“Zebrafish publishes special issue on cancer biology - News-Medical.Net” plus 3 more |
- Zebrafish publishes special issue on cancer biology - News-Medical.Net
- Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Tops Up Series A Financing with $2 Million ... - PR Inside
- Springer signs agreement with ISOBM to co-publish the journal Tumor ... - News-Medical.Net
- Researchers find fecal material in U.S. soda fountain machines - Itwire.com
| Zebrafish publishes special issue on cancer biology - News-Medical.Net Posted: 08 Jan 2010 12:17 AM PST The zebrafish, a translucent fish often used as a model of human development and disease, offers unique advantages for studying the cause, growth, and spread of tumors using strategies and methods presented in the current "Cancer Biology" special issue of Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The entire issue is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/zeb Guest Editors Steven D. Leach, MD, the Paul K. Neumann Professor in Pancreatic Cancer and Professor of Surgery, Oncology and Cell Biology at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) and A. Thomas Look, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, and Vice-Chair for Research Pediatric Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA), have compiled a comprehensive collection of papers that describe current approaches for modeling human cancer in zebrafish, studying tissue remodeling in zebrafish embryos, and understanding the genes, genetic control elements, and repair pathways involved in the development and metastasis of tumors. A particular advantage of using zebrafish to study cancer biology is the ability to transplant human tumors into the fish using well-established methods. Authors Leonard Zon, PhD, and Alison Taylor, PhD, from Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston present the concepts and techniques relevant to zebrafish transplantation assays. They describe how tumor transplantation has been used to study leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma, and melanoma in the paper "Zebrafish Tumor Assays: The State of Transplantation." The molecular basis for cancers affecting human germ cells is poorly understood, impeding efforts to identify more effective and targeted treatments. In the paper entitled "Identification of a Heritable Model of Testicular Germ Cell Tumor in the Zebrafish," authors Joanie Neumann, Jennifer Dhepard Dovey, Garvin Chandler, Liliana Carbajal, and James Amatruda, describe the development of a zebrafish model that carries a genetic mutation making the fish highly susceptible to the development of testicular tumors. This model system can be used to test new approaches to therapy for testicular cancer. Jun Chen and Jinrong Peng, from Zhejian University (China), describe the use of transgenic zebrafish to understand the roles that different naturally occurring forms of the tumor suppressor gene p53 play in regulating cell cycle, metabolism, organ development, and cell aging and death. Their paper "p53 Isoform Δ113p53 in Zebrafish" discusses the potential use of this particular p53 isoform for characterizing factors in the p53 pathway and screening for novel cancer therapies. Noting the "relative ease and low costs of transgenesis"-putting human genes into zebrafish-and the unique benefits of working with zebrafish, especially related to imaging, genetics, and transplantation, Dr. Leach predicts that, "Future zebrafish cancer research exploiting these fundamental advantages will be especially likely to generate novel insights not achievable using other model systems," in his Introduction to the issue entitled, "Pisces and Cancer: The Stars Align." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | ||
| Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Tops Up Series A Financing with $2 Million ... - PR Inside Posted: 08 Jan 2010 06:36 AM PST 2010-01-08 15:37:53 -
Acetylon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has closed on a $2 million investment from a new undisclosed private investor to bring its total financing to $9.25 million. This new investment will convert to stock in the next substantial round of preferred equity financing. The Company also announced two additions to the senior management team. Simon S. Jones, Ph.D., was appointed Vice President, Biology and Preclinical Development and John H. van Duzer, Ph.D., was appointed Vice President, Chemistry and Manufacturing. Acetylon is applying its scientific expertise to the development of small molecule HDAC inhibitors that build upon the proven therapeutic potential of HDAC inhibition with enhanced target selectivity. The Company believes that its highly selective HDAC inhibitors may accomplish enhanced clinical utility by reducing or eliminating the debilitating and sometimes life-threatening side effects associated with the current first-generation of non-selective HDAC inhibitors. The first indications targeted for Acetylon's next-generation HDAC6 inhibitors are multiple myeloma and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis."We are very pleased to receive the additional funding and excited to benefit from the extensive industry experience that Simon and John bring to Acetylon, as we focus on the selection of our first HDAC6 inhibitor drug candidate for preclinical studies and ultimately an IND filing," commented Walter Ogier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Acetylon Pharmaceuticals. "The funding provides us the opportunity to engage in additional supportive work this year directed towards our drug development goals in multiple myeloma. Simon and John will also be applying our drug discovery platform to the creation of additional isoform-selective HDAC inhibitor drug candidates for the treatment of autoimmune, neurodegenerative and other major diseases." Dr Simon Jones joins Acetylon from EPIX Pharmaceuticals Inc. where he was Vice President of Biology and ADMET. Prior to EPIX, Dr. Jones held senior level positions in drug discovery and preclinical development for leading biotechnology companies including Director of Preclinical Development at ArQule Inc., Senior Director of Drug Discovery at Curis Inc., and Senior Director of Molecular Therapeutics and Cellular Biology at Creative BioMolecules Inc. Earlier in his career, Dr. Jones held multiple positions of increasing responsibility in the Department of Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Genetics Institute/Wyeth, now part of Pfizer. Dr. Jones is an author of dozens of peer-reviewed publications and multiple US patents. He maintains active membership in the American Society of Hematology, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the Drug Information Association and The Society for Biomolecular Screening. He received his B.Sc. Honors Degree in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry from Kings College, University of London, U.K., where he also engaged in post-doctoral research. Dr. John van Duzer joins Acetylon from Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. where he was Vice President of Manufacturing and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Prior to Mersana, Dr. van Duzer held multiple positions in chemistry and manufacturing at ActivBiotics Corporation, advancing to the position of Vice President, Manufacturing. Before ActivBiotics, he was Director of Chemistry at Inotek Corporation and earlier, Dr. van Duzer advanced through multiple positions in the Arthritis Chemistry Research Group at Ciba-Geigy Corporation and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Dr. van Duzer is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and an author of over 20 issued US drug patents. He received his B.A. with honors in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Yale University. Histone deacetylases are significant drug targets because they comprise a family of 18 different cellular enzymes which affect the physical configuration and biological function of large protein networks present in most living cells. They have been shown to have therapeutic potential in a number of important diseases, as reflected in FDA approval of two HDAC inhibitor drugs over the past three years. However, a critical issue in the development of HDAC inhibitors as widely prescribed pharmaceuticals is the typical non-specific (off-target) inhibition of those multiple different HDAC enzyme isoforms which regulate nuclear gene expression. Non-specific HDAC inhibition can lead to the toxic dysfunction of critical biological processes within normal cells of the body resulting in a long list of gastrointestinal, hematologic, cardiovascular and other side effects including profound fatigue. Acetylon's lead HDAC6 inhibitor program is focused on enhancing drug potency and reducing or eliminating side effects common to HDAC inhibition through highly selective targeting of the HDAC6 enzyme. Inhibition of HDAC6 versus other isoforms uniquely preserves normal gene expression in cells, thereby minimizing patient toxicity. At the same time, HDAC6 inhibition severely disrupts diseased cells' ability a) to produce normal proteins, through disruption of the HSP-90 protein chaperone system, and b) to dispose of damaged misfolded proteins through modification of microtubules and disruption of the aggresome protein disposal pathway. Since metabolically active cancer and autoimmune cells produce large amounts of misfolded proteins, inhibition of HDAC6 results in further increased generation and accumulation of protein "trash", triggering self-destruction of diseased cells via programmed cell death and leading to regression of disease. Acetylon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is applying its unique capabilities to discover and develop next-generation, highly selective small molecule drugs to realize the therapeutic potential of HDAC inhibition to treat cancer, autoimmune and other diseases, while reducing the side effects common to this class of drugs. The Company is based on technology initially developed at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and at Harvard University. Acetylon's technologies were initially discovered and developed by scientific founders: Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, Kraft Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; James M. Bradner, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and Ralph Mazitschek, Ph.D., Instructor at Harvard Medical School and the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital; and by Stuart Schreiber, Ph.D., Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | ||
| Springer signs agreement with ISOBM to co-publish the journal Tumor ... - News-Medical.Net Posted: 07 Jan 2010 08:56 PM PST Tumor Biology to strengthen Springer's biomedicine portfolioSpringer, a leading publisher in the fields of science, technology and medicine, has signed an agreement with the International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM) to co-publish the journal Tumor Biology starting in January 2010. Tumor Biology was founded by the ISOBM in 1980 as Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. It will be published at Springer six times a year electronically and in print. Tumor Biology publishes original research, mini-reviews and commentaries on translational cancer research. The journal places special emphasis on articles covering all aspects of tumor markers and tumor targeting, but studies in other areas of clinical and translational cancer research are included as well. Following a multidisciplinary approach, Tumor Biology provides an important platform for cell and molecular biologists, developmental biologists, pathologists, clinical oncologists and any researcher involved in the study of tumors. The editor-in-chief is Professor Torgny Stigbrand from Ume- University, Ume-, Sweden. Dr. Petra Stieber, President of ISOBM, said, "Tumor biology is the major target for research to elucidate mechanisms behind tumor formation and may contribute to minimize consequences of malignant diseases for patients. It is a true pleasure to work with a worldwide-recognized publisher and we look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with Springer." Peter Butler, Editorial Director of Biomedicine and Life Sciences at Springer, said, "We are delighted to be able to join forces with the ISOBM and Professor Stigbrand. We look forward to developing the content of Tumor Biology further and to increasing the journal's visibility through the global reach of SpringerLink." Source: SpringerFive Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | ||
| Researchers find fecal material in U.S. soda fountain machines - Itwire.com Posted: 08 Jan 2010 07:48 AM PST According to a study performed in Virginia, U.S. researchers found coliform bacteria (fecal material) in just under 50% of the soda fountain machines inspected in restaurants and fast food places. Maybe the term "soda pop" should be changed to "soda poop" when coming out of soda fountain machines? Ugh!! |
The summary of their research was written up in the International Journal of Food Microbiology under the title "Beverages obtained from soda fountain machines in the U.S. contain microorganisms, including coliform bacteria." Its authors are Carolyn Belling, Victoria Kasza, and Rebecca L. Beach (all three from the Department of Biology, Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A.), Renee D. Godard (from the Department of Environmental Studies, Hollins University), and Amy S. White (from the Department of Biology, Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke). The researchers, first, analyzed ninety (90) beverages from twenty (20) self-service and ten (10) personnel-dispensed soda fountains. The beverages included sugar sodas, diet sodas, and water. The restaurants and fast food places visited were in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia, within the east-central portion of the United States. The beverages were analyzed to determine if they contained microbial contamination. A determination was made based on U.S. drinking water regulations. Page two talks about a second round of inspections made by the researchers of Virginia soda pop machines in restaurants and fast food places.
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