that has invested $12M into Therasis' Series A financing, added, "This study illustrates that scientific excellence is necessary to develop innovative treatments. The combined expertise of the founders and of the management of Therasis should allow the company to translate this excellence into clinical breakthroughs." Rather than identifying therapies based solely on cytotoxicity, or ability to kill cancer cells, the Therasis Filter™ enables a more informed approach to drug development by determining key molecular targets and uncovering synergistic interactions within a cellular network. The subsequent reverse-mapping of the effects of a single agent or combination on these cellular activities affords a better understanding of the mode of action and specific toxicity of new treatments, as well as biomarkers of activity. Therasis was recently founded by Drs. Riccardo Dalla Favera, Owen O'Connor, and Andrea Califano, leaders in basic, translational, and clinical oncology research. The company is developing an internal pipeline of oncology drug candidates and forming drug discovery partnerships with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. About the Therasis Filter™ The Therasis Filter™ enables the identification of disease-specific alterations in the networks of molecular interactions that regulate cellular processes, allowing the rapid identification of new chemical entities and synergistic combinations that target these alterations. Beginning with high throughput screening of compound libraries, the Therasis Filter™ first collects a large number of molecular profiles of chemically-perturbed cells. These profiles are used to reconstruct accurate maps of molecular interactions, also known as "interactomes". The latter are experimentally validated and analyzed to identify disease-specific alterations in tumor-derived tissues, compounds targeting these alterations and biomarkers complementing clinical development. Interactomes are also effective in characterizing drug mechanisms of action, supporting both drug rescuing and drug repositioning efforts. Source Therasis Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

We challenge assumptions about Australian heroes, history and humanity - BBC Posted: 03 Jan 2010 07:47 AM PST Professor of Australian history Marilyn Lake challenges us to reject the legend of the Anzac: Australia's white male heroic soldier, revered for his bravery, mateship and loyalty. Though this "myth" helped create the original idea of a nation, in her view it is due for a radical rethink. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Four Springfield teachers reach a career high - MontgomeryNews.com Posted: 03 Jan 2010 05:02 AM PST Newly board-certified teachers in the School District of Springfield Township are, from left, Joyce Huff, Lori Pinelli, Rosemarie Becker and Debbie Smith. Staff photo by BOB RAINES View and purchase photos By Amanda Glensky Staff Writer Four teachers from the Springfield Township School District have met what are viewed as the highest teaching standards in the country, an intense process they said made them focus and reflect on how they teach and how they impact their students. As of 2009, middle school librarian Rosemarie Becker, fifth-grade teacher Lori Pinelli and high school biology teacher Deborah Smith are now National Board Certified Teachers. Enfield first-grade teacher Joyce Huff earned recertification in 2009. She was first National Board certified in 2000, making her the first teacher in the district and one of the first in the state to earn the honor, she said. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which developed this certification, is a nongovernmental organization that works to "advance the quality of teaching and learning," according to its Web site. The Springfield teachers said the process, which takes from about one to three years to complete, required completion of portfolios, assessments, measuring student success and critiquing videos of themselves teaching. The teachers said it was an involved process, but worth the end result because it made them better at what they do. "It was a very reflective process in which I had to think about what I do with students and how effective I am," said Becker, certified in library media, K-12. "I have made changes in some of my teaching practices and have created some new practices based on the work that I did. So, I think the process was very positive." Becker, who has been at the middle school for 17 years and a school librarian for 20, said the requirements challenged her in the areas of technology, literature and library administration to measure the result on student learning of what she does. "I love my job and I want to be vibrant and effective in it. Working on National Board Certification was simply a challenge I wanted to take," she said. Pinelli, certified in early adolescent math, said the process required her to think about "evidence of learning" in the classroom. She had to look past a student's grades and figure out how she could fill the gap between the grade and 100 percent, she said. "It does make you a better teacher as you grow throughout the process," said Pinelli, who came to the middle school in 2003. "It was tough — it was very stressful — but, I think there were a lot of positive things to come out of it." The teachers also said the chance to work with their colleagues both within and outside of Springfield was rewarding. Deborah Smith teaches anatomy and physiology, honors and academic biology, AP biology and environmental science at the high school, where she has been working for 19 years. Huff, who has been a teacher in Springfield for 20 years, is National Board Certified as an early childhood generalist, meaning she can teach all subjects to students from 3 to 8 years old. To earn recertification, she had to prove she has grown as a teacher and made a difference in the profession and to her students, she said. If teachers do not submit enough documentation, they cannot receive the credentials, she said. "It's an honor, and it's also a way for me to prove that I am a true professional. This means a lot to me," she said. "It's a chance for me to reflect on how I teach, too. I have to analyze what I do and answer to myself why I do it and how I can do it better." The teachers will be recognized at the next school board meeting on Jan. 5. The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of MontgomeryNews.com. We encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are moderated by the editors. We ask you to follow a few simple guidelines when commenting on stories on MontgomeryNews.com. 1) Please post responsibly. 2) Be polite. 3) Don't hate. 4) If you object to someone's post, use the "Report Abuse" button and we'll review it. 5) Users who don't play by the rules will be blocked and won't be allowed to participate. 6) Self-promotion of businesses or advertisements of anything for sale are not permitted. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Bill Marchel: An imbalance in the equation - Minneapolis Star Tribune Posted: 03 Jan 2010 03:07 AM PST "There is a lot interest on the part of our managers to see what we can or cannot do in this sort of a venture," McAninch said. "Right now we're at the stages of active discussion of what we would do, where we would do it and how we would offer this opportunity [QDM]. We are well under way in planning a QDM effort in the state." According to McAninch, the plan probably won't be ready until the fall of 1997 at the earliest. • • • What happened to that plan? Fourteen years later, QDM efforts remain in the experimental stages. According to statistics published by the Quality Deer Management Association in 2008, a whopping 67 percent of the antlered bucks harvested in Minnesota were only 1 1/2 years old, the highest total in the nation. In Kansas, only 17 of every 100 antlered bucks are yearlings. Much like catch-and-release fishing, QDM may take a while to catch on. Among humans, the need to succeed is great. Some hunters cannot fathom the idea of watching an immature buck pass only to go "deerless" for the season. Unfortunately, peer pressure influences many hunters. Yet for QDM proponents, passing up young bucks is considered success, as is shooting a doe. Often, those involved with QDM gain satisfaction by other experiences, such as learning deer biology, working with others on habitat programs and improving hunting ethics. A chance at shooting a mature buck often becomes secondary. QDM, however, should not be looked upon as a higher form of hunting. Many hunters are satisfied just to be outdoors with perhaps an opportunity to shoot a deer, any deer, and no one should be shunned for that. All hunters should remain open-minded to the ethical hunting philosophies of others. But (this is important) for those who complain about the lack of mature bucks, or for hunters who feel our deer should be managed from a biological standpoint, with the long-term health of the herd and the habitat in mind, perhaps they should push for a QDM plan in Minnesota. In the meantime our DNR experts believe deer management is a "social issue." Deer biology is obviously of less concern. That cold reality struck me when my afternoon vigil was deerless. Bill Marchel, an outdoors columnist and photographer, lives near Brainerd. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Sutter Buttes hikes offered this month - Chico Enterprise-Record Posted: 03 Jan 2010 06:28 AM PST MARYSVILLE — A series of hikes to explore the world's smallest mountain range are offered in January and February through Yuba Historical Society. * Jan. 17— 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ridge Walker Delight will be an energetic climb to the center of Sutter Butte volcano, starting with a climb out of the buttes' largest canyon, up to a 1,500-foot elevation to stop for lunch. If the day is clear, hikers will be able to see Mt. Shasta to the north, Mt. Diablo to the south, Mt. Konocti on the western horizon, and the Chrystal Range ringing Lake Tahoe to the east. The six-hour hike will include instruction on the Sutter Buttes' geology, biology and history, including stories of the Maidu and Wintun. Cost is $35 for society members, $45 for non-members with discounts for children. Membership prices start at $15. * Feb. 6 — A four-mile walk that will transects decomposed volcanic rock called propylite that forms rounded hills. Hikers will ascend 800 feet above Peace Valley and walk atop a ridge at a leisurely pace offering a variety of views, from rugged crags to rounded valleys and a vista of the northern Sacramento Valley. The tour will include instruction on Sutter Butte geology and stories past down from the Maidu and Wintun Indians. Cost is $15 for society members and $25 non-members, for children 12 years old and younger $10/$15. *Feb. 14 — 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cathedral Peak hike will take in the hundreds of rock slabs stacked and twisted by subterranean forces on the Buttes' northwestern castle core as well as the peak's twin, Destiny Peak — with its weathered andesite pocketed by countless caverns. Destination will be is a prominence overlooking Bragg Canyon. Cost is $25 for society members and $35 for non-members with discounts for children. Membership prices start at $15. * Feb. 27 — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ridge Walker Delight (see hike on Jan. 17). At this early spring date, the group will also see some early wildflowers. Cost is $35 for society members and $45 for non-members with discounts for children. Membership prices start at $15. To register for the above hikes, call 846-3024, email: daniel@yubahistory.com or visit http://www.yubahistory.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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