Signaling Pathway News and Research

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Numerate collaborates with Intellikine to identify drug-like inhibitors of PI3 kinase alpha

Numerate, Inc. and Intellikine, Inc. today announced the successful conclusion of their research collaboration to discover novel small molecule compounds targeting the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway. The collaboration combined Intellikine's unique capabilities in x-ray crystal structure-guided medicinal chemistry and drug discovery with Numerate's powerful computational drug design platform to identify potent, selective and drug-like inhibitors of PI3 kinase alpha, an important target in cancer therapy.

12 Aug 2010

New familial link in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia discovered

A UCSF-led team has discovered a direct link between an inherited genetic mutation, a set of developmental abnormalities and a rare form of childhood leukemia called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, or JMML. The study demonstrates a new familial link in JMML and has significant implications, the researchers say, for improving the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

9 Aug 2010

Helmsley Charitable Trust awards $3.15M grant to support UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center

The University of Louisville has received a $3.15 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to support the UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center and cancer research taking place in Owensboro. The grant will be matched with state "Bucks for Brains" funding to bring more than $4.5 million to the Owensboro Cancer Research Program.

6 Aug 2010

Jagged2 gene essential for healthy development of teeth: Study

No healthy teeth without this gene: if during tooth formation (odontogenesis) the so-called Jagged2 gene is inactivated, and hence the Notch signalling pathway interrupted, tooth crowns will be malformed and enamel will be lacking. As this signalling pathway is involved in the formation of all tissues and organs, the new insights from the University of Zurich research team have wider implications.

5 Aug 2010

Researchers identify TACI; MyD88 activates immune system against infection

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a new mechanism that explains how certain immune cells are activated to create protective antibodies against infections or pathological antibodies such as those present in autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The research is published online in the September issue of Nature Immunology.

4 Aug 2010

microRNA protects red blood cells from oxidant stress: Study

Pediatric researchers have discovered a new biological pathway in which small segments of RNA, called microRNA, help protect red blood cells from injury caused by chemicals called free radicals. The microRNA seems to have only a modest role when red blood cells experience normal conditions, but steps into action when the cells are threatened by oxidant stress.

2 Aug 2010

New study reveals potential role of TGF-β1 in kidney disease

Fibrosis in the kidney is one of the key causes of progressive renal failure. High levels of the inflammatory molecule TGF-β1 in the kidney tubules due to tissue damage can cause fibrosis as well as nephron degeneration, resulting in loss of kidney function. To clarify the mechanisms regulating TGF-β1-mediated renal fibrosis, Koesters et al expressed high levels of TGF-β1 in renal tubules of mice. Nephron degeneration in this system was mediated by decomposition of the tubular cells. These data suggest that TGF-β1 may play a novel role in cell death of renal cells, thus contributing to renal fibrosis.

28 Jul 2010

NovImmune, Genentech sign exclusive licensing agreement for anti-IL-17 antibody

NovImmune, an antibody-focused research and development biotech company, announced today that it successfully entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Genentech Inc. a member of the Roche Group for a proprietary anti-IL-17 fully human monoclonal antibody, and access to back-up antibodies.

26 Jul 2010

Cetuximab recommended for colorectal cancer tumors without mutation in KRAS gene

In a report published in the July 2010 issue of the American Society for Clinical Oncology Post, new recommendations on the use of the drug cetuximab have been issued after officials halted enrollment in a phase III clinical trial in patients with spread of colon cancer into regional lymph nodes whose tumors had been surgically removed.

17 Jul 2010

Study compares denture stomatitis genes with whole transcriptome for salivary biomarker analysis

The goal of the study was to compare whole-transcriptome, mucosal gene expression in Candida albicans (a parasitic fungus that can infect the mouth) associated chronic denture stomatitis to that of healthy oral mucosa and perform proteomic analyses of potential salivary biomarkers. Denture stomatitis is a condition in which the mucosa underneath a denture becomes inflamed and sometimes painful.

16 Jul 2010

Plexxikon announces promising preclinical data of PLX3397

Plexxikon Inc. today announced promising preclinical data from in vivo Alzheimer's Disease studies demonstrating a dramatic reduction in activated microglia in the brains of very old (22 months) 3xTG-AD mice, a triple transgenic model for Alzheimer's Disease. This reduction of activated microglia led to significantly improved learning in the treated group.

15 Jul 2010

Key protein in insulin signaling pathway adds insights into development, aging

What makes a bee grow up to be a queen? Scientists have long pondered this mystery. Now, researchers in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University have fit a new piece into the puzzle of bee development. Their work not only adds to understanding about bees, but also adds insights into our own development and aging.

15 Jul 2010

Biologists discover new way to limit formation of teratomas

One of the characteristics of embryonic stem cells is their ability to form unusual tumors called teratomas. These tumors, which contain a mixture of cells from a variety of tissues and organs of the body, are typically benign. But they present a major obstacle to the development of human embryonic stem cell therapies that seek to treat a variety of human ailments such as Parkinson's, diabetes, genetic blood disorders and spinal cord injuries.

9 Jul 2010

Mount Sinai Hospital researchers discover new insights into genesis of stem cells

Mount Sinai Hospital researchers including Drs. Andras Nagy and Jeff Wrana have discovered new insights into the genesis of stem cells, which will improve the efficiency of stem cell creation for use in tissue regeneration and in the development of new drugs.

3 Jul 2010

Scientists explain mechanism behind acute myeloid leukemia

New research by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has illuminated in fine detail one of the genetic paths that leads to a particularly aggressive form of leukemia.

2 Jul 2010

USPTO grants Semafore method patent for PI3K inhibitors

Semafore Pharmaceuticals today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued United States Patent Number 7,745,485 entitled "Compositions and methods for identifying agents which modulate PTEN function and PI-3 kinase pathways." This patent covers methods of inhibiting the spread of cancer in patients using phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents.

1 Jul 2010

Female biology screens for the best sperm: Study

A new study has revealed that the female reproductive system is ‘choosy’ when it comes to inferior quality sperm and rejects the ‘advances’ of spermatozoa that are not good enough to create a pregnancy.

23 Jun 2010

Elevation of Smurf1 may play a role in molecular basis of PAH: Study

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease, marked by shortness of breath and fatigue which can be fatal if untreated. Increased pressure in the pulmonary artery and its branches is associated with dysfunctional growth control of endothelial and smooth muscle cells leading to excessive thickening of the blood vessel wall, obliteration of the lumen and right heart failure.

22 Jun 2010

New insights into cancer hallmarks in induced pluripotent cells

The therapeutic potential of embryonic stem cells has been an intense focus of study and discussion in biomedical research and has resulted in technologies to produce human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Derived by epigenetic reprogramming of human fibroblasts, these hiPSCs are thought to be almost identical to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and provide great promise for patient-tailored regenerative medicine therapies.

19 Jun 2010

Bayer, OncoMed collaborate to develop anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics to target Wnt signaling pathway

Bayer Schering Pharma AG and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced a global strategic alliance to discover, develop and commercialize novel anti-cancer stem cell therapeutics targeting the Wnt signaling pathway.

17 Jun 2010