tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40909396673262981532024-03-13T22:04:50.287-07:00NANObitsNano, stocks, patents; their interrelationships.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger613125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-31454299191635378162017-11-06T13:55:00.002-08:002017-11-13T11:06:47.554-08:00Uncovering bacterial cell wall secrets to combat antibiotic resistance<b>NanoViricides has proven it works on viruses so let's see it work on bacteria next!</b><br />
<br />
November 6, 2017 <br />
<br />
<img alt="Uncovering bacterial cell wall secrets to combat antibiotic resistance" height="235" src="https://3c1703fe8d.site.internapcdn.net/newman/csz/news/800/2017/1-uncoveringba.jpg" width="400" /><br />
In the battle against drug-resistant bacteria, Marcos Pires studies the chemical biology of bacterial cell surfaces to better understand how they function -- and possibly how to manipulate them Credit: Hvass & Hannibal courtesy of Lehigh University<br />
<br />
Cell walls—the jacket-like structures that surround all known bacteria—may turn out to be bacteria's undoing , holding the key to developing new drugs that target it for destruction. <br />
<br />
That perspective is shared by many in the medical and scientific communities, including Marcos Pires . Pires, a biochemist at Lehigh University, is spearheading a novel approach to understanding bacterial <a href="https://phys.org/tags/cell+wall/">cell wall</a> changes in response to <a href="https://phys.org/tags/antibiotics/">antibiotics</a> that could be critical to new drug design—an urgent need in light of the growing threat of <a href="https://phys.org/tags/antibiotic+resistance/">antibiotic resistance</a>. His approach is so promising it has recently been recognized by the National Institutes of Health with a Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA). <br />
<br />
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacterial <a href="https://phys.org/tags/cells/">cells</a> adapt to evade a drug designed to kill it. Making changes to the cell wall is one way <a href="https://phys.org/tags/bacteria/">bacteria</a> accomplish this. Little is known, however, about just how these structures respond when under attack. <br />
<br />
With the 5-year $1.94 million MIRA grant, Pires's group will delve deeply into this process through a unique approach that essentially tricks bacteria into revealing where its cell wall is most vulnerable. Such knowledge could help scientists design next-generation antibiotics that circumvent drug resistance mechanisms. <br />
<br />
The centerpiece of the research is a process that Pires and his team conduct facilitating live bacteria's absorption of synthetic cell wall fragments constructed in the lab. These fragments are modified with reporter units which then allow researchers to observe, in live bacteria, components of the cell wall machinery under various conditions. <br />
<br />
"Bacterial cell walls are unique in their structure and function and are essential to bacterial cells—making them unique targets for the development of antibiotics," said Pires, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry. "By 'tricking' bacteria into using some of our cell wall building blocks, we get an unprecedented perspective on how they change when challenged with antibiotics." <br />
<br />
MIRA is a program of the National Institute of General Medical Science (NIGMS), a division of NIH that provides support for basic research that increases understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. According NIGMS, the goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency of NIGMS funding by providing investigators with greater stability and flexibility, thereby enhancing scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs. <br />
<br />
Identifying bacterial cell wall changes that cause antibiotic resistance <br />
<br />
The stakes for drug design breakthroughs to treat drug-resistant bacteria are high. Every year in the United States, more than 2 million people are afflicted with resistant bacterial infections. An estimated 23,000 American lives—and 700,000 lives worldwide—are lost yearly as a result of bacterial infections resistant to current antibiotic treatments. These numbers are only expected to grow. <br />
<br />
Bacterial cell walls are the target of some of the most powerful antibiotics discovered to date. Cell wall-targeting antibiotics include some commonly prescribed treatments such as penicillin and amoxicillin. Drugs that target bacteria's cell walls are also among the safest as human cells do not have cell walls and are thus unaffected by the treatment. <br />
<br />
According to Pires, individual components of the bacterial cell wall machinery are key to bacteria's adaptation response and, therefore, to <a href="https://phys.org/tags/drug/">drug</a>-resistance. One of his team's goals is to identify the <a href="https://phys.org/tags/cell+wall+components/">cell wall components</a> that bacteria need to successfully adapt and evade the drugs designed to destroy it. <br />
<br />
"If we can identify these 'weak spots', said Pires, "we should be able to find ways to inactivate or circumvent them." <br />
<br />
<a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-11-uncovering-bacterial-cell-wall-secrets.html#"><img src="https://cf3e497594.site.internapcdn.net/tmpl/v5/img/1x1.gif" /></a> Explore further: <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-08-bacteria-baggageand-key-superbugs.html">Even bacteria have baggage—and understanding that is key to fighting superbugs</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
Provided by: <a href="https://phys.org/partners/lehigh-university/">Lehigh University</a> <br />
<br />
Read more at: <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-11-uncovering-bacterial-cell-wall-secrets.html#jCp">https://phys.org/news/2017-11-uncovering-bacterial-cell-wall-secrets.html#jCp</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-22935133552603732402017-08-01T10:30:00.003-07:002017-08-01T10:33:05.390-07:00Shyster shills and Osceola<a href="http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/RequestReview.asp?msg_id=133401448">http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/RequestReview.asp?msg_id=133401448</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" border="0" class="text1" style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; width: 80%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><b>Post Date:</b> 7/29/2017 12:17:19 PM in reply to <a href="http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=133400424">133400424</a> by <a href="http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profilea.aspx?user=75484">NewMoney</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Board:</b> <a href="http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=21128">Osceola Gold Inc.</a></td><td align="right"><b>Reason:</b> <span style="color: red;">Privacy Violation</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="10" class="text1" style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; width: 80%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td>Trust me!<br />
<br />
Or not.<br />
<br />
I contacted the SEC about these shyster shills.<br />
<br />
With details about their shenanigans at Osceola.<br />
<br />
If they act, good!<br />
<br />
If not, I did my duty.<br />
<br />
IHub rules.<br />
<br />
I'd send you a PM but you have me blocked. And as a non-paying member of iHub I don't have access to some features.<br />
<br />
Anyway, wgas!<br />
<br />
Ref:<br />
Tristan V. Stonger - 2 Million PYHH<br />
8/14/15 1,000,000 Common Stock N/A Tristan V. Stonger MD Marketing Services<br />
8/18/15 1,000,000 Common Stock N/A Tristan V. Stonger MD Marketing Services<br />
<br />
<br />
Of particular interest: William Friedman; Mark Stapp<br />
<br />
10/14/15 50,000 Common Stock N/A William Friedman<br />
Marketing Consulting Services<br />
10/14/15 50,000 Common Stock N/A Mark Stapp<br />
Marketing Consulting Services<br />
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/financialReportViewer?symbol=PYHH&id=157037">http://www.otcmarkets.com/financialReportViewer?symbol=PYHH&id=157037</a><br />
<br />
These two individuals post often on iHub message boards and do NOT identify themselves as paid promoters as required. They received shares for their services - 50,000 each as noted.<br />
<br />
iHub and SEC rules and regulations require that these sort of promotions be advertised - they have not been.<br />
<br />
Ref:<br />
William Friedman posts as Rawnoc and Mark Stapp posts as BRIG_88. Here are their particulars for iHub:<br />
<a href="http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profile.aspx?user=25583">http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profile.aspx?user=25583</a><br />
<a href="http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profilea.aspx?user=25565">http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profilea.aspx?user=25565</a><br />
<br />
Please look into this and take appropriate measures.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-46668722355349437122016-08-18T07:32:00.001-07:002016-08-18T07:33:56.709-07:00EPIODYNE PZM21<h1 class="page-title" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #052049; font-family: Granjon, Garamond, serif; font-size: 2.5em; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.2px; line-height: 1.14286em; margin-bottom: 0.57143em; margin-top: 0px;">
Researchers Develop Safer Opioid Painkiller From Scratch</h1>
<div class="region region-content" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">
<br />
<br />
<article about="/news/2016/08/403836/researchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch" class="node node-news " role="article" style="box-sizing: border-box;" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document"><div class="content" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<div class="field field-name-field-text-subtitle field-type-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.48px; line-height: 24.0001px;">
<h2 class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 0.66667em; margin-top: 0.66667em;">
New Compound, Tested in Mice, Could Reduce Overdoses and Possibly Curb Addiction</h2>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-entityreference" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.48px; line-height: 24.0001px;">
<div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<div class="article-meta-info" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(180, 185, 191); border-top: 2px solid rgb(180, 185, 191); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 15px;">
<div class="article-meta-author" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; padding-bottom: 15px;">
By <span itemprop="author" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/content/nicholas-weiler" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007cbe; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;">Nicholas Weiler</a></span> on <span itemprop="datePublished" style="box-sizing: border-box;">August 17, 2016</span></div>
<div class="article-meta-share" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; position: static;">
<a class="GoogleAnalyticsET-processed" href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucsf.edu%2Fnews%2F2016%2F08%2F403836%2Fresearchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch&t=Researchers+Develop+Safer+Opioid+Painkiller+From+Scratch" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b4b9bf; display: block; float: left; font-size: 26px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank" title="Facebook"><span class="fa fa-facebook" style="background-color: #7b7979; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; display: inline-block; font-family: "fontawesome"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; transform: translate(0px , 0px); transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out; vertical-align: top; width: 30px;"></span></a><a class="GoogleAnalyticsET-processed" href="http://www.twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucsf.edu%2Fnews%2F2016%2F08%2F403836%2Fresearchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch&text=Researchers+Develop+Safer+Opioid+Painkiller+From+Scratch" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b4b9bf; display: block; float: left; font-size: 26px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank" title="Twitter"><span class="fa fa-twitter" style="background-color: #7b7979; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; display: inline-block; font-family: "fontawesome"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; transform: translate(0px , 0px); transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out; vertical-align: top; width: 30px;"></span></a><a class="GoogleAnalyticsET-processed" href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucsf.edu%2Fnews%2F2016%2F08%2F403836%2Fresearchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch&title=Researchers+Develop+Safer+Opioid+Painkiller+From+Scratch" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b4b9bf; display: block; float: left; font-size: 26px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn"><span class="fa fa-linkedin" style="background-color: #7b7979; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; display: inline-block; font-family: "fontawesome"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; transform: translate(0px , 0px); transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out; vertical-align: top; width: 30px;"></span></a><a class="GoogleAnalyticsET-processed" href="https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucsf.edu%2Fnews%2F2016%2F08%2F403836%2Fresearchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b4b9bf; display: block; float: left; font-size: 26px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" title="Google Plus"><span class="fa fa-google-plus" style="background-color: #7b7979; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; display: inline-block; font-family: "fontawesome"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; transform: translate(0px , 0px); transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out; vertical-align: top; width: 30px;"></span></a><a class="GoogleAnalyticsET-processed" href="mailto:?to=&subject=Researchers%20Develop%20Safer%20Opioid%20Painkiller%20From%20Scratch&body=An%20international%20team%20of%20researchers%C2%A0has%20developed%20a%20new%20opioid%20drug%20candidate%20that%20blocks%20pain%20without%20triggering%20the%20dangerous%20side%20effects%20of%20current%20prescription%20painkillers.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucsf.edu%2Fnews%2F2016%2F08%2F403836%2Fresearchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b4b9bf; display: block; float: left; font-size: 26px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" title="Email Article"><span class="fa fa-envelope" style="background-color: #7b7979; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; display: inline-block; font-family: "fontawesome"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; transform: translate(0px , 0px); transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out; vertical-align: top; width: 30px;"></span></a><a class="print-link GoogleAnalyticsET-processed" href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/08/403836/researchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch#" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b4b9bf; display: block; float: left; font-size: 26px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" title="Print Article"><span class="fa fa-print" style="background-color: #7b7979; border-radius: 50%; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; display: inline-block; font-family: "fontawesome"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; height: 30px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center; transform: translate(0px , 0px); transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out; vertical-align: top; width: 30px;"></span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
An international team of researchers — led by scientists at UC San Francisco, Stanford University, the University of North Carolina (UNC), and the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany — has developed a new opioid drug candidate that blocks pain without triggering the dangerous side effects of current prescription painkillers. Their secret? Starting from scratch — with computational techniques that let them explore more than four trillion different chemical interactions.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
In a new study — published online Aug. 17, 2016, in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature19112" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007cbe; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Nature</em></a> — the researchers used the newly deciphered atomic structure of the brain’s “morphine receptor” to custom-engineer a novel drug candidate that blocked pain as effectively as morphine in mouse experiments, but did not share the potentially deadly side effects typical of opioid drugs. In particular, the new drug did not interfere with breathing — the main cause of death in overdoses of prescription painkillers as well as street narcotics like heroin — or cause constipation, another common opioid side effect. The new drug also appears to side-step the brain’s dopamine-driven addiction circuitry and did not cause drug-seeking behavior in mice.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
More work is needed to establish that the newly formulated compound is truly non-addictive and to confirm that it is as safe and effective in humans as it is in rodents, the authors say. But if the findings are borne out, they could transform the fight against the ongoing epidemic of prescription painkiller addiction.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Deaths from opioid drug overdoses have been on the rise in the US for decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28,000 Americans died of narcotic overdoses in 2014, four times more than in 1999, with more than half of these deaths involving prescription drugs. The epidemic has gotten the attention of national leaders: in February, 2016, President Obama proposed $1.1 billion in new funding for opioid addiction treatment, and in July Congress passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bill intended to curb opioid abuse and improve treatment.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
But as damaging as opioids can be, modern medicine depends on these drugs as our most powerful weapon against pain.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
“Morphine transformed medicine,” said <a href="http://profiles.ucsf.edu/brian.shoichet" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007cbe; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">Brian Shoichet</a>, PhD, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry in UCSF’s School of Pharmacy and co-senior author on the new paper. “There are so many medical procedures we can do now because we know we can control the pain afterwards. But it’s obviously dangerous too. People have been searching for a safer replacement for standard opioids for decades.”</div>
<h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Granjon, Garamond, serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.48px; line-height: 35px; margin-bottom: 0.45em; margin-top: 0.76923em;">
Virtual Experiments Lead to Novel Opioid Chemistry</h3>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Much of drug discovery, Shoichet says, begins by taking a successful drug like morphine and tweaking its structure to try to get rid of side effects while maintaining its primary function. The new study took a different, much more radical approach: “We didn’t want to just optimize chemistry that already existed,” Shoichet said. “We wanted to get new chemistry that would confer completely new biology.”</div>
<br />
<br />
<figure class="image image-2014_inline_5-col" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; display: table; float: right; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.48px; line-height: 24.0001px; margin: 5px 0px 15px 30px;"><img alt="An illustration shows PZM21, the new, safer opioid drug candidate, docked on the brain’s morphine receptor, the mu-opioid receptor." height="320" src="https://www.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/styles/2014_inline_5-col/public/fields/field_insert_file/news/PZM21.png?itok=dQypz4m5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="255" /><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; caption-side: bottom; display: table-caption; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px;">PZM21, the new, safer opioid drug candidate, is shown docked on the brain’s morphine receptor, the mu-opioid receptor. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Image by Anat Levit</em></figcaption></figure><br />
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Key to the new paper was knowing the atomic structure of the mu-opioid receptor, the brain’s “morphine receptor,” which was recently deciphered by co-senior author and 2012 Nobel laureate Brian Kobilka, MD, a professor of molecular and cellular physiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
“With traditional forms of drug discovery, you’re locked into a little chemical box,” Shoichet said. “But when you start with the structure of the receptor you want to target, you can throw all those constraints away. You’re empowered to imagine all sorts of things that you couldn’t even think about before.”</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
With this structural information in hand, Shoichet’s team turned to a computational approach called molecular docking, which was pioneered in the 1980s at UCSF’s School of Pharmacy by Shoichet’s mentor, emeritus professor <a href="http://profiles.ucsf.edu/tack.kuntz" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007cbe; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">Tack Kuntz</a>, PhD. In a two-week period, the researchers performed roughly four trillion “virtual experiments” on a UCSF computer cluster, simulating how millions of different candidate drugs could turn and twist in millions of different angles to find those configurations that were most likely to fit into a pocket on the receptor and activate it. They also strove to avoid molecules that could stimulate beta-arrestin2, part of a biological pathway linked to the respiratory suppression and constipation typical of other opioids.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
This led to a short-list of 23 candidate molecules judged by the software and the research team — especially co-lead authors Henry Lin, PhD of UCSF and Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD at Stanford — to be most likely to activate the mu-opioid receptor in the way the researchers wanted.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Only then did the team actually test these candidate drugs in the real world. Co-lead author Dipendra Aryal, PhD, led a team of researchers in the pharmacology lab of co-senior author Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, a professor of pharmacology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, to identify the most potent of the 23 leading candidates. Then, based on the structural insights of Manglik and Lin, Roth’s team worked with the lab of co-senior author Peter Gmeiner, PhD, chair and professor of medicinal chemistry at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, to optimize this compound’s chemical efficacy 1000-fold. This approach succeeded in producing a molecule that the researchers called PZM21, which is chemically unrelated to existing opioid drugs.</div>
<h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Granjon, Garamond, serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.48px; line-height: 35px; margin-bottom: 0.45em; margin-top: 0.76923em;">
‘Unprecedented, Weird and Cool’ New Biology</h3>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
In further pharmacological tests conducted in the Roth lab, PZM21 exhibited the “new biology” the researchers had been looking for: efficiently blocking pain without producing the constipation and breathing suppression typical of traditional opioids. In addition, PZM21 appeared to dull pain by affecting opioid circuits in the brain only, with little effect the on opioid receptors in the spinal cord that mediate pain reflexes. No other opioid has such a specific effect, Shoichet said<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">, </strong>calling it “unprecedented, weird and cool.”</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Additional behavioral tests in mice suggested the drug may also lack the addictive qualities of existing opioids. Specifically, the drug didn’t produce the hyperactivity other opioids trigger in mice by activating the brain’s dopamine systems — which are also involved in addiction. Perhaps more tellingly, mice did not spend more time in test chambers where they had previously received doses of PZM21 — a test called “conditioned place preference” that is considered a correlate of human drug-seeking behavior.</div>
<br />
<br />
<figure class="image image-2014_inline_4-col" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; display: table; float: left; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.48px; line-height: 24.0001px; margin: 5px 30px 15px 0px;"><img alt="Portrait of Brian Shoichet" height="218" src="https://www.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/styles/2014_inline_4-col/public/legacy_files/shoichet.jpg?itok=1U3wlhqE" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="370" /><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; caption-side: bottom; display: table-caption; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px;">Brian Shoichet, PhD</figcaption></figure><br />
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
“We haven’t shown this is truly non-addictive,” Shoichet cautioned, emphasizing that further experiments in rats and humans would be needed to establish the compound’s addictive potential. “At this point we’ve just shown that mice don’t appear motivated to seek out the drug.”</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
The study is a successful example of the structure-based approach to drug discovery, a technique partially pioneered at UCSF 30 years ago, Shoichet said, and is one of the first to use structural knowledge to create fundamentally new biological effects.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
“This promising drug candidate was identified through an intensively cross-disciplinary, cross-continental combination of computer-based drug screening, medicinal chemistry, intuition and extensive preclinical testing,” Kobilka said.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
“If you took away any one of these collaborators it simply wouldn’t have worked,” Shoichet added. “Without Kobilka’s structure, our computation, Roth’s pharmacology, and Gmeiner’s ability to put an atom in exactly the place you want it, this never would have been possible.”</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Lead authors on the new paper were Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine; Henry Lin, PhD, of the UCSF School of Pharmacy; and Dipendra K. Aryal, PhD, of the UNC School of Medicine. Lin is now principal scientist at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a division of Johnson & Johnson. Manglik, Lin, Gmeiner, Kobilka, Roth, Shoichet, and co-author Dengler have filed a provisional patent on PZM21 and related molecules, and Manglik, Gmeiner, Kobilka, Roth and Shoichet are consultants and co-founders of <b>Epiodyne, a company seeking to develop novel analgesics.</b></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
The research was supported by the US National Institutes of Health grants GM106990 (B.K.K., B.K.S. and P.G.), DA036246 (B.K.K.), GM59957 (B.K.S.), and the National Institutes of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (B.L.R.) and DA017204 (B.L.R., D.A.), DA035764 (B.L.R.) and the Michael Hooker Distinguished Professorship (B.L.R.) and the German Research Foundation Grants Gm 13/10 and GRK 1910 (P.G). H.L. received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the PhRMA Foundation and A.M. received support from the Stanford University Medical Scientist Training Program (T32GM007365) and the American Heart Association (12PRE8120001).</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises two top-ranked hospitals, <a href="https://www.ucsfhealth.org/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007cbe; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">UCSF Medical Center</a> and <a href="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007cbe; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco</a>, and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area.</em></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #353a3f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/08/403836/researchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch">https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/08/403836/researchers-develop-safer-opioid-painkiller-scratch</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<b style="color: #353a3f; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 22px;">See also:</b></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="color: #353a3f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 22px;"><b><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312393.php">http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312393.php</a></b></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</article></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-47181070996710795752016-08-18T06:22:00.002-07:002016-08-18T06:30:23.490-07:00EGF and curcumin co-encapsulated nanoparticle/hydrogel system as potent skin regeneration agent<h1 style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1.375em; margin: 0px 0px 0.6875em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</h1>
<a href="https://www.dovepress.com/egf-and-curcumin-co-encapsulated-nanoparticlehydrogel-system-as-potent-peer-reviewed-article-IJN#">Abstract</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.dovepress.com/article_metric.php?article_id=28454">Metrics</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.copyright.com/ccc/openurl.do?&issn=1178-2013&WT.mc.id=Dove%20Medical%20Press">Get Permission</a> <br />
<br />
Authors Li X, Ye X, Qi J, Fan R, Gao X, Wu Y, Zhou L, Tong A, Guo G<br />
Received 15 January 2016<br />
Accepted for publication 10 May 2016<br />
Published 17 August 2016 <a href="https://www.dovepress.com/international-journal-of-nanomedicine-archive5-v998">Volume 2016:11</a> Pages 3993—4009<br />
DOI <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S104350">https://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S104350</a><br />
Checked for plagiarism Yes<br />
Review by <a href="https://www.dovepress.com/peer_review_guidelines.php">Single-blind</a><br />
Peer reviewers approved by <a href="https://www.dovepress.com/public_profile.php?id=470988">Dr Yu Mi</a><br />
Peer reviewer comments 3<br />
Editor who approved publication: <a href="https://www.dovepress.com/public_profile.php?id=174156">Dr Lei Yang</a><br />
<br />
Xiaoling Li,1 Xianlong Ye,2 Jianying Qi, 2 Rangrang Fan,1 Xiang Gao,1 Yunzhou Wu,2 Liangxue Zhou,1Aiping Tong,1 Gang Guo1<br />
<br />
1State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China;<br />
2College of Life Science, Northeast Agriculture University, Harbin, People’s Republic of China<br />
<br />
<b>Abstract: </b><br />
Wound healing is a complex multifactorial process that relies on coordinated signaling molecules to succeed. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a mitogenic polypeptide that stimulates wound repair; however, precise control over its application is necessary to reduce the side effects and achieve desired therapeutic benefits. Moreover, the extensive oxidative stress during the wound healing process generally inhibits repair of the injured tissues. Topical applications of antioxidants like curcumin (Cur) could protect tissues from oxidative damage and significantly improve tissue remodeling. To achieve much accelerated wound healing effects, we designed a novel dual drug co-loaded in situ gel-forming nanoparticle/hydrogel system (EGF-Cur-NP/H) which acted not only as a supportive matrix for the regenerative tissue, but also as a sustained drug depot for EGF and Cur. In the established excisional full-thickness wound model, EGF-Cur-NP/H treatment significantly enhanced wound closure through increasing granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, and angiogenesis, relative to normal saline, nanoparticle/hydrogel (NP/H), Cur-NP/H, and EGF-NP/H treated groups. In conclusion, this study provides a biocompatible in situ gel-forming system for efficient topical application of EGF and Cur in the landscape of tissue repair.<br />
<br />
<b>Keywords:</b><br />
epidermal growth factor, EGF, curcumin, wound healing, thermosensitive hydrogel, nanoparticles<br />
<br />
<img src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/3.0/us/88x31.png" /><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at<a href="https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php">https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php</a> and incorporate the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License</a>. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of <a href="https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php">our Terms</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=31941">Download Article [PDF]</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dovepress.com/egf-and-curcumin-co-encapsulated-nanoparticlehydrogel-system-as-potent-peer-reviewed-article-IJN">https://www.dovepress.com/egf-and-curcumin-co-encapsulated-nanoparticlehydrogel-system-as-potent-peer-reviewed-article-IJN</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-64159312862304189302016-08-17T15:45:00.001-07:002016-08-17T15:48:06.849-07:00Spinning ginger into nanoparticles to heal inflammatory bowel diseasePosted: Aug 17, 2016<br />
<br />
(Nanowerk News) A recent study by researchers at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center took them to a not-so-likely destination: local farmers markets. They went in search of fresh ginger root.<br />
<br />
Back at the lab, the scientists turned the ginger into what they are calling GDNPs, or ginger-derived nanoparticles. The process started simply enough, with your basic kitchen blender. But then it involved super-high-speed centrifuging and ultrasonic dispersion of the ginger juice, to break it up into single pellets. (Don't try this at home!)<br />
<div>
<br />
The research team, led by Dr. Didier Merlin with VA and the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, believes the particles may be good medicine for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The particles may also help fight cancer linked to colitis, the scientists believe.</div>
<div>
<br />
<img border="0" src="http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/id44253.jpg" /><br />
Dr. Didier Merlin (front row, center) and colleagues with the Atlanta VA Medical Center and the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University are exploring the use of edible ginger-derived nanoparticles to treat inflammatory bowel disease.</div>
<div>
<br />
They report their findings, based on experiments with cells and mice, in the September 2016 issue of Biomaterials (<a href="http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.06.018">"Edible ginger-derived nanoparticles: A novel therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and colitis-associated cancer"</a>).</div>
<div>
<br />
Each ginger-based nanoparticle was about 230 nanometers in diameter. More than 300 of them could fit across the width of a human hair.</div>
<div>
<br />
Fed to lab mice, the particles appeared to be nontoxic and had significant therapeutic effects:</div>
<div>
Importantly, they efficiently targeted the colon. They were absorbed mainly by cells in the lining of the intestines, where IBD inflammation occurs.</div>
<div>
<br />
The particles reduced acute colitis and prevented chronic colitis and colitis-associated cancer.<br />
They enhanced intestinal repair. Specifically, they boosted the survival and proliferation of the cells that make up the lining of the colon. They also lowered the production of proteins that promote inflammation, and raised the levels of proteins that fight inflammation.</div>
<div>
<br />
Part of the therapeutic effect, say the researchers, comes from the high levels of lipids--fatty molecules--in the particles, a result of the natural lipids in the ginger plant. One of the lipids is phosphatidic acid, an important building block of cell membranes.</div>
<div>
<br />
The particles also retained key active constituents found naturally in ginger, such as 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol. Past lab studies have shown the compounds to be active against oxidation, inflammation, and cancer. They are what make standard ginger an effective remedy for nausea and other digestion problems. Traditional cultures have used ginger medicinally for centuries, and health food stores carry ginger-based supplements--such as chews, or the herb mixed with honey in a syrup--as digestive aids.</div>
<div>
<br />
Delivering these compounds in a nanoparticle, says Merlin's team, may be a more effective way to target colon tissue than simply providing the herb as a food or supplement.</div>
<div>
<br />
The idea of fighting IBD with nanoparticles is not new. In recent years, Merlin's lab and others have explored how to deliver conventional drugs via nanotechnology. Some of this research is promising. The approach may allow low doses of drugs to be delivered only where they are needed--inflamed tissue in the colon--and thus avoid unwanted systemic effects.</div>
<div>
<br />
The advantage of ginger, say the researchers, is that it's nontoxic, and could represent a very cost-effective source of medicine.</div>
<div>
<br />
The group is looking at ginger, and other plants, as potential "nanofactories for the fabrication of medical nanoparticles."</div>
<div>
<br />
Merlin and his VA and Georgia State University coauthors elaborated on the idea in a report earlier this year titled <a href="http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1080/21688370.2015.1134415">"Plant-derived edible nanoparticles as a new therapeutic approach against diseases"</a>. They wrote that plants are a "bio-renewable, sustainable, diversified platform for the production of therapeutic nanoparticles."<br />
<br />
Source: Veterans Affairs Research Communications<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=44253.php">http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=44253.php</a></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-75432679760530618022016-08-15T13:09:00.002-07:002016-08-15T13:10:28.978-07:00Legions of nanorobots target cancerous tumours with precision<h1 style="background-color: #fffffc; color: #5b5b5a; font-family: CartoGothicStdBold, Helvetica, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "sans serif"; font-size: 2.25em; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.125em; margin: 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.701961) 1px 1px 0px;">
<span style="color: #504d4d; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.5;">Administering anti-cancer drugs redefined</span></h1>
<div id="content" style="background-color: #fffffc; clear: both;">
<div id="content-inner" style="padding: 0px 0px 10px;">
<div class="channel-item node clear-block channels-not-official channels-not-distributed" id="node-120341" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;">
<div class="content channels channel-item channel_news " style="clear: both; padding: 1em 0px 0px;">
<div class="field" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px; margin: 0.5em 0px;">
<div class="custom-multi-date">
<div class="multi-date first" style="display: inline;">
<span class="label" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.95em; text-transform: uppercase;">PUBLISHED: </span><span class="day" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.95em; text-transform: uppercase;">15</span> <span class="month" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.95em; text-transform: uppercase;">AUG</span> <span class="year" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.95em; text-transform: uppercase;">2016</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="channels-summary" style="color: #797474; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.125em; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px;">
<div style="font-size: 16.2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
Researchers from Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal and McGill University have just achieved a spectacular breakthrough in cancer research. They have developed new nanorobotic agents capable of navigating through the bloodstream to administer a drug with precision by specifically targeting the active cancerous cells of tumours. This way of injecting medication ensures the optimal targeting of a tumour and avoids jeopardizing the integrity of organs and surrounding healthy tissues. As a result, the drug dosage that is highly toxic for the human organism could be significantly reduced.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
This scientific breakthrough has just been published in the prestigious journal Nature Nanotechnology in an article titled “Magneto-aerotactic bacteria deliver drug-containing nanoliposomes to tumour hypoxic regions.” The article notes the results of the research done on mice, which were successfully administered nanorobotic agents into colorectal tumours.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
“These legions of nanorobotic agents were actually composed of more than 100 million flagellated bacteria – and therefore self-propelled – and loaded with drugs that moved by taking the most direct path between the drug’s injection point and the area of the body to cure,” explains Professor Sylvain Martel, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Medical Nanorobotics and Director of the Polytechnique Montréal Nanorobotics Laboratory, who heads the research team’s work. “The drug’s propelling force was enough to travel efficiently and enter deep inside the tumours.”</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
When they enter a tumour, the nanorobotic agents can detect in a wholly autonomous fashion the oxygen-depleted tumour areas, known as hypoxic zones, and deliver the drug to them. This hypoxic zone is created by the substantial consumption of oxygen by rapidly proliferative tumour cells. Hypoxic zones are known to be resistant to most therapies, including radiotherapy.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
But gaining access to tumours by taking paths as minute as a red blood cell and crossing complex physiological micro-environments does not come without challenges. So Professor Martel and his team used nanotechnology to do it.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<strong>Bacteria with compass</strong></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
To move around, bacteria used by Professor Martel’s team rely on two natural systems. A kind of compass created by the synthesis of a chain of magnetic nanoparticles allows them to move in the direction of a magnetic field, while a sensor measuring oxygen concentration enables them to reach and remain in the tumour’s active regions. By harnessing these two transportation systems and by exposing the bacteria to a computer-controlled magnetic field, researchers showed that these bacteria could perfectly replicate artificial nanorobots of the future designed for this kind of task.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
“This innovative use of nanotransporters will have an impact not only on creating more advanced engineering concepts and original intervention methods, but it also throws the door wide open to the synthesis of new vehicles for therapeutic, imaging and diagnostic agents,” Professor Martel adds. “Chemotherapy, which is so toxic for the entire human body, could make use of these natural nanorobots to move drugs directly to the targeted area, eliminating the harmful side effects while also boosting its therapeutic effectiveness.”</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
“These results represent a novel therapeutic avenue for patients with hard-to-treat cancers, once the approach has been validated in human trials,” says co-author Nicole Beauchemin, a professor of Biochemistry, Medicine and Oncology at McGill and researcher at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre. “The combination of multiple expertise from all team members has made this project possible; it represents for me one of the most exciting scientific projects I have ever tackled.” Other co-authors include researchers from McGill’s departments of Biomedical Engineering and Oncology, the Faculty of Dentistry, the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, and the Jewish General Hospital.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
This work was supported by the Consortium québécois sur la découverte du médicament (Québec consortium for drug discovery – CQDM), the Canada Research Chairs, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Research Chair in Nanorobotics of Polytechnique Montréal, Mitacs, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Montréal’s Jewish General Hospital, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre also took part in this promising research work.</div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
Paper - DOI: 10.1038/NNANO.2016.137<br />
<br />
Media PACKAGE : <a href="http://bit.ly/NatureMartel" rel="nofollow" style="color: #482f87; font-weight: inherit; transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out;">http://bit.ly/NatureMartel</a></div>
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: "cartogothicstdbold" , "helvetica" , "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "sans serif"; font-size: 1.2em; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 1.125em;">Contact Information</span></div>
<div class="channels-container" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 1em;">
<div class="channels-contact vcard" style="width: 335.609px;">
<div class="field" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px; margin: 0.01em;">
<span class="field-label" style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 1em;">Contact: </span><span class="fn">Annie Touchette</span></div>
<div class="field" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px; margin: 0.01em;">
<span class="field-label" style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 1em;">Organization: </span><span class="org">Polytechnique Montréal</span></div>
<div class="field" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px; margin: 0.01em;">
<span class="field-label" style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 1em;">Email: </span><span class="email"><a class="spamspan" href="mailto:annie.touchette%40polymtl.ca" style="color: #482f87; font-weight: inherit; transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out;">annie.touchette@polymtl.ca</a></span></div>
<div class="field tel" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px; margin: 0.01em;">
<span class="field-label type" style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 1em;">Office Phone: </span><span class="value">514 340-4415</span></div>
<div class="field tel" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px; margin: 0.01em;">
<span class="value"><br /></span></div>
<div class="field tel" style="margin: 0.01em;">
<span class="value" style="font-size: 14.4px; letter-spacing: 0.192px; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/news/legions-nanorobots-target-cancerous-tumours-precision-262058">http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/news/legions-nanorobots-target-cancerous-tumours-precision-262058</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-90574065759525322122016-08-14T14:35:00.001-07:002016-08-18T14:01:53.968-07:00Clearing the Body's Retired Cells Slows Aging and Extends Life<span style="font-size: medium;">A series of experiments in mice has led to what some are calling “one of the more important aging discoveries ever."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br />I'm looking at a picture of two mice. The one on the right looks healthy. The one on the left has graying fur, a hunched back, and an eye that's been whitened by cataracts. “People ask: What the hell did you do to the mouse on the left?” says Nathaniel David. “We didn't do anything.” Time did that. The left mouse is just old. The one on the right was born at the same time and is genetically identical. It looks spry because scientists have been subjecting it to an unusual treatment: <b>For several months, they cleared retired cells from its body.</b></span><br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<section id="article-section-1" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;">
Throughout our lives, our cells accumulate damage in their DNA, which could potentially turn them into tumors. Some successfully fix the damage, while others self-destruct. The third option is to retire—to stop growing or dividing, and enter a state called senescence. These senescent cells accumulate as we get older, and they have been implicated in the health problems that accompany the aging process.</section><br />
<br />
<section id="article-section-2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;"><a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'0',r'459723'" href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature16932.html" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">By clearing these senescent cells from mice</a>, <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'1',r'459723'" href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/biographies/baker-darren-j-m-s-ph-d/bio-20055512" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">Darren Baker</a> and <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'2',r'459723'" href="http://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/van-deursen-jan-ph-d/bio-00027650" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">Jan van Deursen</a> at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine managed to slow the deterioration of kidneys, hearts, and fat tissue. The animals lived healthier and, in some cases, they lived longer.</section><section id="article-section-2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;"><br /></section><section id="article-section-2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;">
“The usual caveats apply—it’s got to be reproduced by other people—but if it’s correct, without wanting to be too hyperbolic, it’s one of the more important aging discoveries ever,” says <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'3',r'459723'" href="https://www.med.unc.edu/genetics/faculty/sharpless" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">Norman Sharpless</a> from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.<br />
Several chemicals can slow the aging process in laboratory organisms, but Sharpless says it's hard to think how people might benefit. “You take a drug—resveratrol, green tea, god knows what—for 30 years, and by the time you’re 80, you’re actually 70. That paradigm doesn’t work in the real world. People hate to take drugs, especially when they don’t know it’s helping them. And no pharma company would develop such a drug. If this paper is right, suddenly you have a way of taking an old organism and making it physiologically younger. You go from a prevention paradigm to a treatment one. That's something you can sink your teeth into.”</section><section id="article-section-2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;"><br />
Baker and van Deursen started this line of work by accident. <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'4',r'459723'" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15208629?dopt=Abstract" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">In 2004</a>, they found that turning off a gene called BubR1, which they initially thought would be involved in cancer, actually revved the aging process into high gear. The mice got cataracts, developed heart problems, lost body fat, and died much earlier than usual. And they seemed to accumulate many more senescent cells.<br />
In 2011, the team developed a way <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'5',r'459723'" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22048312?dopt=Abstract" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">of singling out and removing those cells</a>. </section><section id="article-section-2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;"><br /></section><section id="article-section-2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;">Senescent cells are characterized by a protein called p16. Baker and van Deursen genetically engineered their fast-aging mice so that they would destroy all their p16-bearing cells when they received a specific drug. The results were dramatic: The senescent cells disappeared, and though the rodents still died earlier, they were bigger, fitter, and healthier when they did. Even old mice, whose bodies had started to decline, showed improvements.</section><br />
<br />
<section id="article-section-3" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; width: 630px;"><div style="font-family: "lyon text", georgia, times, serif; line-height: 30.0001px;">
<div style="font-size: 18px;">
“Then, the question became: What would happen if we removed those cells in a normal mouse?” says Baker.</div>
<div style="font-size: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "lyon display" , "georgia" , "times" , serif; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.05556;">“Without wanting to be too hyperbolic, it’s one of the more important aging discoveries ever.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lyon display" , "georgia" , "times" , serif; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.05556;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
<a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'6',r'459723'" href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature16932.html" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">Using the same technique</a>, Baker and van Deursen took normal middle-aged mice and purged their senescent cells twice a week. This time, the process increased the rodents’ average lifespan by a quarter. And as they got older, they lost less body fat, had healthier hearts and kidneys, developed fewer cataracts, and stayed more active. The team tested large numbers of mice of both sexes, from two genetic strains, and raised on two different diets—and the results were always the same. <span style="font-family: "lyon display" , "georgia" , "times" , serif; font-weight: 700;">“</span>This is a real improvement. It’s in real aging; the last paper was in fake aging,” says Sharpless.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
<a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'7',r'459723'" href="https://vivo.brown.edu/display/jsedivy" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">John Sedivy</a> from Brown University agrees. “This issue of whether senescent cells contribute to aging has been out there for decades,” he says. “This is the first paper that I’d say is really watertight.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
Senescent cells aren’t idle. They secrete molecules that trigger inflammation and enzymes that destroy connective tissue. “We've identified 50 to 60 different molecules that these cells produce, any one of which has the potential to wreak havoc on tissues,” says <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'8',r'459723'" href="http://www.buckinstitute.org/campisiLab" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">Judith Campisi</a> from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
This seems perverse, but there’s method to the body’s madness. Cells undergo senescence because they accumulate damage that could potentially lead to cancer, and the molecules they secrete prompt the immune system to come over and clear them. “It’s a very potent anti-cancer mechanism,” says Baker. But as we get older, the immune system falters, and senescent cells accumulate. Now, the molecules they secrete become problems rather than solutions.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
Even then, senescent cells have benefits. Last year, Campisi showed that these cells <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'9',r'459723'" href="http://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/abstract/S1534-5807(14)00729-1" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">help to heal wounds</a>. And sure enough, Baker and van Deursen found that their mice heal more slowly after such cells were removed.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
The worry then is that any attempt to clear senescent cells in people would have serious side effects, as well as obvious benefits. <a data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'10',r'459723'" href="https://www.stjude.org/directory/s/charles-sherr.html" style="color: #458cd5; text-decoration: none;">Charles Sherr</a> from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is also concerned about cancer. Since the p16 protein prevents tumors from arising, Sherr wonders if “the salutary effects that accompany elimination of p16+ cells would be offset later by increased cancer incidence.” Baker and van Deursen saw no signs of that in their mice, but humans live for much longer than rodents.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
“There will be tradeoffs for sure, but as we drill down into the biology, we have a better chance of preserving the good side of these cells while eliminating the bad,” says Campisi.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
A newly launched company called Unity Biotechnology, which counts Campisi and van Deursen among its co-founders, is working to move the team’s senescence-clearing discoveries to the clinic. “We have spent the last four years identifying a series of Achilles heels that are unique to senescent cells,” says Unity CEO Nathaniel David. “We have molecules that are 300 times more poisonous to these cells than to non-senescent ones.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
His first goal is to use these compounds to treat a couple of diseases that are likely caused by senescent cells and that are localized to specific body parts. Osteoarthritis might be a good target—David has it in his toes—and so might late-stage glaucoma. If that works, “we can start going after higher-risk stuff like healthspan,” says David.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Lyon Text", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "lyon text" , "georgia" , "times" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 30.0001px;"><b><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/02/clearing-retired-cells-extends-life/459723/">http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/02/clearing-retired-cells-extends-life/459723/</a></b></span></span></section></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-52593992547530922492016-08-14T14:15:00.000-07:002016-08-14T14:21:43.291-07:00Imagine a future in which you age, but without the diseases your parents got. A future in which it doesn’t hurt to grow oldAt UNITY, we design therapeutics that prevent, halt, or reverse diseases of aging. Our medicines are designed to lengthen healthspan, the amount of time you live in good health.<br />
<br />
Our initial focus at UNITY is on clearing senescent cells.<br />
<br />
Cellular senescence is a biological “emergency brake” cells use to stop dividing. It’s an important anti-tumor mechanism, because it prevents cells from multiplying out of control. But after this “brake” has been pulled, senescent cells remain in the body, accumulating with age. And unlike normal cells, these cells secrete inflammatory molecules that harm neighboring cells and tissues.<br />
<br />
UNITY has demonstrated in animal models that removing senescent cells reverses or prevents a wide range of diseases, including osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, eye diseases, and kidney diseases.<br />
<br />
At UNITY, we are creating senolytic medicines. These medicines target vulnerabilities unique to senescent cells, allowing us to clear them from the human body while leaving normal cells unaffected. We envision a future in which people get older without getting sicker — a future in which people stay healthy and mobile long into old age.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://unitybiotechnology.com/">http://unitybiotechnology.com/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/inpadocPatentFamily?CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=3&date=20150806&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP">INPADOC patent family</a><br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR KILLING SENESCENT CELLS AND FOR TREATING SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND DISORDERS </b><br />
<br />
<b>Inventor(s</b>): <br />
<br />
LABERGE REMI-MARTIN [US]; CAMPISI JUDITH [US]; DAVALOS ALBERT [US]; DEMARIA MARCO [US]; DAVID NATHANIEL [US]; VASSEROT ALAIN PHILIPPE [US]; BAKER DARREN J [US]; CHILDS BENNETT G [US]; KIRKLAND JAMES L [US]; TCHKONIA TAMAR [US]; VAN DEURSEN JAN M A [US]; ZHU YI [US] <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">+</a> <br />
<br />
<b>Applicant(s)</b>: <br />
<br />
BUCK INST FOR RES ON AGING [US]; <b>UNITY BIOTECHNOLOGY INC</b> [US]; MAYO FOUNDATION [US] <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">+</a> <br />
<br />
Application number: <br />
<br />
WO2015US13387 20150128 <br />
<br />
Priority number(s): <br />
<br />
<a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201461932704P 20140128</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201461932711P 20140128</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201461979911P 20140415</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462002709P 20140523</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462042708P 20140827</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462044664P 20140902</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462057820P 20140930</a> ;<a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462057825P 20140930</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462057828P 20140930</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462061627P 20141008</a> ; <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1#">US201462061629P 20141008</a> <br />
<br />
<b>Abstract</b> of WO2015116740 (A1)<br />
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/espacenetImage.jpg?flavour=firstPageClipping&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20150806&CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1" /><br />
<br />
<br />
Methods are provided herein for selectively killing senescent cells and for treating senescence-associated diseases and disorders by administering a senolytic agent. Senescence-associated diseases and disorders treatable by the methods using the senolytic agents described herein include cardiovascular diseases and disorders associated with or caused by arteriosclerosis, such as atherosclerosis; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; osteoarthritis; senescence-associated ophthalmic diseases and disorders; and senescence-associated dermatological diseases and disorders.<br />
<br />
<b>CLAIMS </b><br />
<br />
1. A method for treating a senescence-associated disease or disorder comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically-effective amount of a small molecule senolytic agent that selectively kills senescent cells over non- senescent cells; wherein the senescence-associated disease or disorder is not a cancer, wherein the senolytic agent is administered in at least two treatment cycles, wherein each treatment cycle independently comprises a treatment course of from 1 day to 3 months followed by a non-treatment interval of at least 2 weeks; provided that if the senolytic agent is an MDM2 inhibitor, the MDM2 inhibitor is administered as a monotherapy, and each treatment course is at least 5 days long during which the MDM2 inhibitor is administered on at least 5 days. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/claims?CC=WO&NR=2015116740A1&KC=A1&FT=D&ND=5&date=20150806&DB=EPODOC&locale=">LINK</a><span style="background-color: white; color: white; font-size: 18px; line-height: 23px; text-align: center;">h.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-15757908923959340722016-08-14T13:35:00.001-07:002016-08-14T13:53:24.062-07:00Destroying worn-out cells makes mice live longer<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "clean" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 23.9167px;">Elegant experiment confirms that targeting senescent cells could treat age-related diseases.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<header style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<ul class="authors cleared" style="display: inline-block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="popup-parent" data-role="popup-parent" style="display: inline-block; float: left; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0.3em 0px 0px; position: relative;"><span class="vcard"><a class="fn" data-popup-width="estimate" href="http://www.nature.com/news/destroying-worn-out-cells-makes-mice-live-longer-1.19287#auth-1" style="border: 0px; color: #5c7996; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Ewen Callaway</a></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="pubdate-and-corrections" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<time datetime="2016-02-03" pubdate="">03 February 2016</time></div>
<div class="cleared article-tools extra" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<h2 class="visually-hidden" style="clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: #444444; font-size: 14.495px; height: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 1.65em; padding: 0px; position: absolute !important; width: 1px;">
Article tools</h2>
</div>
</header><section id="article-body" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="section" style="clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="content no-heading cleared main-content" style="border-top: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 0px 0px;">
<div class="img img-middle" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13.4804px; line-height: 1.489em; margin: 0px auto 1.65em; max-width: 632px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="img-content cleared" style="background: rgb(236, 236, 236); margin: 0px; padding: 1px; position: relative;">
<img src="http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.33705.1454509401!/image/low%20_DSC_0340.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/low%20_DSC_0340.jpg" /></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin-bottom: 1.65em; padding: 0px;">
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;"><span style="font-size: 13.4804px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.0723px; text-align: right;">Two littermates, almost 2 years old; the mouse on the right had its senescent cells cleared by a drug from 1 year of age onwards</span></span><br />
<div style="color: #333333;">
<span style="font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333;">
<span style="font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;">Eliminating worn-out cells extends the healthy lives of lab mice — an indication that treatments aimed at killing off these cells, or blocking their effects, might also help to combat age-related diseases in humans.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin-bottom: 1.65em; padding: 0px;">
As animals age, cells that are no longer able to divide — called senescent cells — accrue all over their bodies, releasing molecules that can harm nearby tissues. <b>Senescent cells are linked to diseases of old age, such as kidney failure and type 2 diabetes.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1.65em; padding: 0px;">
<div class="play-time" style="color: black; float: left; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: normal;">
<div class="time" style="font-size: 11.52px; font-weight: bold;">
15:42</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="section-desc" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em;">
<h3 style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.52px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
Spring cleaning cells</h3>
<div style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.52px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;">
Mice live up to one-third longer if their old, worn-out cells are removed</div>
<ul class="section-links" style="clear: both; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="float: none; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 10.08px;"><a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index-2016-02-04.html"><b>http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index-2016-02-04.html</b></a></span></span></li>
<li style="float: none; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.08px;"><br /></span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;">The work involved sophisticated genetic tinkering and extensive physiological testing, but the concept has an elegant simplicity to it. “We think these cells are bad when they accumulate. We remove them and see the consequences,” says Baker. “That’s how I try to explain it to my kids.”</span>To test the cells’ role in ageing, Darren Baker and Jan van Deursen, molecular biologists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and their colleagues engineered mice so that their senescent cells would die off when the rodents were injected with a drug. </div>
</div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Live long and prosper</h2>
<div class="related-stories-box box" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(200, 199, 207); color: #333333; float: right; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; padding: 0px; width: 200px;">
<h1 style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.495px; margin: 9px 9px 5px; padding: 0px;">
Related stories</h1>
<ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px -9px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 9px;">
<li style="list-style: disc; margin: 0px 9px 5px 36px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/517426a" style="color: #5c7996; text-decoration: none;">Ageing research: Blood to blood</a></li>
<li style="list-style: disc; margin: 0px 9px 5px 36px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nature.2013.12971" style="color: #5c7996; text-decoration: none;">Blood hormone restores youthful hearts to old mice</a></li>
<li style="list-style: disc; margin: 0px 9px 5px 36px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/news.2010.635" style="color: #5c7996; text-decoration: none;">Telomerase reverses ageing process</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="more right-arrow fade-out" style="background-color: #f1f1f1; background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgb(241, 241, 241), rgb(255, 255, 255)); border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 199, 207); font-size: 13.4804px; padding: 2px 5px 2px 9px; text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/destroying-worn-out-cells-makes-mice-live-longer-1.19287#related-links" style="background: url("data:image/png; border: 0px; color: #5c7996; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 12px; text-decoration: none;">More related stories</a></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin-bottom: 1.65em; padding: 0px;">
Mice whose senescent cells were killed off over six months were healthier, in several ways, than a control group of transgenic mice in which these cells were allowed to build up. Their kidneys worked better and their hearts were more resilient to stress, they tended to explore their cages more and they developed cancers at a later age. Eliminating senescent cells also extended the lifespans of the mice by 20–30%, <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v530/n7589/full/nature16932.html">Baker and van Deursen report in <i>Nature</i> on 3 February<sup style="font-size: 12.3207px; line-height: 0; margin-left: 0.15em;"><span style="color: #5c7996;">1</span></sup>.</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin-bottom: 1.65em; padding: 0px;">
The research is a follow-up to a 2011 study, in which their team also found that eliminating senescent cells delayed the onset of diseases of old age in mice, although that work had been done in mice which had a mutation that causes premature ageing<sup style="font-size: 12.3207px; line-height: 0;"><a class="ref-link" href="http://www.nature.com/news/destroying-worn-out-cells-makes-mice-live-longer-1.19287#b2" id="ref-link-2" style="color: #5c7996; text-decoration: none;" title="Baker, D. et al. Nature 479, 232–236, doi:10.1038/nature10600 (2011)">2</a></sup>.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin-bottom: 1.65em; padding: 0px;">
In the hope of discovering therapies for diseases of old age, researchers are already looking for drugs that can directly eliminate senescent cells or stop them from churning out factors that damage neighbouring tissue. They include Baker and van Deursen, who have have licensed patents to develop such drugs to a company van Deursen has co-founded. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin-bottom: 1.65em; padding: 0px;">
The team's experiment “gives you confidence that senescent cells are an important target," says Dominic Withers, a clinician-scientist who studies ageing at Imperial College London and who co-wrote a News and Views article for <i>Nature</i> that accompanies the Mayo Clinic report<sup style="font-size: 12.3207px; line-height: 0; margin-left: 0.15em;"><a class="ref-link" href="http://www.nature.com/news/destroying-worn-out-cells-makes-mice-live-longer-1.19287#b3" id="ref-link-3" style="color: #5c7996; text-decoration: none;" title="Gil, J. and Withers, D. Nature, DOI:10.1038/nature16875 (2016)">3</a></sup>. “I think that there is every chance this will be a viable therapeutic option.”</div>
</div>
<dl class="citation" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><dd class="journal-title" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px;">Nature</dd> <dd class="doi" style="background: url("data:image/gif; display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 10px;"><abbr style="border: 0px;" title="Digital Object Identifier">doi</abbr>:10.1038/nature.2016.19287</dd></dl>
<ul class="endnotes" style="background-color: white; border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 199, 207); clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; font-style: italic; line-height: 23.9167px; margin: 0px 0px 1.65em; padding: 5px 0px;">
<li style="border-top: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;">Read the related News & Views article, "</span><a href="http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nature16875" style="color: #5c7996; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; text-decoration: none;">Out with the old</a><span style="font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;">".</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</section><section id="references" style="background-color: white; clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="section expanded" id="references" style="clear: both; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<h1 class="section-heading toggle" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8142px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin: 0px 0px 9px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background: url("data:image/gif; padding: 0px 0px 0px 23px;">References</a></h1>
<div class="content" style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(200, 199, 207); margin: 0px; padding: 9px 0px 0px;">
<ol class="references" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px; margin: 0px 0px 1.65em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 0px 30px;">
<li id="b1" style="list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<span class="vcard author">Baker, D. J.</span> <i>et al</i>. <span class="source-title" style="font-style: italic;">Nature</span> <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature16932" style="color: #5c7996; text-decoration: none;">http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature16932</a> (<span class="year">2016</span>).</div>
<ul class="ref-links" style="float: right; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 0px 30px;">
<li style="display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px 3px;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=npg&cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=26819028&dopt=Abstract" style="color: #5c7996; text-decoration: none;">PubMed</a></li>
</ul>
<a class="context-link show" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background: url("data:image/gif; border-bottom: 0px; color: #5c7996; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px -2px; padding: 2px 0px 2px 20px;">Show context</a></li>
<li id="b2" style="list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<span class="vcard author">Baker, D.</span> <i>et al</i>. <span class="source-title" style="font-style: italic;">Nature 479, 232–</span><span class="volume" style="font-weight: bold;">236</span>, doi:10.1038/nature10600 (<span class="year">2011</span>)</div>
<a class="context-link show" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background: url("data:image/gif; border-bottom: 0px; color: #5c7996; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px -2px; padding: 2px 0px 2px 20px;">Show context</a></li>
<li id="b3" style="list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
Gil, J. <span class="vcard author">and Withers, D.</span> <span class="source-title" style="font-style: italic;">Nature, DOI:10.</span><span class="volume" style="font-weight: bold;">1038</span>/nature16875 (<span class="year">2016</span>)</div>
<a class="context-link show" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background: url("data:image/gif; border-bottom: 0px; color: #5c7996; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 0px -2px; padding: 2px 0px 2px 20px;">Show context</a></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="color: #5c7996; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "clean" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.495px; line-height: 23.9167px;"><u>http://www.nature.com/news/destroying-worn-out-cells-makes-mice-live-longer-1.19287</u></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</section>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-19668722697533649662016-08-11T11:07:00.001-07:002016-08-13T09:16:45.405-07:00Heparan sulfation is essential for the prevention of cellular senescence.<div class="cit" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8465em; line-height: 1.45em;">
<span role="menubar"><a abstractlink="yes" alsec="jour" alterm="Cell Death Differ." aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26250908#" role="menuitem" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;" title="Cell death and differentiation.">Cell Death Differ.</a></span> 2016 Mar;23(3):417-29. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2015.107. Epub 2015 Aug 7.</div>
<h1 style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; line-height: 1.125em; margin: 0.375em 0px;">
</h1>
<div class="auths" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 0.923em;">
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Jung%20SH%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Jung SH</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">1,</span><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">2,</span><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">3</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Lee%20HC%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Lee HC</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">1,</span><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">2</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Yu%20DM%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Yu DM</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">4</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Kim%20BC%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Kim BC</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">3</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Park%20SM%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Park SM</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">3</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Lee%20YS%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Lee YS</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">5</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Park%20HJ%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Park HJ</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">2,</span><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">6</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Ko%20YG%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Ko YG</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">4</span>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Lee%20JS%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26250908" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">Lee JS</a><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">1,</span><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">2</span>.</div>
<div class="afflist" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9998px; zoom: 1;">
<h3 style="color: #724128; font-size: 1.0769em; line-height: 1.2857; margin: 0.5em 0em; zoom: 1;">
<a aria-expanded="true" class="jig-ncbitoggler ui-widget ui-ncbitoggler-open" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26250908#" id="ui-ncbitoggler-2" role="button" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: 13.9997px; outline: none; padding-left: 16px; position: relative; text-decoration: none !important;" title="Open/close author information list"><span class="ui-ncbitoggler-master-text">Author information</span><span class="ui-icon ui-icon-triangle-1-s" style="background: url("//static.pubmed.gov/portal/portal3rc.fcgi/4120815/img/3974597") 0px 0px no-repeat scroll transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border: none; display: inline; height: 16px; left: 0px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-indent: -99999px; top: 3px; width: 16px;"></span></a></h3>
<div aria-live="assertive" class="ui-helper-reset" style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.3; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<ul aria-hidden="false" class="ui-ncbi-toggler-slave ui-ncbitoggler ui-ncbitoggler-slave-open" style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span>Department of Biomedical Sciences, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">2</span>Hypoxia-related Disease Research Center, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">3</span>Research Center for Radio-senescence, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea.</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">4</span>Division of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">5</span>Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">6</span>Department of Microbiology, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="abstr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9998px; margin: 1em auto auto;">
<h3 style="color: #985735; display: inline; font-size: 1.0769em; line-height: 1.2857; margin: 0px;">
Abstract</h3>
<div class="">
<div style="line-height: 1.538em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<abstracttext>Cellular senescence is considered as an important tumor-suppressive mechanism. Here, we demonstrated that heparan sulfate (HS) prevents cellular senescence by fine-tuning of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling pathway. We found that depletion of 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate synthetase 2 (PAPSS2), a synthetic enzyme of the sulfur donor PAPS, led to premature cell senescence in various cancer cells and in a xenograft tumor mouse model. Sodium chlorate, a metabolic inhibitor of HS sulfation also induced a cellular senescence phenotype. p53 and p21 accumulation was essential for PAPSS2-mediated cellular senescence. Such senescence phenotypes were closely correlated with cell surface HS levels in both cancer cells and human diploid fibroblasts. The determination of the activation of receptors such as FGFR1, Met, and insulin growth factor 1 receptor β indicated that the augmented FGFR1/AKT signaling was specifically involved in premature senescence in a HS-dependent manner. Thus, blockade of either FGFR1 or AKT prohibited p53 and p21 accumulation and cell fate switched from cellular senescence to apoptosis. In particular, desulfation at the 2-O position in the HS chain contributed to the premature senescence via the augmented FGFR1 signaling. Taken together, we reveal, for the first time, that the proper status of HS is essential for the prevention of cellular senescence. These observations allowed us to hypothesize that the FGF/FGFR signaling system could initiate novel tumor defenses through regulating premature senescence.</abstracttext></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="aux" style="background-color: white; margin: 1.2em auto auto;">
<div class="resc" style="color: #575757; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em;">
<dl class="rprtid" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8465em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px;">
<dt style="display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">PMID:</dt>
<dd style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26250908" ref="aid_type=pmid" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">26250908</a></dd>
<dt style="display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">DOI:</dt>
<dd style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/cdd.2015.107" ref="aid_type=doi" style="border-bottom: 0px; color: #660066;">10.1038/cdd.2015.107</a></dd></dl>
</div>
<div class="resc status" style="padding-top: 0.5em;">
<dl class="rprtid" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px;"><dd style="color: #575757; display: inline; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8465em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">[PubMed - in process]</dd><dd style="color: #575757; display: inline; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8465em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></dd><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26250908">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26250908</a><dd style="color: #575757; display: inline; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8465em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></dd></dl>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-1342707496443328062016-08-11T10:21:00.002-07:002016-08-13T09:23:12.999-07:00Osteoarthritis can be caused by senescent cells, study finds<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 26px;">Researchers have uncovered evidence that cellular senescence - whereby cells stop dividing - is a cause of osteoarthritis, and they suggest targeting these cells could offer a promising way to prevent or treat the condition.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Study co-author Dr. James Kirkland, director of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and colleagues <a href="http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/08/10/gerona.glw154.full?sid=2b4ad30b-b72e-4881-a125-fb92c6fc8ed2">publish their findings in <em style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences</em>.</a></div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative joint disease, is a condition in which cartilage - the tissue that protects the end of each bone in a joint - wears away, causing the underlying bones to rub together. This can cause pain, swelling, and poor joint movement.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
As the condition worsens, the bones may lose shape. Additionally, growths called bone spurs may arise, and bits of bone and cartilage can break off and float around the space in the joint. This can trigger an inflammatory response that exacerbates pain, as well as cartilage and bone damage.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
OA is the most common form of <a class="keywords" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7621.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments">arthritis</a> in the United States, affecting around <a href="http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/osteoarthritis/what-is-osteoarthritis.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">27 million American adults</a>. While the condition can arise in all age groups, it is most common among people aged 65 and older.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
There is no cure for OA, only therapies that can help manage symptoms. These include pain and anti-inflammatory medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (<a class="keywords" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179211.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="NSAIDs: How Do These Painkillers Work and What Can They Treat?">NSAIDs</a>) and corticosteroids. In some cases, joint surgery may be required.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Now, Dr. Kirkland and colleagues say their findings may bring us closer to much-needed prevention and treatment strategies for OA.</div>
<h2 style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #111111; display: table-cell; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 36px; margin: 30px 0px 20px; padding: 20px 0px 10px; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 2px;">
Senescent cell injection led to OA-like symptoms in mice</h2>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
The precise causes of OA are unclear, though previous studies have suggested cellular senescence might be involved.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Cellular senescence is the process by which cells stop dividing. Senescent cells accumulate with age and can cause severe damage to tissues and organs, contributing to a number of age-related diseases.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
For their study, Dr. Kirkland and colleagues set out to determine whether cellular senescence has a causal link with OA - an association they say previous studies have yet to establish.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
To reach their findings, the team used a senescent cell transplantation model. This involved taking both senescent and non-senescent cells from the ear cartilage of mice, before injecting these cells into the rodents' knee joints.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Over a 10-day period, the researchers tracked the injected cells using bioluminescence and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The researchers found that the buildup of senescent cells around the knee joints of mice caused them to <a href="http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/08/10/gerona.glw154.full" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">experience a number of symptoms and characteristics of OA</a>, including leg pain, cartilage damage, and impaired mobility.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
No such outcomes occurred as a result of injection with non-senescent cells, the researchers report.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
These findings, say the authors, provide evidence of a causal link between cellular senescence and OA, and they also open the door to new ways to delay, prevent, or treat OA.</div>
<blockquote style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: rgb(250, 235, 188) !important; border-color: rgb(225, 204, 137) rgb(225, 204, 137) rgb(225, 204, 137) rgb(116, 116, 116) !important; border-style: solid !important; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 5px !important; clear: left; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 184px; line-height: 24px; margin: 15px auto !important; overflow: auto; padding: 10px 20px !important; position: relative; quotes: none; width: 657px;">
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none !important; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-top: 10px !important; padding: 0px; text-shadow: none !important;">
"Osteoarthritis has previously been associated with the accumulation of senescent cells in or near the joints, however, this is the first time there has been evidence of a causal link.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none !important; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-top: 10px !important; padding: 0px; text-shadow: none !important;">
We believe that targeting senescent cells could be a promising way to prevent or alleviate age-related osteoarthritis. While there is more work to be done, these findings are a critical step toward that goal."</div>
<div class="right" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none !important; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; margin-top: 10px !important; padding: 0px; text-align: right; text-shadow: none !important;">
Dr. James Kirkland</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306128.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Read about a study that found clearing out senescent cells increased lifespan in mice</a>.</div>
<div class="author_bottom" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span class="author_byline" style="border: 0px; color: #111111; display: block; float: left; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 8px 0px 7px; padding: 0px; width: 730px;">Written by <a class="article_author" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/authors/honor-whiteman" rel="author" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="View all articles written by Honor Whiteman">Honor Whiteman</a></span><span class="author_byline" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin: 8px 0px 7px; padding: 0px; width: 730px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312271.php">http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312271.php</a></b></span></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-50586575684079099572016-08-11T10:08:00.003-07:002016-08-13T09:17:24.703-07:00Could memory loss be reversed with a common painkiller?<div class="author_top" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; min-height: 30px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<span class="author_byline" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; display: block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">Written by <a class="article_author" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/authors/honor-whiteman" rel="author" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: rgb(1, 100, 200) !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="View all articles written by Honor Whiteman">Honor Whiteman</a></span></div>
<div id="article_date" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: left; color: #111111; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span class="date_published screen_only" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; clear: right; display: block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Published: </span><time datetime="2016-08-11" itemprop="datePublished">3 hours ago</time></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 26px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 26px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 26px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 26px;"><b>Researchers have spent decades trying to find new, effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease, but new research suggests the answer may reside in an existing painkiller commonly used to treat menstrual cramps.</b></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<b>In <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160811/ncomms12504/full/ncomms12504.html">a study published the journal <em style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Nature Communications</em></a>, researchers reveal how the drug mefenamic acid reversed memory loss in mouse models of <a class="keywords" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Alzheimer's Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments">Alzheimer's disease</a> by reducing brain <a class="keywords" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248423.php" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Inflammation: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment">inflammation</a>.</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Study leader Dr. David Brough, of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and his team say their results open the door to trials in humans with the disease.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Around <a href="http://www.alz.org/facts/" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">5.2 million Americans</a> aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease. By 2050, it is expected that around 13.8 million people in the United States will have the condition, unless new, more effective treatments are identified.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Of course, developing a new drug from the ground up takes time; according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), it can take <a href="http://www.phrma.org/sites/default/files/pdf/rd_brochure_022307.pdf" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">at least a decade</a> for a new medication to reach the market, with clinical trials alone taking an average of 6-7 years.</b></div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<b>As such, researchers are increasingly focusing on identifying other possible uses for existing medications, which can dramatically shorten the approval process.</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<b><span style="color: red;">Now, Dr. Brough and colleagues believe they may be on the way to achieving such a feat, after finding the drug mefenamic acid may hold potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.</span></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Mefenamic acid is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (<a class="keywords" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179211.php" style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="NSAIDs: How Do These Painkillers Work and What Can They Treat?">NSAID</a>) used to treat mild to moderate pain, and it is most commonly prescribed for the treatment of menstrual pain.</b></div>
<h2 style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #111111; display: table-cell; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 36px; margin: 30px 0px 20px; padding: 20px 0px 10px; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 2px;">
Mefenamic acid targets detrimental inflammatory pathway in the brain</h2>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
For their study, the researchers used 20 mice that were genetically modified to develop Alzheimer's disease.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Once the mice had developed memory problems, half of them were treated with mefenamic acid for 1 month, while the remaining half received a <a class="keywords" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306437.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Placebos: How Do They Work? What Is The Placebo Effect?">placebo</a>. Both mefenamic acid and the placebo were administered through a mini-pump implanted under the skin.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Compared with the mice that received the placebo, those that were treated with mefenamic acid showed a <a href="http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=166907&CultureCode=en" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">complete reversal in memory loss</a>, with their memory reverting to levels seen in mice free of Alzheimer's.</span></div>
<div class="quick_facts right_300" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background: url("/structure/images/icons/knowledge_center_facts.png") 12px 13px / 26px 26px no-repeat rgb(222, 243, 231); border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #111111; display: inline; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin: 20px 0px 20px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; width: 300px;">
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; padding: 8px 15px 8px 10px;">
<span class="quick_facts_title" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom-color: rgb(59, 125, 97); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; display: block; font-size: 21px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 28px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px 40px; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 2px;">Fast facts about Alzheimer's</span></div>
<ul style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; line-height: 22px; list-style: square; margin: 20px 0px 30px 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px;">
<li style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 24px; text-indent: -15px;">Every 66 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer's</li>
<li style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 24px; text-indent: -15px;">Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.</li>
<li style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 24px; text-indent: -15px;">This year, Alzheimer's and other<a class="keywords" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142214.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Dementia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments">dementias</a> will cost the U.S. around $236 billion.</li>
</ul>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; padding: 8px 15px 8px 10px;">
<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Learn more about Alzheimer's</a></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Further investigation revealed that mefenamic acid targets the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, which is a pro-inflammatory pathway known to damage brain cells.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
According to Dr. Brough, this study represents the first time a drug has been shown to target the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, and the research highlights the importance of this pathway in Alzheimer's disease.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
"There is experimental evidence now to strongly suggest that inflammation in the brain makes Alzheimer's disease worse," he adds.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
The researchers admit that much more work is needed to determine whether mefenamic acid may be an effective treatment for humans with Alzheimer's disease, but they are encouraged by their findings.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
They are now in the process of completing applications for early phase II trials of mefenamic acid for Alzheimer's, which they hope will provide proof-of-concept that the drug reverses memory loss by targeting inflammation.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
The team notes that mefenamic acid is already on the market and the side effects are already known. As such, if the drug proves successful for the treatment of Alzheimer's, its approval process should be shorter.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
Dr. Doug Brown, director of research and development at the U.K.'s Alzheimer's Society, hails the team's findings as "promising," but stresses that mefenamic acid should not yet be used for Alzheimer's.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
"[...] these drugs are not without side effects and should not be taken for Alzheimer's disease at this stage - studies in people are needed first," he says.</div>
<div style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-top: 8px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312246.php" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Read about a study that suggests a Mediterranean diet could prevent Alzheimer's disease</a>.</div>
<div class="author_bottom" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span class="author_byline" style="border: 0px; color: #111111; display: block; float: left; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 8px 0px 7px; padding: 0px; width: 730px;">Written by <a class="article_author" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/authors/honor-whiteman" rel="author" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border-bottom: none; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #b000b5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="View all articles written by Honor Whiteman">Honor Whiteman</a></span><span class="author_byline" style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; display: block; float: left; margin: 8px 0px 7px; padding: 0px; width: 730px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312262.php"><b>http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312262.php</b></a></span></span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-73535804833704746842016-08-09T07:27:00.004-07:002016-08-11T11:03:47.331-07:00Researchers propose new treatment to prevent kidney stonesModifier appears to dissolve crystals of the most common kidney stone Date: <br />
<br />
August 8, 2016 Source: <br />
<br />
University of Houston Summary: <br />
<br />
Researchers have found evidence that a natural fruit extract is capable of dissolving calcium oxalate crystals, the most common component of human kidney stones. This finding could lead to the first advance in the treatment of calcium oxalate stones in 30 years. <img src="https://images.sciencedaily.com/2016/08/160808115447_1_540x360.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Engineer Jeffrey Rimer and collaborators have discovered a new molecule that has the potential to be a more effective inhibitor of kidney stone formation<br />
Credit: University of Houston<br />
<br />
Researchers have found evidence that a natural fruit extract is capable of dissolving calcium oxalate crystals, the most common component of human kidney stones. This finding could lead to the first advance in the treatment of calcium oxalate stones in 30 years.<br />
<br />
Jeffrey Rimer, associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Houston, was lead author of the study, published Aug. 8 in the online edition of Nature. The work offers the first evidence that the compound hydroxycitrate (HCA) is an effective inhibitor of calcium oxalate crystal growth that, under certain conditions, is actually able to dissolve these crystals. Researchers also explain how it works.<br />
<br />
The findings are the result of a combination of experimental studies, computational studies and human studies, Rimer said.<br />
<br />
Kidney stones are small, hard mineral deposits that form inside the kidneys, affecting up to 12 percent of men and seven percent of women. High blood pressure, diabetes and obesity can increase the risk, and the reported incidence is on the rise.<br />
<br />
Preventive treatment has not changed much over the last three decades. Doctors tell patients who are at risk of developing stones to drink lots of water and avoid foods rich in oxalate, such as rhubarb, okra, spinach and almonds. They often recommend taking citrate (CA), in the form of potassium citrate, a supplement that can slow crystal growth, but some people are unable to tolerate the side effects.<br />
<br />
The project grew out of preliminary work done by collaborator John Asplin, a nephrologist at Litholink Corporation, who suggested HCA as a possible treatment. HCA is chemically similar to CA and is also available as a dietary supplement.<br />
<br />
"HCA shows promise as a potential therapy to prevent kidney stones," the researchers wrote. "HCA may be preferred as a therapy over CA (potassium citrate)."<br />
<br />
In addition to Rimer and Asplin, authors on the paper include Giannis Mpourmpakis and his graduate student, Michael G. Taylor, of the University of Pittsburgh; Ignacio Granja of Litholink Corporation, and Jihae Chung, a UH graduate student working in Rimer's lab.<br />
<br />
The head-to-head studies of CA and HCA determined that while both compounds inhibit the growth of calcium oxalate crystals, HCA was more potent and displayed unique qualities that are advantageous for the development of new therapies.<br />
<br />
The team of researchers then used atomic force microscopy, or AFM, to study interactions between the crystals, CA and HCA under realistic growth conditions. According to Rimer, the technique allowed them to record crystal growth in real time with near-molecular resolution.<br />
<br />
Chung noted that the AFM images recorded the crystal actually shrinking when exposed to specific concentrations of HCA. Rimer suspected the initial finding was an abnormality, as it is rare to see a crystal actually dissolve in highly supersaturated growth solutions. The most effective inhibitors reported in the literature simply stop the crystal from growing.<br />
<br />
It turned out that Chung's initial finding was correct. Once they confirmed it is possible to dissolve crystals in supersaturated solutions, researchers then looked at reasons to explain why that happened.<br />
<br />
Mpourmpakis and Taylor applied density functional theory (DFT) -- a highly accurate computational method used to study the structure and properties of materials -- to address how HCA and CA bind to calcium and to calcium oxalate crystals. They discovered HCA formed a stronger bond with crystal surfaces, inducing a strain that is seemingly relieved by the release of calcium and oxalate, leading to crystal dissolution.<br />
<br />
HCA was also tested in human subjects, as seven people took the supplement for three days, allowing researchers to determine that HCA is excreted through urine, a requirement for the supplement to work as a treatment.<br />
<br />
While Rimer said the research established the groundwork to design an effective drug, questions remain. Long-term safety, dosage and additional human trials are needed, he said.<br />
<br />
"But our initial findings are very promising," he said. "If it works in vivo, similar to our trials in the laboratory, HCA has the potential to reduce the incidence rate of people with chronic kidney stone disease."<br />
<br />
Story Source:<br />
The above post is reprinted from <a href="http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2016/July/08082016New-Treatment-for-Kidney-Stones.php">materials</a> provided by<a href="http://www.uh.edu/">University of Houston</a>. The original item was written by Jeannie Kever. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.<br />
<br />
Journal Reference: <br />
Jihae Chung, Ignacio Granja, Michael G. Taylor, Giannis Mpourmpakis, John R. Asplin, Jeffrey D. Rimer. Molecular modifiers reveal a mechanism of pathological crystal growth inhibition. Nature, 2016; 1 DOI:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature19062">10.1038/nature19062</a> <br />
<br />
Cite This Page: <br />
<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115447.htm#citation_mla">MLA</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115447.htm#citation_apa">APA</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115447.htm#citation_chicago">Chicago</a> <br />
<br />
University of Houston. "Researchers propose new treatment to prevent kidney stones: Modifier appears to dissolve crystals of the most common kidney stone." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 August 2016. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115447.htm">https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808115447.htm</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-88702968411405454692016-08-09T07:03:00.000-07:002016-08-13T09:19:51.640-07:0016-year-old South African invents wonder material to fight droughtStory highlights<br />
<br />
Google prize winner, 16, uses fruit to tackle drought <br />
Mixed skins form super absorbent polymer <br />
<br />
<img height="223" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/mK23Ugs-LsDZuyLtltX4_kP8ukjJVUrqjiZrgNoRzW4mIzt8ZfeMTHlaNlKi-LSL2izUKMvRgZDA4mBxq-kChkiS7UmjcLHVrhiUATZzdvJn8xJMIZ_f3MDkp3G43gIstsbrhF0ZrPHzDQ" width="400" /><br />
<br />
(CNN)South Africa's <a href="http://www.weathersa.co.za/images/documents/299/CLS-CI-GEN-INFO-109%201%20SA%20Annual%20Total%20Rainfall.pdf">worst drought</a> in recorded history has <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/state-of-drought-disaster-declared-in-8-provinces-20160609">left eight</a> of the country's nine provinces in a state of disaster, with thousands of communities and millions of households facing water shortages.<br />
<br />
The agricultural union Agri SA has requested over <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-africa-drought-finances-idUSKCN0W41XY">$1 billion</a> in government subsidies to help farmers through the crisis, but a cut-price solution could soon be available -- from an unlikely source.<br />
<br />
Johannesburg schoolgirl Kiara Nirghin, 16, recently won the <a href="https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/competition/prizes">Google Science Fair's </a>Community Impact Award for the Middle East and Africa with her submission "No More Thirsty Crops."<br />
<br />
Using orange peel and avocado skins, the precocious student created a super absorbent polymer (SAP) capable of storing reserves of water hundreds of times its own weight, forming reservoirs that would allow farmers to maintain their crops at minimal cost. The polymer has the added benefit of sustainability as it uses recycled and biodegradable waste products.<br />
<br />
"Kiara found an ideal material that won't hurt the budget in simple orange peel, and through her research, she created a way to turn it into soil-ready water storage with help from the avocado," said Andrea Cohan, program leader of the Google Science Fair.<br />
<br />
The drought in South Africa is the worst on record.<br />
<br />
Trial and error<br />
<br />
The inventor says she wanted to tackle the most urgent aspect of the national crisis.<br />
<br />
"I wanted to minimize the effect that drought has on the community and the main thing it affects is the crops," says Nirghin, of St. Martin's School. "That was the springboard for the idea."<br />
<br />
She describes the process as "trial and error," with a lot of experimentation before alighting on the perfect formula.<br />
<br />
"I started researching what an SAP was, and what they all had in common was a chain molecule polysaccharide," Nirghin recalls. "I found that orange peel has 64% polysaccharide and also the gelling agent pectin, so I saw it as a good (option). I used avocado skin due to the oil."<br />
<br />
The teenager combined the skin and peel and left the mixture in the sun, where they reacted together to form the powerfully absorbent polymer.<br />
<br />
Next steps<br />
<br />
As a regional winner, Nirghin has been assigned a mentor from Google to work with her on developing the polymer, and hopes it could be tested in the field. She will soon discover if she is one of the tech giant's sixteen global finalists.<br />
<br />
"If the idea was commercialized and applied to real farms and real crops I definitely think the impact that drought has on crops would be reduced," she says.<br />
<br />
"I think it works," says Dr. Jinwen Zhang, a professor of materials engineering at Washington State University, who is developing absorbent hydrogels to address drought. "Using waste products for low-cost feedstock for large volume is definitely worth further investigation."<br />
<br />
The teenager, whose hero is the Indian agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan, has many more ideas, including a proposal to dye the skins of endangered animals to discourage poaching.<br />
<br />
"I might look into health sciences or engineering," she says of her future plans. "Something so I can improve the world."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/africa/orange-drought-kiara-nirghin/">http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/africa/orange-drought-kiara-nirghin/</a><br />
<div class="pg-rail-tall__wrapper" style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; padding-right: 320px; position: relative;">
<div class="pg-side-of-rail pg-rail-tall__side" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; overflow-x: hidden; width: 780px;">
<div class="pg-rail-tall__body" itemprop="articleBody" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<br />
<br />
<section class="zn zn-body-text zn-body zn--idx-0 zn-has-multiple-containers zn-has-27-containers" data-containers="27" data-eq-pts="xsmall: 0, medium: 460, large: 780, full16x9: 1100" data-eq-state="xsmall medium large" data-vr-zone="zone-1-0" data-zn-id="body-text" data-zone-label="bodyText" id="body-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; padding: 20px 0px 0px;">
</section><br />
<div style="color: #262626; font-family: cnn, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fi2.cdn.turner.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F160809093121-kiara-nirghin-exlarge-169.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/mK23Ugs-LsDZuyLtltX4_kP8ukjJVUrqjiZrgNoRzW4mIzt8ZfeMTHlaNlKi-LSL2izUKMvRgZDA4mBxq-kChkiS7UmjcLHVrhiUATZzdvJn8xJMIZ_f3MDkp3G43gIstsbrhF0ZrPHzDQ" -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-71628851596531470472016-07-29T07:05:00.006-07:002016-08-13T09:20:22.627-07:00Fast-growth cyanobacteria have allure for biofuel, chemical productionDate:<br />
July 28, 2016<br />
Source:<br />
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory<br />
<br />
<b>Summary:</b><br />
While relentless bright light brings many forms of cyanobacteria to their knees -- figuratively, of course -- Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 does the opposite, thriving and growing at a rate that far outpaces most of its peers. Now researchers know why: it triples in size to accommodate a rapid expansion of the cellular machinery it uses to build proteins.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://images.sciencedaily.com/2016/07/160728110437_1_540x360.jpg" /><br />
Synechococcus 7002 cells under typical light conditions (left) and under bright light for a long period of time (right). The cells on the right are much larger to accommodate additional cell-synthesis machinery required under high light-energy conditions.<br />
Credit: Photos courtesy of mBio<br />
<br />
While relentless bright light brings many forms of cyanobacteria to their knees -- figuratively, of course -- Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 does the opposite, thriving and growing at a rate that far outpaces most of its peers. That makes the organism, commonly called a form of blue-green algae, an attractive target for scientists and engineers trying to create better, less expensive biofuels or develop tools for churning out custom chemicals.<br />
<br />
Now researchers have figured out why Synechococcus 7002 is so robust. The organism triples in size to accommodate a rapid expansion of the cellular machinery it uses to build proteins, the workhorses of cells. The organism flourishes under intense light by using the energy to keep growing.<br />
<br />
The findings by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in collaboration with scientists from several other institutions, appear July 26 in the online journal mBio.<br />
<br />
<b>Of sunlight and Synechococcus</b><br />
<br />
Cyanobacteria capture the Sun's energy and use it to create food for themselves, all while drawing in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. The single-celled organisms have been on Earth for billions of years and play a critical role in Earth's climate. Scientists are trying to take advantage of these natural processes to create new forms of energy and sustainable bioproducts.<br />
<br />
"These organisms are the major pathway for capturing solar energy and carbon dioxide on our planet," said PNNL scientist Alexander Beliaev, one of two corresponding authors.<br />
<br />
When light comes in too fast and too intensely for most cyanobacteria, they slow their growth, using their resources instead to repair damaged cells.<br />
<br />
But Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 is adept at using the extra light, doing chemistry on the fly and putting the extra energy to good use -- toward rapid growth. The organism typically doubles in size in less than 2 hours, compared to other species which typically double between 7 to 12 hours.<br />
<br />
That may not sound like much. But if you start with a one-foot by one-foot plot of blue-green algae, after 48 hours the standard organism would cover the floor of a small office, while the fast-growth one would cover more than 600 football fields. That's an attractive difference for scientists trying to grow the organism as a source of fuel. The greater productivity means that more fuel and more chemical products could be produced more quickly compared to other systems.<br />
<br />
"Everyone's question is: How can we make affordable fuels and chemicals faster? It's a critical choke point for renewable biofuel processes," said Hans Bernstein, also a corresponding author. Fuels made of biological materials -- such as ethanol -- currently make up a small slice of fuels used today, largely because they are more expensive than traditional fuels. The new research is one step toward making a wider range of biofuels less costly and more attractive.<br />
<br />
<b>Expanding the cellular machinery</b><br />
<br />
The team led by Beliaev and Bernstein set out to understand the capability of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 for fast growth. They drew upon the resources of EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory -- a Department of Energy user facility -- to ferret out the molecular signals that underpin the organism's ability to stay productive even under bright light, using EMSL's capabilities to determine which genes were active.<br />
<br />
Under bright light conditions where other cyanobacteria normally slow down, the team saw no hint of slowdown in the organism. Instead, the scientists demonstrated that the organism has the wherewithal to expand very rapidly, building molecular machinery quickly to convert light energy and carbon dioxide into new growth.<br />
<br />
The scientists showed that the organism activates more of the genetic signals involved in creating the raw materials involved in building proteins in the cell. The activity of genes involved in building proteins, harvesting light, converting sunlight into food and taking up carbon dioxide all increased markedly. To accommodate the increased activity, the cells triple in size.<br />
<br />
It's like a factory with the capability of expanding its assembly lines instantaneously to accommodate an increased flow of raw materials coming into the manufacturing area. If the electrons that provide energy aren't used immediately, they can get in the way and gunk up operations, but if they're put to good use, more of the desired product rolls off the lines quickly and efficiently.<br />
<br />
"This organism responds to very high light levels by fixing carbon dioxide and upregulating machinery to make biomass," said Bernstein. "It's building proteins as fast as it can for rapid growth, and that requires additional space."<br />
<br />
Story Source:<br />
<br />
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.<br />
<br />
Journal Reference:<br />
<br />
Hans C. Bernstein, Ryan S. McClure, Eric A. Hill, Lye Meng Markillie, William B. Chrisler, Margie F. Romine, Jason E. McDermott, Matthew C. Posewitz, Donald A. Bryant, Allan E. Konopka, James K. Fredrickson, Alexander S. Beliaev. Unlocking the Constraints of Cyanobacterial Productivity: Acclimations Enabling Ultrafast Growth. mBio, 2016; 7 (4): e00949-16 DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00949-16<br />
Cite This Page:<br />
MLA<br />
APA<br />
Chicago<br />
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "Fast-growth cyanobacteria have allure for biofuel, chemical production." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 July 2016.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160728110437.htm">https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160728110437.htm</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-63757876412666703512016-06-07T18:27:00.002-07:002016-06-07T18:43:29.112-07:00Norway reportedly agrees on banning new sales of gas-powered cars by 2025<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;">
Norway’s four main political parties have been discussing a possible ban on new gasoline-powered car sales (diesel or petrol) for quite some time, but they were not able to come to an understanding until now, according to a new report from <span class="goog-text-highlight" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="http://www.dn.no/nyheter/politikkSamfunn/2016/06/02/2144/Motor/frp-vil-fjerne-bensinbilene?_l" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px none; box-sizing: inherit; color: #66b1cb; text-decoration: none;">Dagens Næringsliv</a> (Paywall), an important newspaper in Norway.</span><br />
<span class="goog-text-highlight" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;">
<span class="goog-text-highlight" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The four main political parties, both from the right and the left, have agreed on a new energy policy that will include a ban on new gasoline-powered car sales as soon as 2025 – making it one of the most aggressive timeline of its kind for such a policy. What’s probably most remarkable here is that Norway is currently <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_exports" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px none; box-sizing: inherit; color: #66b1cb; text-decoration: none;">one of the world’s largest Oil exporters.</a></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;">
<a href="http://electrek.co/2016/03/28/india-electric-cars-2030/" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px none; box-sizing: inherit; color: #66b1cb; text-decoration: none;">India confirmed that it is evaluating a scheme for all its fleet to be electric by 2030</a> and the <a href="http://electrek.co/2016/03/31/netherlands-ev-sales-2025/" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px none; box-sizing: inherit; color: #66b1cb; text-decoration: none;">Dutch government is discussing the possibility</a> to ban gas-powered car sales and only allow electric vehicle sales starting also by 2025, but the idea divides the parliament.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;">
Norway’s initiative looks like it could be the first made into law and would only allow zero-emission vehicles to be sold in the country starting in less than a decade.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;">
With 24% of new vehicles being powered by electric drivetrains, Norway already has the highest percentage of electric vehicle market share of any country – meaning that it’s less of a leap for Norway than any other country, but it’s still a big step.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;">
In order for the initiative to really work, the electric vehicle offering on the Norwegian market would really need to increase, but almost every automaker is planning to offer a wide range of electric vehicles in their lineups by the end of the decade, which should help the project.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;">
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is already congratulating Norway, but it’s not a done deal yet:<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.8px; line-height: 25.2px;"><a href="http://electrek.co/2016/06/03/norway-gasoline-powered-car-ban-2025/">http://electrek.co/2016/06/03/norway-gasoline-powered-car-ban-2025/</a></span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-86346039384346466952016-05-30T11:43:00.001-07:002016-05-30T11:46:36.945-07:00ANALYSIS Canada's energy superpower status threatened as world shifts off fossil fuel, federal think-tank warns<div class="wrap12 story-head" id="content" style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; width: 960px;" tabindex="0">
<div class="colfull" style="clear: both; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;">
<div class="story-headline">
<span class="story-flag analysis" style="border-color: rgb(38 , 146 , 179); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 5px; color: #595959; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 2.16667rem; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0.2em 10px 0px 0px; padding-right: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 class="story-deck" style="font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;">
'Significant disruptions' forecast in 10 to 15 years as cost of </h3>
<h3 class="story-deck" style="font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;">
renewables, energy storage plummet</h3>
<div class="small lighttext" style="color: #595959; font-size: 0.83333rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
<span class="spaced" style="margin-right: 1em;">By Robson Fletcher, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/cbc-news-online-news-staff-list-1.1294364" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">CBC News</a></span> <span class="delimited">Posted: May 30, 2016 3:00 AM MT</span><br />
Last Updated: May 30, 2016 10:10 AM MT</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wrap8 story-primary" style="background-color: white; display: inline; float: left; width: 640px;">
<div class="story-leadmedia col8" id="leadmedia" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("http://www.cbc.ca/i/gfx/loading.gif"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; clear: both; display: inline; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; overflow: hidden; width: 620px;">
<div class="figure" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
<img alt="At left, an oil pumpjack in operation. At right, the Shams 1 concentrated solar power plant in Abu Dhabi. A federal government think-tank is projecting a fairly rapid shift toward renewables." src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.3601601.1464284798!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/oil-vs-renewables.jpg" height="349" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto;" title="" width="100%" /><br />
<div class="figure-caption" style="color: #595959; font-size: 0.91667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; padding-top: 0.5rem;">
At left, an oil pumpjack in operation. At right, the Shams 1 concentrated solar power plant in Abu Dhabi. A federal government think-tank is projecting a fairly rapid shift toward renewables. (Left: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg, Right: EPA)</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wrap8 story-bodywrapper sclt-storybody" style="display: inline; float: left; overflow: hidden; width: 640px;">
<div class="story-middle col2" id="sharecount_gig_containerParent" role="complementary" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; width: 140px;">
<div class="sclt-share" gigid="showShareBarUI" id="sharecount" style="visibility: visible; width: 140px !important;">
<div class="gig-bar-container gig-share-bar-container" id="yui_3_11_0_2_1464633708194_12">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="yui_3_11_0_2_1464633708194_14" style="background: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; color: #4d4d4d; float: none; font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 140px;"><tbody style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><div class="gig-button-container" id="totalshares" style="background: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(196, 196, 196); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-radius: 0px; border-style: none none solid; display: inline-block; float: none; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: top; width: 140px;">
1255 shares</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><div class="gig-button-container gig-button-container-facebook gig-button-container-count-none gig-share-button-container gig-button-container-vertical gig-share-button-container-vertical" style="background: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(196, 196, 196); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-radius: 0px; border-style: none none solid; display: inline-block; float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: top; width: 140px;">
<div alt="" class="gig-button gig-share-button gig-button-up gig-button-count-none" id="sharecount-reaction0" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; cursor: pointer; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" title="">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; color: #4d4d4d; float: none; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><tbody style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td id="sharecount-reaction0-left" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td><td id="sharecount-reaction0-icon" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><img alt="" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/img/theme/default/facebook-up.png" id="sharecount-reaction0-icon_img" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" /></td><td id="sharecount-reaction0-text" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;"><div class="gig-button-text gig-share-button-text" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; color: #333333; float: none; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px; white-space: nowrap; width: auto;">
Facebook</div>
</td><td id="sharecount-reaction0-right" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><div class="gig-button-container gig-button-container-twitter gig-button-container-count-none gig-share-button-container gig-button-container-vertical gig-share-button-container-vertical" style="background: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(196, 196, 196); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-radius: 0px; border-style: none none solid; display: inline-block; float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: top; width: 140px;">
<div alt="" class="gig-button gig-share-button gig-button-up gig-button-count-none" id="sharecount-reaction1" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; cursor: pointer; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" title="">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; color: #4d4d4d; float: none; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><tbody style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td id="sharecount-reaction1-left" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td><td id="sharecount-reaction1-icon" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><img alt="" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/img/theme/default/twitter-up.png" id="sharecount-reaction1-icon_img" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" /></td><td id="sharecount-reaction1-text" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;"><div class="gig-button-text gig-share-button-text" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; color: #333333; float: none; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px; white-space: nowrap; width: auto;">
Twitter</div>
</td><td id="sharecount-reaction1-right" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><div class="gig-button-container gig-button-container-reddit gig-button-container-count-none gig-share-button-container gig-button-container-vertical gig-share-button-container-vertical" style="background: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(196, 196, 196); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-radius: 0px; border-style: none none solid; display: inline-block; float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: top; width: 140px;">
<div alt="" class="gig-button gig-share-button gig-button-up gig-button-count-none" id="sharecount-reaction2" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; cursor: pointer; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" title="">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; color: #4d4d4d; float: none; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><tbody style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td id="sharecount-reaction2-left" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td><td id="sharecount-reaction2-icon" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><img alt="" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/img/theme/default/reddit-up.png" id="sharecount-reaction2-icon_img" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" /></td><td id="sharecount-reaction2-text" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;"><div class="gig-button-text gig-share-button-text" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; color: #333333; float: none; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px; white-space: nowrap; width: auto;">
Reddit</div>
</td><td id="sharecount-reaction2-right" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><div class="gig-button-container gig-button-container-googleplus gig-button-container-count-none gig-share-button-container gig-button-container-vertical gig-share-button-container-vertical" style="background: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(196, 196, 196); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-radius: 0px; border-style: none none solid; display: inline-block; float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: top; width: 140px;">
<div alt="" class="gig-button gig-share-button gig-button-up gig-button-count-none" id="sharecount-reaction3" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; cursor: pointer; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" title="">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; color: #4d4d4d; float: none; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><tbody style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td id="sharecount-reaction3-left" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td><td id="sharecount-reaction3-icon" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><img alt="" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/img/theme/default/plus-up.png" id="sharecount-reaction3-icon_img" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" /></td><td id="sharecount-reaction3-text" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;"><div class="gig-button-text gig-share-button-text" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; color: #333333; float: none; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px; white-space: nowrap; width: auto;">
Google</div>
</td><td id="sharecount-reaction3-right" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><div class="gig-button-container gig-button-container-share gig-button-container-count-none gig-share-button-container gig-button-container-vertical gig-share-button-container-vertical" style="background: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(196, 196, 196); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-radius: 0px; border-style: none none solid; display: inline-block; float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: top; width: 140px;">
<div alt="" class="gig-button gig-share-button gig-button-up gig-button-count-none" id="sharecount-reaction4" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; cursor: pointer; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" title="">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; color: #4d4d4d; float: none; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><tbody style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td id="sharecount-reaction4-left" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td><td id="sharecount-reaction4-icon" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><img alt="" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/img/theme/default/share-up.png" id="sharecount-reaction4-icon_img" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" /></td><td id="sharecount-reaction4-text" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;"><div class="gig-button-text gig-share-button-text" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; color: #333333; float: none; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px; white-space: nowrap; width: auto;">
Share</div>
</td><td id="sharecount-reaction4-right" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><div class="gig-button-container gig-button-container-email gig-button-container-count-none gig-share-button-container gig-button-container-vertical gig-share-button-container-vertical" style="background: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(196, 196, 196); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-radius: 0px; border-style: none none solid; display: inline-block; float: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: top; width: 140px;">
<div alt="" class="gig-button gig-share-button gig-button-up gig-button-count-none" id="sharecount-reaction5" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; cursor: pointer; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" title="">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; color: #4d4d4d; float: none; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><tbody style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
<tr style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><td id="sharecount-reaction5-left" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td><td id="sharecount-reaction5-icon" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; zoom: 1;"><img alt="" src="http://www.cbc.ca/i/img/theme/default/email-up.png" id="sharecount-reaction5-icon_img" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;" /></td><td id="sharecount-reaction5-text" style="background: none repeat-x; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;"><div class="gig-button-text gig-share-button-text" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; color: #333333; float: none; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px; white-space: nowrap; width: auto;">
Email</div>
</td><td id="sharecount-reaction5-right" style="background: none; border-radius: 0px; border: none; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-author module sclt-authorbio" style="border-top-color: rgb(38, 146, 179); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 5px; color: #595959; margin-bottom: 2rem; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 8px;">
<div class="story-author-body module-body">
<div class="story-authorphoto module" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<h3 class="story-authorphoto-head story-authorphoto-heading module-head module-heading" style="color: black; font-size: 1.33333rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
About The Author</h3>
<div class="story-authorphoto-body module-body">
<div style="line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<img alt="Photo of Robson Fletcher" border="0" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.3410872.1453238656!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/square_140/robson-fletcher.jpg" height="140" style="border: 0px; display: block;" title="" width="140" /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<strong class="story-authorphoto-name" style="font-size: 1.33333rem;">Robson Fletcher</strong><br />
<span class="story-authorphoto-title">Reporter / Editor</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-authorbio module" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(38, 146, 179); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 3px; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="story-authorbio-body module-body">
<div style="line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
Robson Fletcher joined the CBC Calgary digital team in 2015 after spending the previous decade working as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba.</div>
<ul class="bulletedlist" style="margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="https://twitter.com/CBCFletch" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Follow Robson on Twitter</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-relatedlinks module sclt-relatedlinks" style="border: 1px solid rgb(220, 220, 220); margin-bottom: 2rem; padding-bottom: 0px;">
<div class="story-relatedlinks-body module-body" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;">
<div class="story-relatedlinks-submodule story-internallinks module" style="border-top-color: rgb(226, 26, 33); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 5px; margin: -1px -11px 2rem; padding: 8px 11px 0px;">
<h3 class="story-internallinks-head story-internallinks-heading module-head module-heading" style="font-size: 1.33333rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
Related Stories</h3>
<div class="story-internallinks-body module-body">
<ul class="story-internallinks-list" style="margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bay-of-fundy-tidal-project-hydroelectric-nova-scotia-energy-electricity-1.3607043" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Could Bay of Fundy tides generate enough power for all of Atlantic Canada?</a></li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/oil-price-rise-alternative-energy-1.3423661" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Why green energy prospers as fossil fuel prices fall: Don Pittis</a></li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/resource-revenue-alberta-history-royalties-budgets-1.3474346" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Alberta resource revenue plunges to historic low, raising sales tax spectre</a></li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/oil-global-opec-markets-1.3504298" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Caught up in the dispute: How Alberta's economic future is tied to Iran and Saudi Arabia</a></li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/solar-thermal-energy-community-alberta-drake-landing-1.3436178" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Walking on sunshine: How Okotoks banks heat for homes</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-relatedlinks-submodule story-externallinks module" style="border-top-color: rgb(226, 26, 33); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 5px; margin-bottom: 2rem; margin-left: -5px; margin-right: -5px; padding: 8px 5px 0px;">
<h3 class="story-externallinks-head story-externallinks-heading module-head module-heading" style="font-size: 1.33333rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
External Links</h3>
<div class="story-externallinks-body module-body">
<ul class="story-externallinks-list" style="margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4xwsmIvvlMCaDZLTDBLWXlJYTQ" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Read the full Policy Horizons report (PDF link)</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="small lighttext" style="color: #595959; font-size: 0.83333rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="storyhead" class="story-body" role="main" style="margin-left: 170px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 1px;">
<div class="story-content">
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Canada's status as an "energy superpower" is under threat because the global dominance of fossil fuels could wane faster than previously believed, according to a draft report from a federal government think-tank obtained by CBC News.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"It is increasingly plausible to foresee a future in which cheap renewable electricity becomes the world's primary power source and fossil fuels are relegated to a minority status," reads the conclusion of the 32-page document, produced by <a href="http://www.horizons.gc.ca/eng" style="color: #115278; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Policy Horizons Canada</a>.</div>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 3em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><strong>Read the full report here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4xwsmIvvlMCaDZLTDBLWXlJYTQ" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">PDF link</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The little-known government organization provides medium-term policy advice to the federal bureaucracy, specializing in forecasts that peer a decade or two into the future.</div>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 3em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><strong><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/resource-revenue-alberta-history-royalties-budgets-1.3474346" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Alberta resource revenue plunges to historic low</a></strong></li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><strong><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/oil-price-rise-alternative-energy-1.3423661" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Why green energy prospers even as fossil fuel prices fall: Don Pittis</a></strong></li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><strong><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/oil-global-opec-markets-1.3504298" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">How Middle East geopolitics and religion affect Alberta's future</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The document was obtained by CBC News under an access to information request and shared with two experts — one in Alberta, one in British Columbia — who study the energy industry.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Both experts described its forecasts for global energy markets as more or less in line with what a growing number of analysts believe.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"It's absolutely not pie in the sky," said Michal Moore from the University of Calgary's <a href="http://www.policyschool.ucalgary.ca/" style="color: #115278; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">School of Public Policy</a>. "These folks are being realistic — they may not be popular, but they're being realistic."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Marty Reed, CEO of <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/suncor-cenovus-evok-cleantech-fund-1.3404543" style="color: #115278; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Evok Innovations</a> — a Vancouver-based cleantech fund created through a $100-million partnership with Cenovus and Suncor — had a similar take after reading the draft report.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"You could nit-pick a couple of items," he said. "But at a high level, I would say the vast, vast majority of what they wrote is not even controversial, it's very well accepted."</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
Caution advised in long-term pipeline investments</h2>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Given the time frames of a decade or more in the report's forecasts, its language is couched heavily in "ifs" and "coulds."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Its overall conclusion, however, urges caution when it comes to long-term investments in pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Such investments "could be at high risk of becoming economically unviable as prices in renewable electricity further decline," it warns.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"At a minimum, this plausible future would suggest that governments ensure that the risks of further investments in oil and gas infrastructure be borne by private interests rather than taxpayers," the report reads.</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
Renewables to become cheaper than fossil fuels</h2>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
At the core of the report's forecasts is a growing number of indicators that suggest growth in the world's demand for electricity — particularly renewable-based electricity — will outpace other energy types, while the costs of its production and storage fall faster than previously believed.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The demand is expected to be driven largely by the emerging and rapidly urbanizing middle class in developing countries.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Wind and solar systems have the advantage of being "highly scalable and distributable," the report states, making them appealing for communities of virtually any size, with or without an existing electrical grid.</div>
<div class="figure" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
<img alt="Policy Horizons Draft Report" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.3601692.1464287132!/fileImage/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/original_620/policy-horizons-draft-report.png" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto;" width="100%" /><br />
<div class="figure-caption" style="color: #595959; font-size: 0.91667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; padding-top: 0.5rem;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
As a result, emerging economies in Latin America and Africa may follow a different development path than the West and "leap-frog" directly to renewables as a primary energy source in a relatively short timeframe.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"Although any individual country may lack the optimal conditions for every type of renewable electricity, all countries are likely to have at least one or more options to produce electricity from renewables that will be cost comparative or cheaper than generation by fossil fuels," the report reads.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Reed said that trend is already beginning in some parts of the world.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"We just saw Saudi Arabia award a major solar contract at three cents a kilowatt hour. We just saw Mexico do the same thing … at five cents a kilowatt hour," he said.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"You can't bring on a new coal plant or natural gas plant at that price. You sure can't build a new <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bchydro-sitec-ndp-johnhorgan-1.3376369" style="color: #115278; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Site C hydro dam</a> at that price."</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
Electric cars to become 'fully competitive'</h2>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Batteries and other forms of energy storage technology are also becoming cheaper and more capable, according to the report, making electricity a more versatile option for residential and commercial use — as well as for transportation.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The report states Tesla Motors has been producing lithium-ion batteries for both cars and homes at a cost of roughly $300 US per kWh, a price point the International Energy Agency previously predicted wouldn't be possible until the year 2020.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"Battery manufacturers in Asia are building battery factories at similar scales to Tesla's Gigafactory that will triple battery production by 2020," the report continues.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"These economies of scale are expected to further reduce the cost of batteries to $150 US per kWh by 2020. At this price point, electric vehicles will become fully competitive with those powered by internal combustion engines."</div>
<div class="figure" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
<img alt="Tesla Marty Reed" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.3601639.1464285803!/fileImage/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/original_620/tesla-marty-reed.png" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto;" width="100%" /><br />
<div class="figure-caption" style="color: #595959; font-size: 0.91667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; padding-top: 0.5rem;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
From his vantage point, Reed said the shift in the automotive market is already apparent and the pace of change is only likely to accelerate.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"You're seeing literally hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars being invested by the automakers into electric vehicles," he said.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"The Chevy Bolt came out this year and it's got a 200-mile [320 km] range at a price point below $40,000. Tesla is the No. 1 selling luxury vehicle in the world now. This is happening."</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
Challenges — and innovations — with 'vast storage'</h2>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
One criticism Moore had of the report was what he described as a tendency to "gloss over" challenges that still exist with renewable energy on a large scale.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"They just act as though the more renewable energy you build, the more people will use, and the more fossil fuel we'll take offline, and we'll all be better off — and it just doesn't work that way," the U of C professor said.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"Renewable technologies are not substitutable for fossil technologies one-to-one."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Due to the intermittent output from solar panels and wind turbines, making a major shift to renewables would require "vast, vast storage technology," Moore said, which adds to the cost and viability of such a change.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Reed, however, said there are various ways to tackle the problem, and solutions go beyond merely building better batteries.</div>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 3em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;"><strong><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/solar-thermal-energy-community-alberta-drake-landing-1.3436178" style="color: #115278; text-decoration: none;">Drake Landing: A ray of sunshine for solar thermal energy</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"You certainly need an energy-dense battery if you want to have a car, but for electrification of the grid, you actually don't need energy-dense batteries," he said. "What you need are low-cost energy storage systems that meet the needs of whatever system you're trying to build." </div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
As one recent example, he pointed to the Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES) project now underway in Nevada.</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/48344799" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="460"></iframe><br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
While a battery uses chemicals to store energy, ARES uses gravity.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The idea involves a network of rail lines built on a grade. On the tracks sit a fleet of train cars carrying heavy loads of rocks and gravel. The cars have electric motors and are connected to an electrical grid powered by wind turbines and solar panels.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
When there is a surplus of energy from the grid, the train cars drive up the tracks. When the solar and wind output diminishes, the cars roll back down the hill, their electric motors acting as generators and supplementing the electrical output.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"It's remarkably simple, inexpensive, and meets the needs," Reed said of the technology.</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
Oil could lose 'commodity status'</h2>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
All of this doesn't add up to the end of fossil fuels, according to the report, but it does suggest Canada should rethink the value and applicability of its natural resources as "demand for oil could peak sooner and decline faster than expected."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
One of the more extreme scenarios the report considers is a world in which the supply of fossil fuels exceeds demand for an extended period of time, which the authors say could lead to a loss of "commodity status" for oil, coal and natural gas.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"Rather than being price-takers from suppliers, consumer countries could become price-makers on different sources of oil as suppliers adjust pricing to maintain share of a diminishing and more discriminating marketplace," the report states.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"Embodied carbon in the production of the fuel will likely be the first discriminator to be widely adopted."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
In other words, fossil fuels that produce more greenhouse gases in the extraction process may fetch a lower price, as buyers become willing to pay a premium for lower-emission grades.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
This scenario was one point in the report that both Moore and Reed found implausible.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"I think that was a bit of a stretch," said Reed.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"I see no evidence to support this notion that it'll be bifurcated by environmental criteria. Consumer behaviour doesn't lend itself this way."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Moore said he can't see that "happening any time soon," as no market mechanism exists to attach these kinds of attributes to fossil fuels.</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
New minerals to be of strategic value</h2>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Moore did agree with the report's forecast that oil will begin to be supplanted by natural resources of even higher value.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Those include lithium, rare earth metals and other key minerals required to produce batteries, photovoltaic cells and electric motors.</div>
<div class="figure" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
<img alt="Rare Earths Michal Moore" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.3601661.1464286386!/fileImage/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/original_620/rare-earths-michal-moore.png" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto;" width="100%" /><br />
<div class="figure-caption" style="color: #595959; font-size: 0.91667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; padding-top: 0.5rem;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The document notes Canada is lacking in such minerals, while Bolivia, Argentina and Chile hold some of the largest lithium reserves, and China and Brazil have nearly 60 per cent of the known reserves of rare earth metals.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The report even warns of the potential emergence of new cartels that could manipulate the market price of these valuable minerals.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"You're likely to see some pretty big battles fought over rare earths," said Moore, who noted Canada may have undiscovered reserves of its own.</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.66667rem; line-height: 1.25; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">
'Some oil is likely to remain in the ground'</h2>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
While its relative value as an energy source may diminish, the report acknowledges oil "will still be a significant component of the global energy mix, at least in the near future."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
It says that "some oil is likely to remain in the ground," but opportunities still exist for Canada to extract and sell petroleum from oilsands deposits, even under the extreme scenario of the market splintering oil into grades based on its relative carbon footprint.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Actual greenhouse-gas outputs of some Canadian oil resources "are lower than international reputation would suggest," the report notes, making its viability as much a matter of marketing as technology.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Regardless of what happens in the energy sector, Reed expects oil will still be in demand for other purposes.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"Non-transportation uses of petroleum are growing quite rapidly," he said, noting Alberta may be particularly well positioned to expand into the production of specialty agriculture chemicals that are derived from oil.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Moore said everything from asphalt to plastics to paraffin wax will guarantee a market, of some type, for petroleum, for decades to come.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.16667rem; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"We're going to need hydrocarbons for a long, long, long time into the future — just not necessarily as a primary fuel source."</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1rem;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 25.2001px;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-super-power-oil-decline-renewables-policy-horizons-1.3601400?">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-super-power-oil-decline-renewables-policy-horizons-1.3601400?</a></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-13117640583332172902016-05-29T06:25:00.000-07:002016-05-29T06:25:27.412-07:00Microorganisms team up to recycle carbon dioxide into biofuel<i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">by Michael R. Gerhardt</i><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">As carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere increase, average global temperatures climb. </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/science/earth/2015-hottest-year-global-warming.html?_r=0" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">2015 was the hottest year on record</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">, with 2014 a close second. These warm temperatures bring with them drastic effects on our climate. (For more information on climate change, check out our </span><a href="http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/category/flash/special-edition-on-climate-change/" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">special edition on climate change</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> from 2014). These giant, Earth-sized problems could be mitigated by some of the smallest living beings: microorganisms. New research from the </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/07/mit-researchers-turn-waste-gas-into-liquid-fuel" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Stephanopoulos</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> group at MIT reports engineered microorganisms that can generate sustainable biofuel from carbon dioxide emissions.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><b>Where do carbon emissions come from, and what do we usually do with them?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">First, let’s understand the source of the carbon dioxide emissions. These emissions come from the combustion of carbon-based “fossil” fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas, to produce energy. Unfortunately, carbon-based fuels are so integral to our global energy system that “decarbonizing” our energy use is a monumental task. Two-thirds of power plants worldwide would have to be replaced with renewable electricity sources, like wind turbines and solar panels. We would need alternative ways to make steel, aluminum, and concrete, as the production processes of each of these materials emits carbon dioxide. Oh, and each of the </span><a href="http://wardsauto.com/news-analysis/world-vehicle-population-tops-1-billion-units" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">billion or so cars</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> on the road would have to be traded in for an electric model. And every gas stove or heater would have to be electrified as well. Even if we achieved all of this, we’d soon run into challenges like air travel that can’t be electrified without dramatic technological innovations</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Scientists have started looking </span><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/cop21-the-global-warming-targets-agreed-in-paris-will-drive-a-carbon-capture-revolution-a6771136.html" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">for ways to capture carbon dioxide</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> before it reaches the atmosphere and store the gas deep underground, where it can’t do any harm. But attaching carbon capture and storage (CCS) capabilities to a standard coal or natural gas power plant </span><a href="http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/electricity_generation.cfm" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">adds more than 25% to the cost of electricity</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> from the plant Essentially, electricity producers lack economic incentives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions via CCS. The Holy Grail here would be some technology that takes in carbon dioxide and converts it into a marketable product.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><b>Using microorganisms to produce liquid fuel</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">One technology in particular, being developed by Greg Stephanopoulos’s </span><a href="http://bamel.scripts.mit.edu/gns/" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">group</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> at MIT, is a method for turning industrial waste gases like carbon dioxide into fuel. Their research was </span><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/113/14/3773.abstract?sid=3d93978f-ccc0-4010-8089-eb9d6f398c63" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">recently published</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> in the </span><i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">. This conversion process starts with mixtures of carbon dioxide and either carbon monoxide or hydrogen, The gas is bubbled into a two-step reactor (Figure 1), in which carefully chosen microorganisms digest the waste gases to produce lipids, or fats, which are easily converted into a diesel fuel substitute called</span><a href="http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=biofuel_biodiesel_home" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>biodiesel</i></a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">. The process consumes carbon dioxide, preventing it from reaching the atmosphere, and it uses cheap (or even free) ingredients to produce a marketable product.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Let’s look a bit deeper into how this works. In the first stage, the gaseous mixture is fermented by </span><a href="http://research.uvu.edu/wilson/bacterium.htm" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>Moorella thermoacetica</i></a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">, a species of bacteria that can be found naturally in ponds and undersea vents. The </span><i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">M. thermoacetica</i><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">consumes carbon dioxide and hydrogen for energy, forming acetic acid, or vinegar, as a waste product. The acetic acid is then pumped into the second stage, where a second microorganism, the yeast </span><i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Yarrowia lipolytica</i><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">, munches on the vinegar. The yeast has been engineered by the MIT team to produce lots of lipids, or fats, from the acetic acid. These lipids </span><a href="http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/analysispaper/biodiesel/" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">can easily be converted</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> into biodiesel by mixing them with an alcohol, like methanol or ethanol, in the presence of a base such as sodium hydroxide (an active ingredient in </span><a href="http://www.whatsinsidescjohnson.com/us/en/brands/drano/drano-liquid-clog-remover" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Drano</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">).</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><a href="http://i0.wp.com/sitn.hms.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Image-1.jpg" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/sitn.hms.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Image-1.jpg?zoom=1.5&resize=720%2C540" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /></a><i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><b>Figure 1.</b></i><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> Schematic of the reactor used by Stephanopoulos’s group. In stage 1, M. thermoacetica bacteria consume carbon dioxide and produce acetic acid, which is pumped into stage 2. In stage 2, Y. lipolytica yeast consume the acetic acid and produce lipids. These lipids are reacted with alcohol in a basic solution in stage 3, which produces the biodiesel. Photos adapted from Kanijoman and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.According to the MIT team, the first stage in the process should consume twice as much carbon dioxide as the second stages releases. This calculation doesn’t take into account the carbon dioxide produced when the fuel is burned, but it does represent a step towards decreasing our overall carbon footprint, because the procedure is a net consumer of carbon dioxide.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">This new process has advantages over other biofuel production methods in the availability and cost of their feedstock, or chemical ingredients. Usually, the feedstocks are </span><a href="http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/analysispaper/biodiesel/" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the most expensive part</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> of producing biodiesel. The high cost arises because most biodiesel feedstocks are either sugar cane or corn, which are in high demand as food items. Ramping up biodiesel production could increase demand for these foods and further raise their prices, potentially making food too expensive for low-income families. By designing a process which uses waste gases, the MIT team has found a way to use inexpensive feedstocks to make a valuable product and sidestepped the issue of increasing food prices.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><b><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">What’s the impact of this technology?</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">So, is this technology going to save our planet? First, the MIT team will have to prove the reaction works at scale. They have </span><a href="http://news.mit.edu/2016/amit-kumar-gregory-stephanopoulos-turning-waste-gases-into-biofuels-0502" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">plans for a 20,000 L reactor</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> in the works, capable of producing 30-40 gallons of biodiesel per day.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">But how far would 30-40 gallons of biodiesel move a car? A gallon of biodiesel and a gallon of gasoline have roughly the same energy content, so you can think of them similarly. The 20,000 L plant, then, could refuel 2-3 cars a day. But this is a drop in the fuel tank compared to gasoline usage. Americans consume a hundred gallons of gasoline for every gallon of biodiesel (figure 2), which adds up to </span><a href="http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_cons_psup_a_EPM0F_VPP_mbbl_a.htm" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">almost 400 million gallons of gasoline</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> per day. Assuming a 16 gallon average tank size, that’s 25 million cars that need refueling every day, so we’d need ten million of these 20,000 L biodiesel plants.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><a href="http://i0.wp.com/sitn.hms.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Image-2.jpg" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i0.wp.com/sitn.hms.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Image-2.jpg?zoom=1.5&resize=650%2C410" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /></a><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></i><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><b>Figure 2.</b> </i><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Americans consumed 136 billion gallons of gasoline and only 1.4 billion gallons of biodiesel in 2014.To put ten million biodiesel plants in perspective, consider that there are only about </span><a href="http://247wallst.com/economy/2014/05/22/why-are-there-115000-or-150000-gas-stations-in-america/" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">125,000 gas stations</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> in the United States – so we’re talking about 100 biodiesel plants for every gas station. We’ll need more ways of cost-effective, sustainable fuel production to meet this demand. A host of technologies, in various states of research and development, could potentially pitch in. For example, </span><a href="http://www.jouleunlimited.com/" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">,a biotech startup, is working towards producing sustainable fuel, also with the aid of microorganisms. Joule’s pilot plant in New Mexico ( </span><a href="https://youtu.be/xrbXxyM8c-g" style="background-color: ivory; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">video</a><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">) uses bacteria capable of photosynthesis to produce ethanol from carbon dioxide. They hope to scale up their existing plant to 25 million gallons per year, and have identified potential sites for new plants.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">The combination of carbon capture and storage with renewable fuel production could revolutionize our world. New jobs would be created as the industries expand. Nations could ensure energy independence and security by producing their own fuels. We could slow or even halt the march of global warming, reducing the threat of sea level rise.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">And we could make some microscopic friends while we’re at it.</span><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><i style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Michael R. Gerhardt is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Physics at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.</i><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><a class="ExternURL" href="http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/microorganisms-team-recycle-carbon-dioxide-biofuel/" style="background: url("images/external.png") 100% 40% no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 240); color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; padding-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">sitn.hms.harvard.edu</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-72091591888755631652016-02-21T10:13:00.003-08:002016-02-21T10:13:54.338-08:00Implantable kidney replacement is part nano-tech, part living cells, powered by heart<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Feb 21, 2016 | </span><a href="http://scienceblog.com/category/health-med/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Health</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">, </span><a href="http://scienceblog.com/category/techengineering/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Technology</a><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><img src="http://i1.wp.com/scienceblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Fissellmicrochip-585x299.jpg?zoom=1.5&fit=300%2C153" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /></span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Vanderbilt University Medical Center nephrologist and Associate Professor of Medicine </span><a href="https://medicine.mc.vanderbilt.edu/nephrology-faculty-william-fissell" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Dr. William H. Fissell IV</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">, is making major progress on a first-of-its kind device to free kidney patients from dialysis. He is building an implantable artificial kidney with microchip filters and living kidney cells that will be powered by a patient’s own heart.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“We are creating a bio-hybrid device that can mimic a kidney to remove enough waste products, salt and water to keep a patient off dialysis,” said Fissell.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Fissell says the goal is to make it small enough, roughly the size of a soda can, to be implanted inside a patient’s body.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">NanotchnologyThe key to the device is a microchip.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“It’s called silicon nanotechnology. It uses the same processes that were developed by the microelectronics industry for computers,” said Fissell.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">The chips are affordable, precise and make ideal filters. Fissell and his team are designing each pore in the filter one by one based on what they want that pore to do. Each device will hold roughly fifteen microchips layered on top of each other.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">But the microchips have another essential role beyond filtering.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“They’re also the scaffold in which living kidney cells will rest,” said Fissell.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Living kidney cellsFissell and his team use live kidney cells that will grow on and around the microchip filters. The goal is for these cells to mimic the natural actions of the kidney.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“We can leverage Mother Nature’s 60 million years of research and development and use kidney cells that fortunately for us grow well in the lab dish, and grow them into a bioreactor of living cells that will be the only ‘Santa Claus’ membrane in the world: the only membrane that will know which chemicals have been naughty and which have been nice. Then they can reabsorb the nutrients your body needs and discard the wastes your body desperately wants to get rid of,” said Fissell.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Avoiding organ rejectionBecause this bio-hybrid device sits out of reach from the body’s immune response, it is protected from rejection.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“The issue is not one of immune compliance, of matching, like it is with an organ transplant,” said Fissell.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">How it worksThe device operates naturally with a patient’s blood flow.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“Our challenge is to take blood in a blood vessel and push it through the device. We must transform that unsteady pulsating blood flow in the arteries and move it through an artificial device without clotting or damage.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Fluid dynamicsAnd that’s where Vanderbilt biomedical engineer </span><a href="http://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/bio/amanda-buck" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amanda Buck</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> comes in. Buck is using fluid dynamics to see if there are certain regions in the device that might cause clotting.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“It’s fun to go in and work in a field that I love, fluid mechanics, and get to see it help somebody,” said Buck.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">She uses computer models to refine the shape of the channels for the smoothest blood flow. Then they rapidly prototype the new design using 3-D printing and test it to make the blood flow as smoothly as possible.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Future human trialsFissell says he has a long list of dialysis patients eager to join a future human trial. Pilot studies of the silicon filters could start in patients by the end of 2017.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">“My patients are absolutely my heroes,” said Fissell. “They come back again and again and they accept a crushing burden of illness because they want to live. And they’re willing to put all of that at risk for the sake of another patient.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Federal investmentThe National Institutes of Health awarded a four-year, $6 million grant to Fissell and his research partner Shuvo Roy from the University of California at San Francisco. The two investigators are longtime collaborators on this research. In 2003, the kidney project attracted its first NIH funding, and in 2012 the Food and Drug Administration selected the project for a fast-track approval program. The work is supported by NIH grant 1U01EB021214-01.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">The </span><a href="https://www.kidney.org/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">National Kidney Foundation</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> reports that in 2012, Federal Medicare dollars paid more than $87 billion caring for kidney disease patients (not including prescription medications).</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Desperate needTransplant of a human kidney is the best treatment for kidney failure, but donor kidneys are in short supply. According to the </span><a href="https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">, although more than 100,000 patients in the United States are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, last year only 17,108 received one.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">In all, the National Kidney Foundation says more than 460,000 Americans have end-stage renal disease and every day, 13 people die waiting for a kidney.</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /><a class="ExternURL" href="http://scienceblog.com/482995/implantable-kidney-replacement-part-nano-tech-part-living-cells-powered-heart/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("images/external.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; padding-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">scienceblog.com</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-79700682506037512632016-01-24T12:45:00.002-08:002016-01-24T12:50:27.572-08:00 Toxin in blue-green algae increases risk of Alzheimer's<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">Jan 24, 2016 01:27 AM EST</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">By </span><span style="color: #777777; font-family: arial;">Rashmi Kalia</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">, UniversityHerald Reporter</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: ivory; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">A new research study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests that a toxin produced by blue-green algal bloom could be linked to a number of neurological condition, </span><a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6882982/Seafood-algae-toxin-may-increase-risk-of-Alzheimers.html" style="color: #777777; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Sun reports.</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">This common species of algae is found in freshwater lakes and reservoirs across the UK.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: red;">The toxin, beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA)</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">, has been discovered in French mussels, oysters and other seafood. Experts say BMAA has the ability to cause brain diseases in unsuspecting humans.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">Leading field researcher Professor Paul Cox told the Mail on Sunday BMAA could be a km"third factor" behind increasing rates of dementia, calling the toxin "potentially very worrying."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">He added: "We know the single biggest risk factor is age, and as our population ages, people will get it more. Secondly we are getting better at diagnosing and finding Alzheimer's cases."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">n recent research tests, monkeys who were given a diet rich in BMAA developed an Alzheimer's-like illness after five months.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">Professor Cox said that "exposure to an environmental toxin" could help explain increasing rates of dementia in the UK.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">If the results of the study are proven, the toxin, BMAA, would be identified as the first significant environmental factor that can be linked to the rapidly increasing rate of Alzheimer's in the UK.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<a class="ExternURL" href="http://www.universityherald.com/articles/28033/20160124/toxin-in-blue-green-algae-increases-risk-of-alzheimers.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: url("about:blank"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; color: #777777; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; padding-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">universityherald.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-29250347903738372242016-01-06T11:40:00.001-08:002016-01-06T11:41:54.776-08:00HCV a-helical (AH) peptide has broad antiviral properties<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Speaking of a universal antiviral.....</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Can NanoViricides (NNVC) make use of this????</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Inside the hepatitis C virus is a promising antiviral</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">January 5, 2016</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<a href="http://img.medicalxpress.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2014/hepatitisc.png" style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.medicalxpress.com/newman/csz/news/800/2014/hepatitisc.png" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Electron micrographs of hepatitis C virus purified from cell culture. Scale bar is 50 nanometers. Credit: Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">A peptide derived from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) kills a broad range of viruses while leaving host cells unharmed by discriminating between the molecular make-up of their membranes, reveals a study published January 5 in the <i>Biophysical Journal</i>. The peptide was potent against a range of cholesterol-containing viruses, including West Nile, dengue, measles, and HIV.</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">"Although there are many antiviral drugs on the market, a common problem is that the virus learns how to evade them, becoming resistant to the drug treatment. There is a growing recognition that new classes of </span><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/tags/antiviral+drugs/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank">antiviral drugs</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> that target multiple </span><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/tags/viruses/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank">viruses</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> are needed," says senior study author Atul Parikh of the University of California, Davis and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. "Because the HCV-derived peptide appears to meet this need, </span><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: red;">we reason it targets the Achilles' heel of viruses</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">—a lipid coating or membrane envelope less likely to become resistant to drugs targeting them."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">It's been known that the HCV a-helical (AH) peptide has broad antiviral properties</b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">—the same property that allows the peptide to hijack host cell structures for HCV replication also </span><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: red;">produces ruptures in viral membranes, exposing the viral genome to host enzymes that destroy the pathogens. </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">However, the development of therapies inspired by the actions of the AH peptide has been limited by the lack of knowledge about why it selectively attacks the viral envelope but not host cell membranes.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">To address this question, a collaborative research team led by Parikh and Nam-Joon Cho of Nanyang Technological University tested the AH peptide on simplified model lipid membranes that varied in their size and chemical composition. Upon exposure to the peptide, virus-like models with cholesterol-rich membranes showed molecular changes and an increase in openings. But at comparable concentrations, the peptide did not perturb cholesterol-free vesicles.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">VIDEO</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">The Hepatitis C Virus-derived AH peptide induces large-scale molecular reorganization in cholesterol-rich membranes. The bubbling vesicles are the ones opening up due to the peptide. Credit: Hanson and Gettel et al./</span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Biophysical Journal</i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> 2016</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">The researchers believe that the AH peptide probably displays broad-spectrum antiviral activity because it targets cholesterol-rich membranes shared by many viruses (this evolutionary conservation is important because viruses would be slow to develop resistance to it). Additional experiments suggested that the AH peptide also discriminates between viral envelopes and <a href="http://medicalxpress.com/tags/host+cell/" style="color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank">host cell</a> membranes on the basis of their size differences.</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">"These results are important not only for furthering the membrane-targeting strategy for developing antivirals against HCV using viral peptides, but also for identifying other viruses, whose membrane compositions include comparable concentrations of cholesterol, that can be inhibited by the HCV antiviral," Cho says. "Although several compounds that destabilize the viral membrane have been recently proposed, </span><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">no drug on the market currently targets the lipid membrane.</b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">" (NNVC does! But no, not on market...yet!)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Before researchers can translate this promising strategy to humans, much work is needed to expand these studies to more realistic model systems. "These simplified model membranes are excellent models to dissect how drugs target lipid components of viral or cell membranes, but we need to remember that they are still models" Cho says. "It will be important to extend the cues drawn from these studies to biological systems, namely human cells and live viruses, to validate the biophysical insights before preclinical translation can occur."</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">To that end, the researchers plan to continue their biophysical investigations with </span><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/tags/membrane/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank">membrane</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> compositions that more closely match those of viral and cellular membranes. They will also investigate the effects of other viral peptides on these membranes and establish collaborations with virologists to begin to explore translational opportunities.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">"Understanding how the drug candidate interacts with these biologically important lipids, we reason, should open the door to deciphering the rich and complex biology of these systems and lead to new opportunities for antiviral strategies," Parikh says. </span><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">"Studies such as ours provide hope that replacing the old paradigm of 'one-bug, one-drug' with broadly applicable drugs against which viruses cannot develop resistance may become a reality soon."</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-01-hepatitis-virus-antiviral.html#" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.medicalxpress.com/tmpl/v5/img/1x1.gif" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Explore further:</b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-02-photosensitization-viruses-infecting-cells.html" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank">How photosensitization can stop viruses from infecting cells</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">More information:</b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Biophysical Journal</i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">, Hanson and Gettel et al.: "Cholesterol-enriched microdomain formation induced by viral-encoded, membrane active amphipathic peptide" </span><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.032" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank">dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.032</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span><br />
<a class="ExternURL" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.032" style="background: url("images/external.png") 100% 40% no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 240); color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; padding-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">dx.doi.org</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<a href="http://www.cell.com/biophysj/fulltext/S0006-3495(15)01215-1" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank"><b style="background-color: white;">FULL TEXT</b></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Journal reference:</b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/journals/biophysical-journal/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank">Biophysical Journal</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/journals/biophysical-journal/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.medicalxpress.com/tmpl/v5/img/img-dot.gif" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://www.cell.com/biophysj/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.medicalxpress.com/tmpl/v5/img/img-dot.gif" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">Provided by:</b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://medicalxpress.com/partners/cell-press/" style="color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal;" target="_blank">Cell Press</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" />
<a class="ExternURL" href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-01-hepatitis-virus-antiviral.html" style="background: url("images/external.png") 100% 40% no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 240); color: #777777; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; padding-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">medicalxpress.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-42554402482013612952016-01-01T09:30:00.005-08:002016-01-01T09:39:37.573-08:00Researchers see promising results in treating age-related decline in muscle mass and power<div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dec. 28, 2015 F</strong><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.76px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong></div>
<div id="article-text" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #2e2a25; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.16em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; line-height: 1.125em;"><b>Myostatin antibody (LY2495655)</b></span></div>
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #2e2a25; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.16em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
INDIANAPOLIS -- A <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26516121" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">proof-of-concept, phase 2 trial</a> by an international research team has found promising results for a myostatin antibody in treating the decline in muscle mass and power associated with aging.</div>
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #2e2a25; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.16em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
"Myostatin is a natural protein produced within the body that inhibits muscle growth," said Stuart Warden, a member of the research team who is also associate dean for research and associate professor in the <a href="http://shrs.iupui.edu/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis</a>. "It has been hypothesized for some time that inhibition of myostatin may allow muscle to grow, resulting in improved muscle mass and physical performance. The current study confirms these beliefs."</div>
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #2e2a25; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.16em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In the study, injections of a myostatin antibody, made by Eli Lilly and Co., over a 24-week period resulted in an increase in lean (muscle) mass and improved performance on tasks requiring muscle power in patients older than 75 with low muscle strength, low muscle performance and a history of falling.</div>
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #2e2a25; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.16em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
"This is the first study to show that myostatin antibody treatment improves performance on activities requiring muscle power," Warden said. "'Muscle power' refers to the ability to generate muscle force quickly. During aging, it is lost more rapidly than muscle strength, contributing to disability, falls, reduced quality of life and, in some instances, death."</div>
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #2e2a25; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.16em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
"Myostatin antibody treatment improved muscle power in the elderly, as indicated by improvements in the ability to climb stairs, walk briskly and rise repetitively from a chair," Warden said. "Treatment particularly benefited those who were most frail at baseline, a population who may not be receptive to conventional intervention such as resistance exercise."</div>
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #2e2a25; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.16em; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Warden said the current study "provides proof-of-concept evidence to proceed to the larger studies that are required to demonstrate whether myostatin antibody treatment improves quality of life and reduces falls and their consequences during aging." He added: "This is an important and exciting first step."<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; padding: 5px 8px 5px 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #2e2a25; font-family: Arial, san-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.76px; line-height: 15.312px;"><a href="http://news.iupui.edu/releases/2015/12/myostatin-warden-muscle-growth.shtml">http://news.iupui.edu/releases/2015/12/myostatin-warden-muscle-growth.shtml</a></span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-13584134725223651562015-10-23T09:18:00.000-07:002015-10-23T09:26:12.524-07:00Could bananas cure AIDS? New drug made from the fruit can kill viruses including hepatitis C and fluTo: <a href="http://www.siliconinvestor.com/profile.aspx?userid=7190756">donpat</a> who wrote (<a href="http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=30286611">5408</a>) <br /><br />10/22/2015 8:38:54 PM <br /><br /><br />From: <a href="http://www.siliconinvestor.com/profile.aspx?userid=7190756">donpat</a> <br /><br /> <a href="http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readreplies.aspx?subjectid=55797&msgid=30286640">Read Replies (1)</a> of 5411 <br /> <br /><br /><br />Could bananas cure AIDS? New drug made from the fruit can kill viruses including hepatitis C and flu<br /><br />Key ingredient is a protein found in bananas called banana lectin - 'BanLec'Works by clinging to sugar molecules found on surface of deadly viruses<br />Researchers: Once the drug locks on to the virus, it is rendered harmless In animal and lab tests, drug prevented mice from getting flu <br /><br />By <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Colin+Fernandez,+Science+Correspondent+For+The+Daily+Mail">COLIN FERNANDEZ, SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL</a><br /><br />PUBLISHED: 17:21 GMT, 22 October 2015 | UPDATED: 19:58 GMT, 22 October 2015<br /><br />Scientists have made a 'wonder drug' out of bananas that can kill off a wide range of viruses – including hepatitis C, flu and AIDS.<br /><br />It is hoped the new medicine will become a vital ‘broad spectrum anti-viral’ that could protect humanity from some of the most vicious diseases.<br /><br />The key ingredient is a protein found in bananas called banana lectin, or ‘BanLec’.<br /><br />It was first discovered five years ago – and considered as a potential AIDS treatment.<br /><br />But it caused nasty side effects that scientists have now overcome.<br /><br />Now, scientists have created a new version of BanLec which can fight viruses in mice – but does not cause unwanted irritation and inflammation.<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/399ky0Ch9N5y6ELIP-l-7RHdzXDNYrLzfPW_U2lJcdyzuDJbzcKfi6B3adCEIw5DA9v50EKgxIa3rB531aqgiGugZZRqRPLVI4N0ea2zuVQtz0m7RESTp1VF2ZUT_7DktTqR-7p5MfOS6Lf7nBHDNrSObaPz" /><br /><br />A drug made from a protein in bananas can kill a wide range of viruses – including hepatitis C, flu and AIDS<br /><br /><br />BanLec works by clinging to sugar molecules found on the surface of some of the world’s deadliest viruses. <br /><br />Once the drug has locked on to the virus, it is rendered harmless – and can easily be disposed of by the body’s immune system.<br /><br />In tests on mice, the new form of BanLec, called H84T, stopped them getting the flu - without the increased inflammation earlier versions had caused.<br /><br />The new variation also worked in the laboratory – on tissue and blood samples against AIDS, hepatitis C and influenza.<br /><br />The researchers believe the drug may even work on Ebola, as all of these viruses are covered in similar sugar molecules that BanLec clings to.<br />However they warn eating regular bananas will not have the same beneficial effect, as the ingredient is a modified version of the chemical found in the fruit.<br /><br />Dr David Markovitz, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and co-author of the paper, published in the journal Cell, said: ‘What we've done is exciting because there is potential for BanLec to develop into a broad spectrum anti-viral agent - something that is not clinically available to physicians and patients right now.’<br /><br />However several years of research still lie ahead before BanLec can be tested in humans.<br /><br />Despite this, Dr Markovitz and his co-author, Dr Hashim Al-Hashimi, professor of biochemistry at Duke University, hope the team's work can help address the lack of antiviral drugs that work well against many viruses - or against viruses that change rapidly, such as influenza.<br /><br /><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/yZfWAN7ndKSSTTJLnJST5XnHOaGb0Uy5eVRhP0YgaAYOfcs3sWoWcJiP2BV4V9BLhOdHv2LvPg4dp0G_WgcuDdEx0YOgPSq-e9dYfJvT3IxRbMY9pqwQavnqc0Z4Mx2EOFU9V2EFk7d3PNM0J2f0LZMhuFJ1_cHarY9mItsvoqQDlbIRtEstUgNVkFjUnwtmMq329OsHMxTnnngqhYaa2QvW48-jlqCRWrb1uq8nPRDk" /><br /><br />The new form of BanLec, called H84T, stopped animals from getting flu. It also worked in the lab on tissue and blood samples against AIDS, hepatitis C and influenza<br /><br />‘Better flu treatments are desperately needed,' said Dr Markovitz.<br /><br />‘Tamiflu is only modestly effective, especially in critically ill patients, and influenza can develop resistance to it.<br /><br />‘But we also hope that BanLec could become useful in situations such as emergency pandemic response, and military settings, where the precise cause of an infection is unknown but a viral cause is suspected.’<br /><br />British scientists today hailed the development.<br /><br />Professor Wendy Barclay, chair in influenza virology at Imperial College, London, called it a ‘a new strategy for combatting a wide range of viruses’ and ‘beautiful science’.<br /><br />Dr Ben Neuman, a virologist at the University of Reading, said: ‘In this new study, the researchers changed the banana lectin just enough to stop the side effects, while keeping its virus-blocking properties intact.<br /><br />And Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, added: ‘Each new virus outbreak is a timely reminder of our need for antivirals that can work against a range of viruses.<br /><br />'Lectins have that potential as they are able to bind to the sugars that are present on the surface of a range of viruses including HIV, influenza and Ebola, many of which have caused or have the potential to cause severe epidemics or even pandemics.’<br /><br />The key question now, he stressed, was whether the drug will work in humans.<br /><br />'There are lots of hurdles that still need to be overcome before antiviral lectins find their way into clinic,' he said.<br /><br />'For one thing, there’s a risk the immune system will recognise this as foreign and mount an immune response to it, potentially rendering it ineffective.<br /><br />'But even so, given recent events, generating antivirals that can work against a range of viruses is well worth pursuing.’<br /><br />Chiquita banana reminds you of their benefits (related)<br />VIDEO:<br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3284999/Could-bananas-cure-AIDS-New-drug-fruit-kill-viruses-including-hepatitis-C-flu.html#v-4293817950001">dailymail.co.uk</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3284999/Could-bananas-cure-AIDS-New-drug-fruit-kill-viruses-including-hepatitis-C-flu.html">dailymail.co.uk</a><br /><br />And, BTW - where is NanoViricides VIDEO (cha cha cha)??????<br /><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="std" style="background-color: ivory; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
</tbody></table>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2Fi%2Fpix%2F2015%2F10%2F22%2F18%2F2DAB803A00000578-3284999-image-a-8_1445534359571.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/399ky0Ch9N5y6ELIP-l-7RHdzXDNYrLzfPW_U2lJcdyzuDJbzcKfi6B3adCEIw5DA9v50EKgxIa3rB531aqgiGugZZRqRPLVI4N0ea2zuVQtz0m7RESTp1VF2ZUT_7DktTqR-7p5MfOS6Lf7nBHDNrSObaPz" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2Fi%2Fpix%2F2015%2F10%2F22%2F18%2F2DAB84E000000578-3284999-The_new_form_of_BanLec_called_H84T_stopped_animals_from_getting_-a-7_1445534355730.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/yZfWAN7ndKSSTTJLnJST5XnHOaGb0Uy5eVRhP0YgaAYOfcs3sWoWcJiP2BV4V9BLhOdHv2LvPg4dp0G_WgcuDdEx0YOgPSq-e9dYfJvT3IxRbMY9pqwQavnqc0Z4Mx2EOFU9V2EFk7d3PNM0J2f0LZMhuFJ1_cHarY9mItsvoqQDlbIRtEstUgNVkFjUnwtmMq329OsHMxTnnngqhYaa2QvW48-jlqCRWrb1uq8nPRDk" -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-27596506059904625782015-10-22T08:23:00.004-07:002015-10-22T08:26:03.431-07:00PLASMA ENERGY - Pyrolysis of waste plastic and tires<div class="msgparts1 round-top" id="ctl00_CP1_mh1_dv" style="border-left-color: gray; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: gray; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: gray; border-top-left-radius: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 10px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, FreeSans; font-size: 16.64px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 10px;">
<table style="width: 886px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profilea.aspx?user=33199" id="ctl00_CP1_mh1_hlAuthor" rel="nofollow" style="color: purple; font-size: 16.64px;" title="nanopatent Member Profile">nanopatent</a> <img alt="Member Level" src="http://investorshub.advfn.com/images/dollarsign_1616.gif" id="ctl00_CP1_mh1_mi1_I1" style="border-width: 0px;" /> </span></td><td colspan="2"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Re: </b><span id="ctl00_CP1_mh1_lblWhoWrote">None</span></span></td><td colspan="2" style="height: 21px;"></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Post # </b><input id="ctl00_CP1_mh1_tbPost" name="ctl00$CP1$mh1$tbPost" style="width: 60px;" type="text" value="34084" /> of <span id="ctl00_CP1_mh1_lblPost">34089</span> <input id="ctl00_CP1_mh1_btnGo" name="ctl00$CP1$mh1$btnGo" type="submit" value="Go" /></span></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="msgparts3 imgLiquidNoFill" id="ctl00_CP1_mbdy_dv" style="border-left-color: gray; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: gray; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, FreeSans; font-size: 16.64px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 10px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Wednesday, 10/21/15 03:35:56 PM</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Is this the source for the pyrolysis equipment:</b><br /><br /><b>PLASMA ENERGY</b><br /><br />The company started research and development in the year 2000 with the objective to develop synthetic oil and synthetic gas from:<br /><br />Waste plastic materials<br />Waste tyres<br />Waste oils<br />Crude oil sludge<br />FRP waste<br />Biomass<br />Vegetable waste<br />Laminates<br />Wrappers<br />Municipal plastic waste<br />We have developed commercially viable process for manufacture of pyrolysis oil.<br />We have a team of mechanical, electrical, electronics and chemical engineers.<br /><br />No. of waste plastic depolymerisation units established:<br /><br />In India: 22 units<br />In Europe: 2 units<br /><br />Based on the research, carried-out for more than 25 years, the company Plasma Energy (P) Ltd. has successfully developed unique process and production facility for the industrial low-temperature catalytic depolymerization of the polymer waste. Since 2004 we have been developing depolymerization plants in India, we have achieved phenomenal successes in the field of waste plastic, waste oil and tire depolymerization.<br /><br />VIDEO:<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xz_877M4ccQ" rel="nofollow" style="color: purple; font-size: 16.64px;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xz_877M4ccQ</a><br />Presentation:<br /><a href="http://www.plasmaenergy.in/Depolymerisation%20of%20plastics%20to%20generate%20purified%20fuels.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: purple; font-size: 16.64px;" target="_blank">http://www.plasmaenergy.in/Depolymerisation%20of%20plastics%20to%20generate%20purified%20fuels.pdf</a><br /><a href="http://www.plasmaenergy.in/clients/new.png" rel="nofollow" style="color: purple; font-size: 16.64px;" target="_blank">http://www.plasmaenergy.in/clients/new.png</a> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4090939667326298153.post-63649315359599051892015-10-14T10:28:00.002-07:002015-10-14T10:28:40.732-07:00A molecular switch to stop inflammation - MYSM1<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="std" style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="right"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2"><span id="intelliTXT" style="background-color: white;">Date:October 14, 2015<br /><br />Source:Umeå universitet<br /><br />Summary:<br />Our immune system is vital to us and can sometimes overreact causing chronic illnesses, such as for instance rheumatism and allergy. Now, researchers have identified a molecular switch – MYSM1 – that can suppress such an overreaction and avoid inflammation.<br /><br />Our immune system is vital to us and can sometimes overreact causing chronic illnesses, such as for instance rheumatism and allergy. Now, researchers from Umeå University and University of Gothenburg have identified a molecular switch -- MYSM1 -- that can suppress such an overreaction and avoid inflammation. The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613(15)00395-7" style="color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Immunity</a>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.cell.com/cms/attachment/2038636090/2052627701/fx1.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 1024px; width: auto;" /><br /><br />Summary<br />Pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) including Toll-like receptors, RIG-I-like receptors, and cytoplasmic DNA receptors are essential for protection against pathogens but require tight control to avert inflammatory diseases. The mechanisms underlying this strict regulation are unclear. MYSM1 was previously described as a key component of epigenetic signaling machinery. We found that in response to microbial stimuli, MYSM1 accumulated in the cytoplasm where it interacted with and inactivated TRAF3 and TRAF6 complexes to terminate PRR pathways for pro-inflammatory and type I interferon responses. Consequently, <i>Mysm1</i> deficiency in mice resulted in hyper-inflammation and enhanced viral clearance but also susceptibility to septic shock. We identified two motifs in MYSM1 that were essential for innate immune suppression: the SWIRM domain that interacted with TRAF3 and TRAF6 and the metalloproteinase domain that removed K63 polyubiquitins. <b>This study identifies MYSM1 as a key negative regulator of the innate immune system that guards against an overzealous self-destructive immune response.</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #333333;">"The discovery of MYSM1 is a major milestone in our understanding of how our immune system works, and how its response could be controlled in order to prevent inflammatory diseases such as sepsis," says Nelson O. Gekara, research leader at MIMS, Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden at Umeå University.<br /><br />Our innate immune system is activated when our body needs to protect itself against pathogens, for instance bacteria and viruses, as well as for tissue healing. In some people, the immune system overreacts which can cause chronic inflammatory diseases and result in tumour development. The innate immune system is activated by receptors that recognise certain molecular patterns found on microbes or dead cells. These receptors are called pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs).<br /><br />"Most infectious or inflammatory situations are associated with the simultaneous or sequential activation of multiple PRR pathways. Therefore, it is essential to avert a disproportionate self-destructive immune response in a synchronised fashion once activated. How this is accomplished has been unclear," says Nelson O. Gekara.<br /><br />Nelson O. Gekara's at Umeå University and his doctoral student Swarup Panda are now closing in on a solution. For years, they have been searching for possible genes required for the regulation of the immune system. Together with Professor Jonas A Nilsson at Sahlgrenska Cancer Center at the University of Gothenburg, the Umeå researchers have now identified MYSM1 -- a molecule in the cell core (nucleus) of resting cells. <b>For the first time, the researchers are now able to show that during infection or inflammation MYSM1 accumulates outside of the nucleus, in the cytoplasm where it disrupts the function of signalling molecules involved in activation of PRR pathways, thereby terminating inflammation.</b><br /><br />"MYSM1 can be said to act like a molecular switch that can turn off several inflammatory pathways. <b>Therefore lack of MYSM1 in animal results in unrestrained activation of the innate immune system, leading to inflammatory diseases</b>" says Nelson O. Gekara.<br /><br /><b>His research team is now screening for small molecule compounds that are able to modulate the MYSM1 molecule activity. The hope is to find new therapeutics against infections and other inflammatory diseases.</b></span><br /><span style="color: #333333;"><b>Story Source:</b><br /><br />The above post is reprinted from <a href="http://www.umu.se/english/about-umu/news-events/news/newsdetailpage/a-molecular-switch-to-stop-inflammation.cid257497" style="color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">materials</a> provided by <a href="http://www.umu.se/english" style="color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b>Umeå universitet</b></a>.<br /><br /><i>Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.</i></span><br /><b>Journal Reference</b>:<br /><br />Swarupa Panda, Jonas A. Nilsson, and Nelson O. Gekara.<br /><b>Deubiquitinase MYSM1 Regulates Innate Immunity through Inactivation of TRAF3 and TRAF6 Complexes</b>.<br /><i>Immunity</i>, 43, 1%u201313, October 20, 2015<br /><a class="ExternURL" href="http://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613(15)00395-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url(http://www.siliconinvestor.com/images/external.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; padding-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">cell.com</a><br /><br /><b>Cite This Page</b>:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151014085011.htm#citation_mla" style="color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">MLA</a> <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151014085011.htm#citation_apa" style="color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">APA</a> <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151014085011.htm#citation_chicago" style="color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Chicago</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #333333;">Umeå universitet. "A molecular switch to stop inflammation." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 October 2015. </span><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span><br /><a class="ExternURL" href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151014085011.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url(http://www.siliconinvestor.com/images/external.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; color: #777777; font-stretch: normal; padding-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">sciencedaily.com</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com