Types of RNA
Lots of new research is being done using miRNA and siRNA, as small molecule treatments for various diseases. As a result, these small RNA pieces have become very popular topics in biotech, but for those of you who aren't all that familiar with the nucleic acids, there are three major types of RNA within cells. The micro/si RNAs come from one of them, called messenger RNA (mRNA). Here's the lowdown on the three types of larger RNA particles:
- mRNA - are the direct product of transcription from DNA. Resulting mRNA sequences contain the codes, and are the template, for production of proteins in our cells.
- rRNA - Ribosomal RNA come in various sizes that, combined, form complexes that promote translation of mRNA sequences to make proteins.
- tRNA - Transfer RNA are small hairpin-shaped particles that carry around an amino acid at one end and have the anti-codon to an mRNA codon, at the other end. Individual tRNA bind to mRNA one at a time along the strand and, with the help of rRNA, 'transfer' their amino acid to the growing peptide chain.
The Difference Between miRNA and siRNA
Small Molecule Halts Drug-Resistant Leukemia
The BCL6 protein is a transcription factor known to be active in many different kinds of cancer, one of which is drug-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is the most common form of cancer among children. Many children survive ALL, but a subset suffer from drug-resistance, the cause of which was, until now, a mystery. This week, however, a research team in California (Children's Hospital Los Angeles and University of California San Francisco) published work that shows the investigational drug RI-BPI, when administered along with the traditional treatment for ALL, Gleevec, can shut down ALL by inhibiting BCL6.
BCL6 is a repressor protein, the activity of which depends on recruiting other repressor proteins to a binding site on its N-terminus. RI-BPI, which stands for retroinverso BCL6 peptide inhibitor, works by selectively blocking this binding site. The disease had previously "baffled" doctors who didn't understand how it was sometimes treatable and sometimes not. Thus, this discovery is considered a breakthrough for patients with ALL, and may also have benefits to those with other types of cancer.
Sources:
Cherchietti, C. et al. 2009. A peptomimetic inhibitor of BCL6 with potent antilymphoma effect in vitro and in vivo. Blood 113(15):3397-405. Epub 2008 Oct 16.
Cihangir, D. et al. 2011. BCL6 enables Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells to survive BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibition. Nature 473:384-388. doi:10.1038/nature09883.
High-Sensitivity Assays Detect New Cancer Biomarkers
Nanosphere Inc. is a nanotechnology-based developer of diagnostic systems, including molecular systems, for detecting disease. Their discovery program has resulted in the identification of a number of cancer biomarkers that are only detectable using their ultra-sensitive, high-throughput protein assays. The protein biomarkers detect bladder, prostate and kidney cancers. Nanosphere will present their research, using the Verisens(TM) assay for detection of the proteins, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting next week.
Harvard Bioscience Tops Boston Globe's "Best-of" List
Just last month (April 24th) I wrote a blog about Harvard Bioscience Inc. and their specialized bioreactor and protocol for making hollow organs to transplant into humans. Last Friday, President David Green reported that the "strong track record for growth and profitability" of the company had been recognized by the Boston Globe, which named Harvard Bioscience the #1 biotech company in the Massachusetts area. Harvard Bioscience has been in business since 1901, surviving the Great Recession, and continues today as a powerful force in life sciences research. The company is affiliated with Harvard Medical School and provides regenerative medicine devices to hospitals that allow surgeons to perform cutting-edge procedures.
The Boston Globe's annual survey of the best-performing public companies in Massachusetts, called the Boston Globe 100, will be published this Sunday (May 22, 2011) at which time it can also be found online at http://www.boston.com:80/business/globe/globe100/
Rosetta Green Has Solutions to Drought and Biofuel Concerns
RGN-131 is part of a family of miRNA genes discovered by a company called Rosetta Green Ltd. that play a role in drought tolerance in plants. Rosetta Green is a publically-traded company based in Isreal. It is a 2010 spin-off of a company called Rosetta Genomics Ltd., and just went public, completing an IPO in Tel Aviv this past February.
The mission of Rosetta Green is to improve crop resistance to drought conditions by prolonging the lifespan of stressed plants and enhancing their ability to recover after a drought. The company recently announced very positive results with transgenic potatoes into which RGN-131 had been introduced. Most of their work involves discovery, identification and characterization of the hundreds of miRNAs found in plants that play a role in regulating key pathways. However, in addition to drought-tolerance, Rosetta Green projects also include biomarker-assisted breeding and GM algae that produce higher than normal concentrations of oils. This "third-generation" bio-fuel feedstock can be grown in any type of water (fresh, salty or brackish) or on land unsuitable for food production, making them preferable over crop plants or other feedstocks known to date.
Examples of Agricultural Biotech
Who Wants to Live Forever?
Yesterday morning I caught a large part of a National Geographic television show on the aging process and longevity. The show followed the quest of a guy, who looked not a whole lot younger than me (don't ask!!), on a mission to find the secret to everlasting youth. Research by several genetic scientists was highlighted, as they explained the links between research using drosophila and nematodes, stem cells and transcription factors, among other things, and our understanding of how our cells and bodies age.
The outcome of such research is that we are very close to finding ways to stop or reverse the aging process, or, if that proves too difficult, at least replace dying tissues and organs with new ones, much like replacing parts in an old car or house, to keep it operational.
Localized Immunosuppression of Islet Transplants Using Stem Cells
One of the drawbacks to organ transplants, or even stem cell treatments, like therapeutic cloning, can be the necessity for immunosuppressent drugs, which patients wind up having to take for the rest of their lives, or risk rejection of the transplanted cells/organ. Needless to say, this compromises the immune systems, and can create other potential health risks, for these individuals. Cell replacement therapy is a medical approach to neurological, muscular and other disorders wherein dead or defective cells are replaced with new ones. The need for immunosupressent drugs creates limitations to the use of this approach, but scientists in the UK are working on the problem with respect to pancreatic islet transplantation for people with diabetes. They are using human amniotic epithelial cells (AEC) to generate a localized anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressent effect, in the region of islet cell transplants, by creating cellular constructs that combine the two types of cells. This reseach has the potential to eliminate (or at least reduce) the need for systemic immunosuppression in the future.
Source:
Qureshi, K. et al. 2011. Human amniotic epithelial cells induce localized cell-mediated immune privilege in vitro: Implications for pancreatic islet transplantation. Cell Transplantation 20(4):523-534. doi:10.3727/096368910X528111.
Is Xenotransplantation Ethical?
In Defense of Cloning and Stem Cells
Cloning and stem cell research often get a bad rap because the words conjure up images of human experiments gone wrong coupled with the destruction of embryos. However, if you know anything about stem cell research, you this doesn't necessarily need to be the case. In fact, harvesting stem cells for medical use, and cloning them, is part of the widely accepted practice of bone marrow transplantation. Adult stem cells from blood and muscle might be used to generate other types of cells, like neural cells, for regenerative medicine, the potential of which is exemplified in the blog I posted two weeks ago on bioartificial organs made using a patient's own cells. By the way - which would you rather have...an organ grown from your own stem cells, or an animal organ given to you via xenotransplantation?
The above examples are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential for cloning and using pluripotent cells, that have nothing to do with embryonic stem cells and their destruction. So next time you hear someone putting down biotech or scientific research, on the grounds that it's all unethical, maybe take an opportunity to defend our line of work and create a positive buzz about stem cell research.
US Military and Vical Continue DNA Vaccine Collaboration
Awhile ago I wrote a piece about Inovio Pharmaceuticals and their in situ electroporation platform for delivering DNA vaccines. CEO Dr. Joseph Kim, in an interview, said he believed they had found the answer to DNA vaccine delivery, and that gave his company the advantage over everyone else. Well, watch out Dr. Kim, because you're not the only one who thinks you've found the secret to optimal DNA vaccine expression within human cells.
Vical Inc., situated in the biotech hub of San Diego, California, has a patented DNA delivery system that has caught the attention of the US military. Their poloxamer delivery system for plasmid delivery has been found to increase the production of antigens and result in higher antibody responses in animal studies, compared to other delivery systems they've tested. Poloxamers are synthetic macromolecules consisting of a central hydrophobic chain of polyoxypropylene flanked by two hydrophilic chains of polyoxyethylene. Under the right incubation conditions, Vical has found a way to form a nanoparticle from the polymer that has a hydrophobic surfactant anchored on the surface. They can then attach DNA to that surfactant coating, for delivery into cells. Vical is working with the US Naval Medical Research Centre and has funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, to develop vaccines for influenza. They announced last February that their agreement had been extended into 2011. The company released promising Phase I trial results for their vaccine to treat H1N1 pandemic influenza, at the end of April and announced last week that they recieved an additional US patent for their DNA vaccine to treat Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2) infections.
Women in Bio Networking Event
Women in Bio (WIB) is an American organization that is quickly spreading across the country with a mandate to support "careers, leadership and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences". Chapters of this organization, which was established in 2001, are opening in all the major biotechnology clusters in the USA. This provides women and youth in the industry a great opportunity to meet, share ideas, knowledge and experience.
On April 11, 2011, the Chicago chapter of WIB is hosting a 2 1/2 hour event with networking and speakers on topics like financing a startup and how to approach a venture investor. The event takes place from 5 PM to 7:30 PM, at the Chicago Campus of Northwestern University. I would encourage anyone in the area to attend, as this is exactly the sort of thing I was talking about in my previous posts about networking and professional development. (Also, I wouldn't mind hearing back from anyone who DOES go!!).
Do You have the Skills for a Startup?