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SciBX: Science-Business eXchange
As published Thursday, May 17, 2012


  • Cover Story: Eyeing the inflammasome

    By Tim Fulmer, Senior Writer

    Two academic teams have independently shown that targeting the inflammasome reduces retinal damage in mouse models of age-related macular degeneration.1,2 One study favors inhibiting inflammasome activation to treat dry AMD, whereas the other suggests boosting it to treat wet AMD. The approach for treating dry AMD has been licensed to iVeena Pharmaceuticals Inc., and the academics focused on wet AMD are developing their own gene therapy.

    Inflammasomes are a family of cytosolic protein complexes that consist of three subunits: one of several nod-like receptor proteins (NLRPs), the PYD and CARD domain containing (PYCARD; ASC) protein, and caspase-1 (CASP1). In immune cells, activation of the inflammasome by pathogens triggers release of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1b and IL-18, which then recruit effector cells to the site of tissue injury or infection as part of the innate immune response.

    Full Article

  • Paradoxical P2X7

    Italian researchers have shown that inhibiting the P2X7 receptor can treat cancer. The findings could open up a new disease area for companies developing P2X7 antagonists to treat pain, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

  • K-Ras in cancer metabolism

    Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a glucose metabolism pathway that is activated by the K-Ras oncogene in pancreatic cancer. Based on the findings, it may be possible to target proteins in the pathway to block proliferation of K-Ras-driven cancers

  • PROTAC the protein

    GSK and Yale researchers have announced a collaboration to develop a platform that selectively tags disease-associated proteins with an E3 ubiquitin ligase ligand, thus targeting them to a cell's protein degradation machinery. GSK hopes the platform could be a cornerstone for a new Discovery Performance Unit at the pharma, and the partners are aiming to have proof-of-principle results in cell culture by year end.

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  • This Week in Therapeutics

    Preventing inflammation-induced heart failure by blocking TLR9; increasing antibiotic efficacy by inhibiting DNA repair; treating pain with cyclic peptide-based B1R antagonists; and more...

  • more therapeutics news
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SciBX: Science-Business eXchange

BioCentury's weekly translational science journal, published in collaboration with Nature Publishing Group:

  • Selects from hundreds of scientific papers published each week to identify early opportunities for investment, alliances and partnerships
  • Reports on the most commercially relevant developments
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