AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
The Bioinformatics course aims to provide students with high-quality training in bioinformatics. The course provides a strong foundation for the development of essential bioinformatics knowledge and skills within the context of academic and industrial research, as well as an introduction to the emerging fields of Bio-inspired Computing & Systems biology. Some key themes are:
 Genomics
 Databases
 Functional & Structural Proteomics
 Phylogenetic Analysis
 Metabolomics
 Bio-inspired Computing
 Systems Biology

TARGET AUDIENCES:
Graduates (B.Sc, B-Tech, B.E) and Postgraduates (M.Sc, M-Tech, M.E) from the disciplines of Life sciences, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Engineering, Genetics, Chemistry.

MODE OF SELECTION:
First Come First Serve Basis

PERIOD OF COURSE COMMENCEMENT/IMPLEMENTATION:
09/06/2014 – 20/06/ 2014 (Batch – 1)
23/06/2014 – 04/07/2014 (Batch – 2)

COURSE COORDINATOR:
Mr. Karthik Kalyan

CO-COORDINATORS:
Mr. Sandeepan Mukherjee
Dr. Ritwik Dahake
Dr. Usha Padmanabhan

All Participants shall work on LIVE projects through the course of the workshop. Participants who make a significant contribution to data generation and analysis shall be given an authorship in publications coming out of such research.

Registration Charges: Rs: 10,000/- (Ten Thousand Rupees Only) Payable by Cash/ Demand Draft (Drawn in favour of “The Director, Haffkine Institute” Payable at Mumbai.

A fee once paid is non-refundable & non-transferable. Registration forms are available on Haffkine Institute Website.

For further information please visit the following links:
http://www.haffkineinstitute.org/BAIT-20...CATION.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/BAITATHAFFKINE

Three proteins, namely matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3), Rac1b and KRAS work together to drive progression and tumourigenesis in pancreatic cancer. This pathway provides a therapeutic target for this notoriously difficult to treat cancer. These are the main findings of a new study in the journal Molecular Cancer Research from researchers in the Mayo Clinic and Unikliniken Marburg Und Giessen.

Pancreatic cancer features genetic alterations in a cancer-associated oncogene called KRAS. Tumours are also supported by their microenvironment which is characterised by influx of immune cells. Cells that surround the tumour make matrix metalloproteinases such as MMP3. These are enzymes that break cell adhesions and in the cancer context allow tumour cells to move away from the tumour to other sites, a process known as metastasis. The RAC1 protein superfamily of proteins are important in regulation of cell growth and cell movement. Some forms of these proteins, such as Rac1b, had been previously implicated in other cancers but not in pancreatic cancer.

In the current study, the research team wanted to establish what drives the expression of MMP3 in pancreatic cancer. They used several strategies, including examination of a cohort of pancreatic cancer tissue biopsy samples, transgenic mouse models and in vitro studies of cultured pancreatic cancer cells.

The biopsy samples revealed that both MMP3 and Rac1b are expressed in pancreatic cancer cells. Their expression was correlated and the location of the Rac1b in the cells was associated with the patient’s prognosis. The transgenic mouse models studies showed that co-expressing MMP3 with activated KRAS in pancreatic cells stimulated development of the tumour microenvironment. Finally, using pancreatic cancer cells in culture and exposing them to recombinant MMP3 directly stimulated Rac1b expression and also increased the invasiveness of the cells and their expression of cancer-associated genes.

The results suggest that Rac1b is associated with the aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer and may provide a drug target for pancreatic cancer, especially in patients who do not respond well to other therapies. Dr Derek Radisky, senior investigator on the study, further explains the significance of the findings: "The implication from our research is that Rac1b is activating unique pathways in pancreatic tumours that make this cancer aggressive. If we can therapeutically target that pathway, we may be able to have an impact on this very difficult-to-treat disease."

However, targeting Rac1b directly would be difficult as it is involved in many normal biological processes. Thus, the research team are now undertaking some scientific detective work to identify targets among the cancer-causing pathways activated by Rac1b. Dr Radisky concludes: "Pancreatic cancer is not uniformly aggressive — some patients have a relatively better outcome. This work allows us to hone in on those patients who don't do as well, and who would most benefit from more targeted therapies.”

Sources

Mehner, C., Miller, E., Khauv, D., Nassar, A., Oberg, A.L., Bamlet, W.R., Zhang, L., Waldmann, J., Radisky, E.S., Crawford, H.C. and Radisky, D.C. (2014). Tumor Cell-derived MMP-3 Orchestrates Rac1b and Tissue Alterations that Promote Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Molecular Cancer Research (21 May 2014). doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-13-055

Press release: Mayo Clinic

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) is the second oldest IIT of the country, established in 1958 with assistance from UNESCO and funded in part by the Soviet Union. Today, it's a world renowned institute of high repute offering a spectrum of courses.

The Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering (BSBE), IITB is one of the most recognized and most sought after departments offering Undergrad and Graduate courses in the field of Biotechnology in India. Best known for it's research in Biomedical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, BSBE offers M.Sc. Biotechnology (supported by the Dept. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India), M.Tech Biomedical Engineering, integrated M.Sc. – Ph.D. and Ph.D. programs. Apart from that a nodal divison for Understanding Cell Motility and Cancer Invasion has also been established in BSBE by the name of Wadhwani Research Centre in Biosciences and Bioengineering (WRCBB)

Key Research Focus:
Living to it's name in intensive resarch, BSBE has 22 different Research groups! Following is the list (click each to get the details of their heads) of the different research groups of BSBE, IITB:

1. Autoimmunity and Cancer Immunoengineering Lab

2. Biomaterials and Bio-interface Lab

3. Biosensors and Bioinstrumentation Lab

4. Cell and Tissue Engineering Lab

5. Cell Biology Lab

6. Cellular Biophysics Lab

7. Computational Neuroscience Lab

8. Gene Regulation Lab

9. Glycobiology Lab

10. Mechanistic Structural Biology and Bio-molecular NMR Spectroscopy Lab

11. Molecular Cell Biology Lab

12. Metabolic Engineering Lab

13. Molecular Enzymology Lab

14. Molecular Genetics Lab

15. Molecular Immunology Lab

16. Molecular Parasitology Lab[/align]

17. Molecular Virology Lab

18. NanoBios Lab

19. Physical Biology Lab

20. Protein Crystallography Lab

21. Protein Engineering and Neurobiology Lab

22. Proteomics Lab

Admissions:
MSc Program:
Admission to MSc program is conducted through JOINT ADMISSION (JAM) test FOR M.Sc. The program is sponsored by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, with a stipend of Rs. 1200/- pm.
For details on JAM test, Please Click Here

M.Tech Program:
Admission to M.tech program is carried out through GATE (for engineering and science graduates) or AIIMS/MCI/JIPMER/PGI-Chandigarh/AFMC-Pune, DNB Part I national level medical post graduate entrance examinations or GATE Life Sciences for Medical and Biological Sciences.
Link to GATE basic info

PhD Program
The Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering offers PhD in BT (Biotechnology) and BME(Biomedical Engineering) core academic groups.

Minimum Eligibility for Admission in BIOTECHNOLOGY (BT):

1. First Class or 60% marks (55% for SC/ST) in M. Sc or equivalent degree in subjects related to Life Sciences/ Physics/ Chemistry OR B.Tech Biotechnology with:

• a valid GATE score (eligible for Institute TAship/ RAship) OR
  

• a valid CSIR/ UGC/ DBT JRF (eligible for FA category) OR
  

• a valid ICMR JRF (not linked to ICMR project) (eligible for FA category) OR
  

• Two year of relevant post M.Sc research experience (eligible only for project positions) OR UGC/CSIR (Lectureship) eligible only for project position.
  

2. First Class or 60% marks (55% for SC/ST) in M.Tech or equivalent degree in Biotechnology


Minimum Eligibility for Admission in BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (BME) :

First Class or 60% marks (55% for SC/ST) in :

• M.Tech/M.E. or B.Tech/B.E. in Biomedical, Chemical, Computer Science, Electrical, Electronics, Telecommunications, Instrumentation & Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Physics OR
  

• M.Sc. or equivalent in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Biotechnology, ceramics, Chemistry, Electronics, Egronomics, Material Science, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Physics and Physiology. OR
  

• First class/division in MBBS degree in occupational Physiotherapy, with AIMS (PG Entrance Test) / MCI entrance examination for MD/MS (for Medical graduate)/MBBS with MD/MS OR M.Pharm
  

For both BT and BME admissions in PhD, if one requires Institute financial support, then it is expected that he/she should have cleared GATE (for engineering and science graduates) or AIIMS/MCI/GIPMER/PGI-Chandigarch/ AFMC-Pune post graduate entrance examinations.

These were the major updates about BSBE IITB. Keep watching this space for further updates.

Best wishes
Sunil

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been taken by surprise by the high demand for faecal microbiota transplants (FMT), according to a news article published this week in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Concerns over inadequate testing for contaminants such as viruses and lack of long-term safety and efficacy assessments has caused the FDA to take the unusual step of rowing back from earlier draft guidance to doctors and companies to a tighter regulatory stance.

FMT has shown great efficacy in treatment of intractable Clostridium difficule infections and is accepted as the standard of care for such infections in Europe. It effectively allows the gut microbiome (population of microbes) to be recalibrated. The FMT procedure involves administration of stool by enema, colonoscopy or via nasal tube. The first randomised control trial for its use in antibiotic-resistant C. difficule infections was stopped early as 13 of the 16 patients enrolled were cured after one infusion while the remaining three required only one repeat procedure.

While the previous FDA regulation exempted many doctors and companies from filing an investigational new drug (IND) application with the FDA before using FMT, the new regulations require that the stool source be known to either the physician or the patient. This has effectively halted the operation of stool banks such as Open Biome which was set up by researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, the FDA had envisaged their previous regulations as facilitating use of FMT in emergency situations. Instead, an unforeseen high demand for the procedure ensued and the relatively light regulation meant that meaningful clinical data was not being collected. Furthermore, the sensationalising of the technique in the media and Internet stories of ‘home brew’ FMT prompted the FDA to tighten the regulations.

The vacillation of the FDA on deciding on FMT regulation has led to some confusion among researchers in the field and disappointment among the initiators of Open Biome, who are now working on an IND to facilitate use of their resource. Various different medications based on stool-based formulations are in development. So far, efficacy has been firmly established for C. difficule infection but researchers are seeking to apply it in a whole host of other conditions from vancomycin-resistant enterococcus to ulcerative colitis and weight loss induction. Long-term safety and efficacy data is lacking for any condition other than C. difficule infection, also contributing to the FDA’s change of mind.

Despite the new regulatory constraints, the future still looks bright for this therapy, which was first described as far back as 1958. Targeted therapies and development of formulations that can be readily inventories, stored and shipped are predicted to be the way forward by researchers including Lee Jones of Rebiotix and Gerard Honig of Symbiotic Health.

Source:

Ratner, M. (2014) Fecal transplantation poses dilemma for FDA. Nature Biotechnology 32, 401–402; doi:10.1038/nbt0514-401

A new trial, teaming researchers in Indiana University with Paradigm, a non-profit genomic sequencing and molecular information company, aims to use advanced genomic sequencing technology to tailor personalised therapies to women with intractable triple-negative breast cancer. In a move away from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model of cancer therapy towards the emerging personalised medicine options, the research team will use next-generation sequencing techniques on DNA from tumours in women who have not responded to standard chemotherapy. In this way, they hope to identify mutations or changes in expression in genes specific to an individual patient’s tumour and then try to identify a drug that might be expected to target that particular tumour.

Triple-negative breast cancer has a particularly poor prognosis as it is associated with high incidence of recurrence and metastasis to sites such as the brain and lung. Treatment is complicated by the fact that it lacks oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and the HER2 protein, all of which are targets for therapy in other forms of breast cancer. This lack of effective therapies for triple-negative breast cancer makes identification of underlying mechanisms and tailored therapies all the more important. The proposed new trial is aimed at testing whether particular tailored treatments can improve survival rates.

In the trial, 130 women who have received chemotherapy and surgery without the hoped-for outcomes, and who are at high risk of recurrence, will be enrolled. Half of these women will be assigned to the standard of care, while the other half will receive genomic sequencing-directed therapy. Michigan University researchers will enrol the participants and collaborate with Paradigm in analysis of the DNA and RNA of tumours remaining after standard chemotherapy. After discussion of each individual patient’s results, each woman will be assigned a drug selected to be specific to her particular form of triple negative breast cancer.

Paradigm CEO Dr Robert Penny further explains the significance of the trial: "This trial is one of only a handful in the world that tests, through a controlled scientific study, whether the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify specific disease drivers -- and the selection of treatments for women based on those genetic markers -- actually improves survival rates for women…Our ability to interrogate the patient's tumour for DNA mutations, DNA copy number variations, chromosomal changes and mRNA gene expression with next-generation sequencing with clinical quality results is a real differentiator in helping to improve patient care.” Meanwhile, Dr Bryan Schneider of Indiana University explains how the sequencing information could lead to identification of the most individually effective drug: "If the mutation is taking place in a certain gene or protein that controls a certain function, and if the mutation has caused damage in that pathway, one can intuitively pick a drug that may also be interacting in that very same pathway to either try to stop or shut down an overly activated pathway."

While the current trial will focus on triple-negative breast cancer, the research team envisage a time when other cancers can be similarly targeted. Dr Schneider concludes: "We envision a day when we can predict a handful of drugs that will best treat the tumour, derived from the tumour’s unique acquired genetic variability, and then further counsel the patient on which of these might be least toxic based on a person’s unique inherited genetic variability."

Sources:
Press release: IU School of Medicine and Indiana University Health; available at http://news.medicine.iu.edu/releases/201...digm.shtml

http://www.cancer.iu.edu/ [Accessed 16 May 2014].

A new study has shed light on factors that cause some species of the trypanosome parasites to be infective of humans while other aren’t. The study, published in the journal PLoS Pathogens, was carried out by researchers in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Dundee.

African trypanosomes, which are tsetse fly-transmitted protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma, cause devastating diseases in both humans and livestock. The different members of the group are distinguished by their sensitivity to innate immune factors in human serum, which results in different host infectivity. The species Trypanosoma brucei brucei infects cattle, causing the disease nagana, but humans are resistant. On the other hand, the species T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense infect humans, causing sleeping sickness in Western and Eastern Africa respectively. Distinguishing the factors that cause T. b. brucei to be sensitive to the innate immune response in humans, which is the rapid, first-line immune response, could facilitate development of badly needed new drugs. The existing drugs for sleeping sickness have serious and unpleasant side-effects.

In the new study, the researchers carried out a comprehensive RNA interference (RNAi) screen of the T. b .brucei genome in order to identify factors that reduced their sensitivity to human serum factors. This entailed use of a library of small T. b. brucei RNA molecules designed to interfere with expression of mRNA from T. b. brucei genes. This strategy enabled the research team to identify four genes that sensitised the trypanosome to human serum factors. These included three previously identified genes, namely the haptoglobin-haemoglobin receptor, a lysosomal membrane protein called p67 and inhibitor of cysteine peptidase (ICP). The fourth gene was a previously unidentified gene predicted to encode a so-called transmembrane channel which might be predicted to take up human defence factors.

The research team studied ICP in more detail and discovered that it induced sensitivity to human serum innate immunity factors by modulating the activity of an enzyme called cathepsin-L (CATL). CATL is a member of a family of proteins called lysosomal cysteine peptidases, which can degrade proteins and thereby help overcome the immune factors in human serum. CATL modulation by ICP appears to be an important factor in T. b. brucei sensitivity to human immune responses. If ICP was down-regulated, CATL remained fully active and able to degrade human serum immune factors.

CATL is currently the target of proposed new drugs for sleeping sickness; the results of the current study suggest that it would be an effective strategy. However, the authors of this study urge caution and increased understanding of how CATL interacts with other trypanosomal factors involved in infectivity. Lead author Dr Sam Alsford explains: “CATL is under consideration as a potential drug target, and our results suggest that its inactivation could indeed support the human defense system in fighting off disease-causing trypanosome strains. However, as CATL might also be involved in the generation or break-down of other factors involved in parasite-host interactions, it will be important to develop an improved understanding of the complex interplay of all of these factors in human-infective trypanosomes”.

Future plans for the researchers include elucidation of the role of the new gene identified as a result of their research. In all, the study increased understanding of the interaction between trypanosomes and the human innate immune system, which can only be of benefit in consideration of new, safe therapeutic strategies.

Sources:

Alsford, S., Currier, R.B., Guerra-Assunção, J.A., Clark, G. and Horn, D. (2014) Cathepsin-L Can Resist Lysis by Human Serum in Trypanosoma brucei brucei. PLoS Pathog 10(5): e1004130. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1004130

Press release: PLoS Pathogens

There have been many studies attempting to explain the ‘French Paradox’, that is the relatively low incidence of heart disease in France, despite the high-fat diet consumed by many of its inhabitants. Some researchers had hypothesised that the effect may be explained by moderate consumption of red wine, which along with dark chocolate and berries contains a polyphenol called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been considered to confer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects in humans and in some animal studies it contributed to longevity. However, a new study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that if there is a health benefit from wine and dark chocolate, it is not due to the levels of resveratrol achievable in the diet.

The study was carried out in two villages in the Chianti region of Italy between 1998 to 2009 on 783 men and women aged 65 or older. Levels of resveratrol metabolites were measured in the urine of the participants as an indicator of levels of resveratrol consumed in the diet. The primary outcome measure for the study was all-cause mortality, that is death from any cause, and the secondary measures were levels of inflammatory cytokines, cancer and cardiovascular disease. During the course of the study, 268 of the participants died, 174 developed heart disease and 34 got cancer.

The results of the study indicated that there was no discernable association between levels of resveratrol metabolites and all-cause mortality, incidence of heart disease or cancer or of levels of inflammatory cytokines. Studies in lower organisms had indicated that resveratrol could contribute to longevity, however the doses needed to achieve these effects or the beneficial effects shown in human studies would be impossible to achieve in the diet. Lead author Prof Richard Semba of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says: “The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn't stand the test of time... The thinking was that certain foods are good for you because they contain resveratrol. We didn’t find that at all.”

However, the results of this relatively small study do not necessarily mean that there is no health benefit to be derived from red wine or dark chocolate. Prof Semba points out that there are many possible ingredients in these substances that could be important and that any benefit, if there is one, must come from another shared ingredient. It is unclear how much wine or chocolate would have to be consumed in order to derive any benefit. Prof. Semba explains: "These are complex foods, and all we really know from our study is that the benefits are probably not due to resveratrol."

The fact that the levels of resveratrol derived from the diet may be too small to exert any effect also doesn’t mean that in higher doses, resveratrol would not have any beneficial effect. Responding to a BBC News report on the study, Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "We recognise the need to learn more about the action of resveratrol though, so are funding research into its reported disease-combating properties and how it affects the heart and circulatory system…This research is vital as it could form the basis of future medicines.”

Sources:
Semba, R.D., Luigi Ferrucci, L., Bartali, B., Urpí-Sarda, M., Zamora-Ros, R., Sun, K., Cherubini, A., Bandinelli, S. and Andres-Lacueva, C. (2014). Resveratrol Levels and All-Cause Mortality in Older Community-Dwelling Adults. JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 12, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1582

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27371546 [Accessed 15 May 2014]

The Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB), an international partnership which maintains a freely accessible archive of protein and nucleic acid 3-D structures, has announced that they have broken the 100,000 entry mark. The archive was established in 1971 but in recent years it growth has greatly accelerated. It has doubled in size since 2008 and currently releases approximately 200 new structures weekly.

The archive is made possible by the efforts of the scientific community who deposit their experimentally determined structures. Once submitted, each structure is carefully checked and curated by wwPDB staff. The value to the whole scientific community is maximised by addition of value-added annotations and linking to other important biological data to ensure that it is of use to a wide variety of scientists of different skills, interests and backgrounds. Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK says: “The PDB is a critical resource for the international community of working scientists which includes everyone from geneticists to pharmaceutical companies interested in drug targets."

The archive is maintained by PDB data centres in the USA, the UK and Japan. It consists of the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB; http://rcsb.org) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California San Diego and BioMagResBank (BMRB; http://bmrb.wisc.edu) at the University of Wisconsin in the USA, the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe; http://pdbe.org) at the EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute, and the Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj; http://pdbj.org) at Osaka University.

They ensure that the data are securely stored, expertly managed, and made freely available. They are advised by community experts in defining deposition and annotation policies, resolution of data representation issues, and implementation of community validation standards. The result is a resource that is accessed hundreds of millions of times every year by researchers, students and educators. They are able to inform themselves on how different proteins might be related as well as gaining insights into how form influences fundamental biological functions and mechanisms. The knowledge gained feeds into new discoveries in biomedicine, agriculture, and ecology.

The structures of myoglobin and haemoglobin were two of the first to be deposited with the PDB. This week, 219 more structures were deposited, bringing the total to 100,147 entries. There are challenges ahead for the wwPDB as the number of structures as well as size and complexity increases and new hybrid structure determination methods emerge. These use a variety of biophysical, biochemical, and modelling techniques to determine the shapes of biologically relevant molecules which present challenges for data management and representation. Building on its ethos of community-driven enterprise, the wwPDB will continue to strive to meet these challenges.

Sources:

Press release: Rutgers University; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...051314.php

Concerns are spreading internationally over a particularly virulent strain of the porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDv). Thought to have originated in China, this strain of the virus is now suspected to have spread to herds in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Now BBC News reports that France is planning to stop pig-related imports from infected countries, including live pigs, some by-products and pig sperm. The French action is thought to be a reaction to the perceived lack of decisive action on behalf of the European Union. Agency reports state that French government officials say their suspension has been made while "waiting for a European decision".

Porcine epidemic diarrhoea is an enteric disease of pigs caused by infection with a virus which is a member of the Coronaviridae family. It causes acute diarrhoea and dehydration in pigs. The disease is not, however, harmful to humans. Porcine epidemic diarrhoea was first observed in 1971 in English fattening pigs and subsequently spread around Europe. This PEDv type I strain was less virulent than the strain currently causing concern and pigs developed immunity to it. Other strains have since evolved and the disease has become problematic in many parts of the world, notably in Asian countries where severe outbreaks have affected new-born pig mortality rates.

Older pigs can survive PEDv infections but piglets are highly susceptible to the strain that is currently causing concern, with a 80% and 100% mortality rate. While it is not yet certain that the same strain has spread from Asia to the US, this is suspected to be the case. Dr Bernard Vallat, Director-General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), says: "According to the information from genetic analyses, there is some similarity with a strain from Asia…But the evidence of the crossing from Asia to the US is not yet established. For the moment it is not possible to make a final conclusion on the formal link, it is a suspicion."

PEDv is spread via faecal matter. Lax biosecurity is suspected to be a factor in the spread of the disease, according to BBC News. For example, a US study carried out in June last year showed that 17% of trucks going into a slaughterhouse were positive for the PEDV infection. According to Dr Zoe Davis of the UK's National Pig Association (NPA): "They also discovered that 11% of the trucks that had been negative when they went into the slaughterhouse were subsequently positive when they left…It's how many animals you are moving around, that's how it’s being spread."

It is also suspected that the practice of using dried pig blood in feedstuffs for weaned piglets is contributing to the problem. Dr Bernard Vallat explains: "The feed is suspected…Blood from slaughterhouses with insufficient heat treatment is suspected to be the origin. We don't have a scientific publication on that but it is highly suspected.” However, Dr Vallat believes that the history of exposure of European pigs to PEDv may confer some immunity: "It circulated before in Europe but it was a different strain. If there is some remaining circulating virus there is a possibility that animals would be protected - but it is not sure." Dr Zoe Davis disagrees with this optimistic assessment: "Everyone seems to think that because we've had versions of PEDv in the past we will have some immunity to this new strain and we know categorically that this is not the case…We've tested our own herds and we think around 10% of the animals have antibodies to the older strains, we are effectively a naive herd, which is why we are worried."

The potentially devastating consequences of the disease are evident in the US where 7 million piglets have been killed in the last year due to PEDv infection. In the UK, the NPA claims that all major importers support moves to restrict pigs from infected countries. It says that more than 92% of pigs reared in the UK are not fed on blood products. However, in other EU countries these types of foodstuffs are more common and there is also widespread movement of animals. This increases the risk of the virus becoming established in Europe, with potentially devastating economic consequences for major pig-breeding countries including the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. The EU has not decided yet on any move to restrict imports. This is thought to have contributed to the French unilateral decision on import restriction and to the thinking in countries such as the UK.

Another consequence of this outbreak is that the price of pork is likely to rise. Already the US has experienced an increase in pig prices due to the virally-induced piglet losses. Dr Vallat says: "One of the consequences of the problem, the restriction of the products in the market, mean perhaps prices could grow…For the non-infected herds it is good news."

Sources:

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27256466 [Accessed 9 May 2014].

https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/130901x.aspx[Accessed 9 May 2014].

Song, D. & Park, B. 2012, "Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus: a comprehensive review of molecular epidemiology, diagnosis, and vaccines", Virus genes, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 167-175.

An experimental monoclonal antibody hu14.18K322A has shown encouraging results in a Phase I trial on children with advanced neuroblastoma. Of the 31 patients who received two or more rounds of treatment, tumours got smaller or disappeared altogether in 15 patients and progression of the disease was stopped temporarily. The antibody is targeted at the GD2 antigen, which is highly expressed on neuroblastoma tumour cells but with restricted expression on normal cells. The trial was carried out in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Results were recently published online ahead of print and will appear in the Journal of Clinical Oncology print edition on May 10th 2014.

Neuroblastoma affects the sympathetic nervous system. It is the most common cancer in children under the age of one year and accounts for 7-10% of all childhood cancers. The cure rate is high for some patients, especially infants. However, for other high-risk patients, for example those in whom the disease has spread, the prognosis is much poorer. Fewer than half of these achieve long-term, disease-free survival and new therapy development is a priority for these patients.
The Phase I trial was carried out in order to assess the maximum-tolerated dose and safety profile of hu14.18K322A, a modified antibody. The modification was intended to reduce activation of part of the immune response called the complement cascade and the pain associated with this activation. For the study, 38 patients were recruited whose cancer had returned or who had not responded to standard therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplants. These patients received different doses of hu14.18K322A. The antibody was administered every 28 days in daily doses over 4 days. The object of using this antibody is to mount an immune response specifically against the tumour cells, sparing the normal cells which have limited GD2 expression.

Of the 31 patients who went on to have two or more rounds of treatment, the disease was stabilised in nine of them. In two patients the tumours got smaller while they became undetectable in four more. First and corresponding author Dr Fariba Navid, added: "Four patients are alive after more than two-and-a-half years without additional therapy." Dr Navid further explained how the efficacy of the treatment was both encouraging and relatively unexpected at this early stage in the trial process: "This was the first time this experimental antibody was tried in patients. We were encouraged with the response…The percentage of patients who benefited from treatment with hu14.18K322A was unusual for a Phase I study."

Despite the reduction in complement activation, the most common side-effect of hu14.18K322A treatment was pain, with 68% of patients reporting severe pain in the first round of treatment. However, according to Dr Navid, the pain could be managed with medication, generally resolved within 24 hours of antibody administration and became less with additional rounds of treatment.
Hu14.18K322A is produced in the Children's GMP, LLC. Dr Navid acknowledged that the trial would have been impossible in the absence of GMP, an on-site facility that makes highly specialized pharmaceuticals under US government-approved Good Manufacturing Practices regulations. Clinical trials are on-going with the antibody, with the researchers now examining the impact of weekly dosing and looking at combining hu14.18K322A with other therapies.

Sources
Navid, F. et al. (2014) Phase I Trial of a Novel Anti-GD2 Monoclonal Antibody, Hu14.18K322A, Designed to Decrease Toxicity in Children With Refractory or Recurrent Neuroblastoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Published online before print April 7, 2014, doi: 10.1200/JCO.2013.50.4423

Press release: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...050814.php

Innovative uses of a promising anti-HIV medication called dapivirine are giving hope that women can be better protected against HIV. The exclusive worldwide rights for dapivirine have been granted to the non-profit organisation The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), which is committed to developing HIV prevention tools and other products aimed at women’s sexual and reproductive health and making sure they are accessible to all, particularly to women in developing countries. The rights were granted to IPM by Janssen R&D Ireland under an expanded public-private collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. This agreement should push forward the development and global availability of dapivirine-based HIV prevention tools for women.

Despite the advances in recent years in reducing the number of new cases of HIV/AIDS, women have been largely left behind in terms of benefiting from these advances. In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, women in the 15 to 24 year age group are 3-4 times more likely to have HIV infection as their male peers. This drives the imperative to develop tools aimed specifically at women to help give them options to protect themselves. Dr. Zeda F. Rosenberg, chief executive officer of IPM, elaborates: "Women are in a race against time for new HIV prevention methods, and they need innovative tools to protect themselves and help reverse the course of the epidemic….We applaud Janssen's leadership in advancing women's access to new health technologies."

Dapivirine is a member of a class of anti-retroviral agents called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). These agents interfere with the ability of HIV to make copies of itself. IPM's most advanced technology dapivirine -based technology is a vaginal ring designed to give a monthly sustained-release of the drug to prevent HIV. This ring is currently in two parallel Phase III trials in Africa; results are expected in late 2015. Other products in the IPM development portfolio include a combination dapivirine -maraviroc ring. There is also a 90-day ring that combines dapivirine with the contraceptive levonogestrel. This would have the double benefit of protection against both HIV and unwanted pregnancy.

The newly expanded agreement marks another step in a long-established collaboration between Janssen and IPM. Janssen had originally licensed dapivirine to IPM under a royalty-free agreement in 2004 with the intention of having it developed as a microbicide for women in developing countries. The new agreement will ensure women's future access in all countries thanks to affordable pricing strategies. Dr Rosenberg explains the significance of the collaboration: "Our worldwide rights agreement with Janssen is a powerful example of how public-private partnerships can accelerate access to urgently needed, affordable health products…By pooling the expertise of partners across sectors, we can more effectively help women at risk for HIV and, ultimately, end the spread of HIV/AIDS altogether."

IPM has also been working with other pharmaceutical companies including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Merck & Co. and ViiV Healthcare, as well as Janssen since 2004 with royalty-free licenses granted to IPM to develop, manufacture and distribute eight anti-retroviral products in developing countries. This is designed to guarantee affordable access of patients to these drugs where they are most needed. IPM is funded via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Irish Aid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the M.A.C. AIDS Fund and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

Sources:

Press release: International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM); available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...050714.php [Accessed 8 May 2014].

IPM website: http://www.IPMglobal.org. [Accessed 8 May 2014].

The spider genome has been sequenced for the first time, opening up the possibilities for gaining insights into spider attributes and activities. For example, the venom and silk made by spiders has potential applications for manufacturing of biomaterials or developing pharmacological products. The study establishing the spider genome was carried out by researchers in Aarhus University, Denmark and the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) and is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Spiders are predators which are able to capture large prey by use of their extremely tough silk. They also have a complex venom with which to kill their prey. For the study, the researchers focused on two types of spiders which represent two of the three main spider family groups. One is a small velvet spider, whose genome was completely sequenced and the other is a tarantula, for which there are still some gaps in the genome sequence.

The team compared the sequences to try to determine if there are genes that define ‘spider’. One of the first authors, Kristian W. Sanggaard, explains: “The idea was that, by comparing their genetic makeup, we’d try to see whether we could say anything in general terms about what makes a spider a spider.” A limited number of similarities were identified, reflecting that fact that it is almost 300 million years since the two types of spiders had a common ancestor. One of the other first authors, Jesper S. Bechsgaard, clarifies: “But we found a number of genes – about two to three hundred – that have only been found in these two types of spiders and not in other organisms. They could be candidates for genes specific to spiders.”

The results of the study showed that the spider genomes are large with similar structures to mammalian genomes of short, protein-coding exons separated by long, non-coding introns. The sequencing revealed insights into the evolution of the venom genes and suggested that the toxic effect of venom is most likely activated by enzymes called proteases in the venom. The silk genes meanwhile have evolved in a highly dynamic way. The sequencing also revealed new types of silk genes and proteins, and a novel use of aciniform silk.

The unveiling of the spider genome creates “a tool for everyone interested in spiders,” according to the authors. They point out that: “People can select an aspect or feature of the spider they’re interested in, and then utilise the ‘genetic map’ we published and which we ourselves have used to study silk and venom. This provides completely new opportunities for spider researchers.” Better understanding of the properties of the silk and venom of the spiders, for example, offer major potential in the development of pesticides or medicines or of biomaterials. The paper’s authors plan to use the genome to advance work on the spider’s digestive enzymes and immune system. However, the possibilities are there for anyone interested in other aspects to focus on other genes.

Sources:
Sanggaard, K.W., Bechsgaard, J.S. and Fang, X. (2014). Spider genomes provide insight into composition and evolution of venom and silk. Nature Communications, 5(3765); doi:10.1038/ncomms4765

Press release: Aarhus University; available at http://scitech.au.dk/en/current-affairs/...er-genome/

A new study on Danish infants suggests that breastfeeding (and when it is ceased) is the nutritional element with the most significant effect on the development of the child’s gut bacterial population, termed the microbiota. The study, from researchers in the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, and the University of Copenhagen, shows that the child’s intestinal microbiota changes significantly between the ages of 9-18 months, following cessation of breastfeeding and introduction of other foods. However, the evolution of the child’s gut microbiota continues up to the age of three. The study is published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Previous studies suggest that babies who are breastfed grow marginally more slowly and are a little slimmer than non-breastfed babies. This appears to translate into slightly lower incidence of obesity, allergies, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease later in life. The composition of the gut microbiota is now recognised to be important in these conditions. The new study suggests that breastfeeding has a beneficial effect on the gut microbiota early in life which could influence how the microbiota evolves and help explain its apparent health benefits.

In the study, the research team took faecal samples from 330 healthy Danish infants at 9, 18, and 36 months after birth. They used a technique called quantitative PCR to establish the bacterial species present and their relative quantities. The results showed that breastfeeding encouraged the presence of lactobacilli, a type of bacteria that is of benefit in immune system development. Cessation of breastfeeding heralded a change in the microbiota to a population dominated by Clostridium spp. and Bacteroides spp. Evolution and stabilisation of the microbiota continued up until the age of 3 years in many children. Senior author Tine Rask Licht explains the significance of this finding: "The results help to support the assumption that the gut microbiota is not - as previously thought - stable from the moment a child is a year old. According to our study important changes continue to occur right up to the age of three. This probably means that there is a 'window' during those early years, in which intestinal bacteria are more susceptible to external factors than what is seen in adults."

The results of this study suggest biotechnological advances and public health interventions could be used to develop strategies to promote healthy gut microbiota. Tine Rask Licht explains the possibilities in terms of both breastfeeding and baby formula milk: "The results from the study can be used to support initiatives that can be used to help children develop a type of gut microbiota, which is beneficial for the immune system and for the digestive system . This could for example be advice to mothers about breastfeeding or the development of new types of infant formula to promote the establishment of beneficial bacteria in the gut."

Sources:

Bergström, A., Skov, T.H., Bahl, M.I., Roager, H.M., Christensen, L.B., Ejlerskov, K.T., Mølgaard, C., Michaelsen, K.F. and Licht, T.R. (2014). Establishment of Intestinal Microbiota during Early Life: a Longitudinal, Explorative Study of a Large Cohort of Danish Infants. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 80, No. 9. (1 May 2014), pp. 2889-2900, doi:10.1128/aem.00342-14

Press release: Technical University of Denmark; available at http://www.food.dtu.dk/english/News/Nyhe...C24ED68377 [Accessed 8 May 2014]

A new hydrogel developed by bioengineers in Rice University in Texas has potential as a bioscaffold for fresh bone growth or other three-dimensional tissues from a patient’s stem cells. The major advantages of this hydrogel are that it turns instantly from solid to liquid at close to body temperature, meaning it readily fills and stabilises a space upon injection, and that it degrades in response to enzymes produced by newly growing bone. The results of the study are published in the American Chemical Society journal Biomacromolecules.

The new hydrogel overcomes problems associated with other thermogelling polymers in terms of tendency to collapse and expel water upon hardening. This process, termed syneresis, prevents the gel being able to fill the space where the new tissue is to be seeded. The research team addressed this issue by introducing chemical cross-linkers to the gel’s molecules. First author Brendan Watson, from the lab of Dr Antonios Mikos, explains: “It’s a secondary mechanism that, after the initial thermogellation, begins to stabilize the gel.” The crosslinking begins at the same time as the gel formation, but takes up to a half-hour to complete.

The hydrogel is designed to be stable over the long-term to allow the stem cells to establish themselves and begin proliferating to give new bone. However at this point, when the need for the scaffold declines, the hydrogel is degraded in a timely fashion. Brendan Watson explains the elegant mechanism of timed degradation: “These chemical crosslinks are attached by phosphate ester bonds, which can be degraded by catalysts – in particular, alkaline phosphatase — that are naturally produced by bone tissue. The catalysts are naturally present in your body at all times, in low levels. But in areas of newly formed bone, they actually get to much higher levels.”

The hydrogel represents the culmination of years of painstaking work in refining its’ properties from the research team which included input from Paul Engel, chair of Rice’s Department of Chemistry, and F. Kurtis Kasper, a senior faculty fellow in bioengineering. The expectation is that the degradation kinetics can be further fine-tuned in order to match various bone growth rates, with input from biotechnology companies. Brendan Watson concludes: “Optimizing the degradation kinetics is nontrivial and may be better suited for a biotech company…We focus more on the performance of the hydrogels and the underlying molecular mechanisms."

Sources

Watson, B.W., Kasper, F.K., Engel, P.S. and Mikos, A.G. (2014). Synthesis and Characterization of Injectable, Biodegradable, Phosphate-Containing, Chemically Cross-Linkable, Thermoresponsive Macromers for Bone Tissue Engineering. Biomacromolecules, Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/bm500175e

Press release: Rice University; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...050714.php

Figure: A new hydrogel invented at Rice University turns from liquid to semisolid as it moves from room temperature to near body temperature in an experiment. The material inside the tube quickly turns white as it gellates. Chemical links in the gel take longer to form, but help it hold its size and shape as a scaffold for growing new tissue. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

The drugs company Pfizer has made a $106 billion-plus takeover bid for AstraZeneca. However, the move has prompted a statement from AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot which lays out his projections of how his company’s experimental drugs are well-placed to yield tens of billions of dollars for investors in the future. Meanwhile, the proposed takeover has met with concern in the UK, where four scientific bodies say recent mergers and acquisitions have resulted in lab closures. Pfizer have, for example, closed laboratories in US companies which it acquired and also sold its UK-based research facilities in Kent in 2011. This resulted in the loss of 1500 jobs.

Pascal Soriot dispensed with the usual caution applied by biotech and pharma companies in making projections by offering an assessment that AstraZeneca can deliver a "risk-adjusted" payoff of $23 billion a year or a non-risks-adjusted payoff of $63 billion. He points chiefly to the company’s late-stage and mid-stage testing for its immuno-oncology drugs. Other experimental drugs under development in AstraZeneca include AZD3293, a high-risk BACE program for Alzheimer's, as well as diabetes and respiratory disease drugs. Pascal Soriot states: "AstraZeneca is completing its transformation, and now has the right size, focus and team to deliver on one of the most exciting pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry….We have fostered a culture of innovation where science is at the heart of what we do and today we set out the greatly improved quality of our mid and late stage pipeline and its significant commercial potential. We are continuing to create significant value for shareholders from our independent strategy."

Meanwhile in the UK, the proposed takeover is causing real concern that Pfizer may seriously cut back AstraZeneca's research facilities. AstraZeneca is currently the UK's second biggest research and development industrial spender; last year it invested £2.8bn. It has eight sites and employs about 6,700 people. According to BBC News, Adrian Bailey, who is a Labour MP and chair of the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, is considering an inquiry into the issue. Many leading scientific bodies have expressed serious concerns to the government. Dr Melanie Lee, who is a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, is concerned that the move could be a "nail in the coffin" of the UK drug industry. However, not all commentators think that the move would necessarily be detrimental. For example, Professor Sir Richard Sykes, who is chairman of the Royal Institution, and a former head of GSK, doubts that it would be of benefit to Pfizer to close AstraZeneca’s UK research facilities.

Sources
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27208899 [Accessed 7 May 2014]

Press release: AstraZeneca; available at http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-relea...areholders

The neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Motor Neuron Disease (MND), has been in the news in the last week. The team behind project MinE, a major genetic research project into ALS, have founded a for-profit investment fund aimed at targeting a marketable cure for ALS. To this end, the fund founders, who all have ALS themselves, are hosting an ALS investors day on May 19th 2014 in the offices of their sponsor Accenture in Amsterdam. The group are hoping to raise €100 million from so-called ‘impact investors’. These are investors who invest in projects designed to cause social or environmental improvements, while also expecting a return on their investment.

ALS is a rare but devastating disease for which no cure currently exists. It is characterised by loss of essential voluntary muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing and ultimately leads to paralysis and death. Motor neurons, which under normal circumstances control muscles, lose the ability to relay signals from the brain to the muscles.

For most rare diseases, mainly basic scientific research is performed without regard to the possibilities of making a profit. Most research is carried out and accumulated in academic institutions. This limits successful translational research due to lack of know-how in bringing discoveries to the market. The co-founder of the investment fund Bernard Muller, who is nominated as EY entrepreneur of the year in the Netherlands, explains that their proposal marries the ideas of bringing hope to patients with return on investment to investors: "Our latest initiative - we already successfully launched the biggest global genetic research study ever, called project MinE - will enable us to show the potential impact of a truly meaningful investment that will bring hope to patients without ignoring the demand from investors for a return on their investment and it will also bring cost savings for health insurers as well as real translational research and shared scientific success."

The founders will reveal the blueprint for their approach to finding a marketable cure at the ALS investors’ day. There they will seek funding from and create sound investment opportunities for investors outside the traditional pool of biotech investors, while feeding directly into the ALS treatment pipeline to give hope to the thousands of patients who currently have no cure.

Elsewhere, further hope was offered to ALS patients when the FDA in the USA cleared the Israeli biotech company BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to advance a stem cell therapy for ALS into Phase II. The trial will be carried out in Massachusetts General Hospital. Stem cell manipulation will be carried out in designated cleanrooms at the nearby Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Sources
Press release: Project MinE, available at http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-release...22921.html

Website: http://www.alsinvestorsday.org

http://www.fiercebiotech.com/

Intense research efforts are ongoing on methods for effectively targeting therapies to disease sites, such as delivery of cancer medication selectively to tumours. One method which is receiving a lot of attention is use of adeno-associated virus (AAV), which are relatively benign, as a delivery vehicle for gene therapy. An innovative adaptation of this method has been developed by researchers in Rice University in Texas and in the University of Florida to improve specificity of delivery of AAVs containing tumour therapeutic agents. The paper appears online this week in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.

The method involves incorporating peptides in the capsid of the AAV that can only be degraded in the presence of two proteases, whose activity is increased in the tumour microenvironment. Only then can the AAV release its therapeutic contents. Tumours themselves over-secrete proteases and infiltrating immune cells such as neutrophils also release a high level of proteases in the region of the tumour. In the absence of these correct proteases the AAV is effectively locked so that the contents are unlikely to be released ‘accidentally’ at sites distant from the tumour.

Senior author Dr Junghae Suh further explains the ‘double lock’ strategy: “So that’s what we’re going after to do targeted delivery. Our basic idea is to create viruses that, in the locked configuration, can’t do anything. They’re inert”. However, when programmed AAVs encounter the correct proteases at sites of disease, “these viruses unlock, bind to the cells and deliver payloads that will either kill the cells for cancer therapy or deliver genes that can fix them for other disease applications.” She goes on to further explain the specificity of the method in targeting therapy to the correct site: “If we were just looking for one protease, it might be at the cancer site, but it could also be somewhere else in your body where you have inflammation. This could lead to undesirable side effects…By requiring two different proteases – let’s say protease A and protease B – to open the locked virus, we may achieve higher delivery specificity since the chance of having both proteases elevated at a site becomes smaller.”

Dr Suh is confident that the applicability of this method could extend beyond tumours to neurological and cardiovascular diseases. Also, advances in molecular-imaging techniques should help in identification of and assessment of concentration of elevated proteases. Ultimately, it is hoped that targeting can be even more sensitive so that viruses can be designed to carry out a combination of steps for targeting. Dr Suh concludes: “To increase the specificity of virus unlocking, you can imagine creating viruses that require many more keys to open…For example, you may need both proteases A and B as well as a cellular receptor to unlock the virus. The work reported here is a good first step toward this goal.”

Sources:

Judd, J. et al. (2014). Tunable Protease-Activatable Virus Nanonodes. ACS Nano, Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/nn500550q (May 5, 2014)

Press release: ACS Nano; Rice University; available at http://news.rice.edu/2014/05/06/two-lock...r-therapy/ [Accessed 7 May 2014]

AURORA, a new international molecular screening programme for metastatic breast cancer, has been presented at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium. The programme is the first of its kind and will involve approximately 1300 women and men from about 60 hospitals in 15 European countries. AURORA is being launched by the Breast International Group (BIG), a non-profit organisation for academic breast cancer research groups headquartered in Brussels and consisting of a network of 49 collaborative groups based in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Australasia.

While research into early breast cancer has greatly progressed in recent decades, improving and extending patients’ lives, there remains much less understanding of advanced or metastatic disease. This is in a context where metastasis is the leading cause of death among breast cancer patients. The AURORA programme will involve collection of metastatic and primary breast cancer tissue specimens for screening against a panel of more than 400 cancer-related genes for the first time on a large scale. Plasma and blood samples will also be collected. Samples not use immediately will be kept in storage in an independent bio-repository for future research.

Ultimately, BIG hopes to expand AURORA beyond Europe to include thousands more patients. A newly developed innovative bioinformatics platform will support collection of AURORA data. This process will be carried out in a way that facilitates sharing of data and collaboration with researchers in North America who are setting up other initiatives. BIG already works closely with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the North American Breast Cancer Group (NABCG).

The ultimate aims of AURORA are to enable scientists and clinicians to understand both why breast cancer metastasises and why there are differences in response to standard treatment among patients. BIG is involved in running or developing 30 clinical trials at any one time. Thus, when appropriate and feasible, patients participating in AURORA will be offered the opportunity to participate in clinical trials testing new and promising drugs specific to the genetic characteristics of their individual tumours. AURORA would then benefit patients by leading to better, individualised treatments and finding cures for advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Dr Martine Piccart-Gebhart, Chair of BIG and Director of the Medicine Department of the Institut Jules Bordet, sums up the driving force behind the development of AURORA: "It is almost unethical that we continue to treat women with metastatic breast cancer when we have so little knowledge of their disease. We now have powerful technologies for investigating the molecular landscape of tumours, and we have an obligation to women to establish AURORA as a large translational research effort that can hopefully lead to more effective treatments in the future".

Sources:

Press release: Breast International Group (BIG)-aisbl; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...050614.php [accessed 7 May 2014]

http://www.BIGagainstbreastcancer.org [accessed 7 May 2014]

http://www.esmo.org/Conferences/IMPAKT-2...st-Cancer/[accessed 7 May 2014]

A Level 1 workshop on Bio-statistics is being organized by International Center for Stem Cells, Cancer and Biotechnology (ICSCCB), Pune, India scheduled for May 10-11, 2014.

A wide range of topics will be covered in this hands-on training workshop, from Data collection to statistical analysis (like hypothesis testing, ANOVA, parametric analysis, regression, probability theory etc).

It will be a "certified" workshop.

It's open to UG/PG/PhD students, faculty, scientists as well as people working in industry in the field of Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Sciences and related subject areas.

Note:

Only 10 seats per batch are planned.

Next batch is scheduled for 7th – 8th June 2014

Fee: INR 2000/- (US $50 for International candidates)

Workshop Timings: 9:00am to 6:00pm

Venue: ICSCCB, R.H. 2, Ujwal Regalia, Near Prabhavee Tech Park, Baner Road, Pune – 411045, India

For further details, please refer: Link to the Workshop Webpage

European Biotechnology Congress 2015 will be organized by European Biotechnology Thematic Network Association between the dates 7 – 9 May 2014.

Meeting Dates
07 - 09 May 2015

Meeting Venue
Hilton Hotel, Bucharest (www.placeshilton.com/bucharest)

Official Language
Official language of the meeting and correspondence is English.

Sessions:

1. Innovations in Biotechnology
   
2. Current Biotechnology in Romania
   
3. "The Targeting of Epidermal Growth Factor Family Receptors in Ovarian Cancer Therapy”
   
4. The biotechnological approach to the control of parasitic diseases
   
5. Spatial and  Temporal MSI and Proteomic studies of rat spinal cord injury: Evidence of Caudal Segment for Possible Therapy Target
   
6. Establishment of a photosynthetic animal – just a fiction?
   
7. Origin of lysosomal enzymes in human cerebrospinal fluid.
   
8. Lectins in food: friends or enemies?
   
9. Human tissue behavior when submitted to dynamic shocks. Computation methods of mechanical loads and body response
   
10. Spectroscopic and molecular modeling investigations on structural changesof food grade proteins
    
11. Ultrasensitive glycoprofiling applicable in diagnostics
    
12. Biodiversity of lactic acid bacteria from traditional Romanian fermented foods
    
13. Future trends in biomedical engineering
    
14. From food versus fuel debate to biotechnology for bioeconomy
    
15. Advances and perspectives in second generation biofuels production
    
16. Isolation of yeasts with potential of utilization in food biotechnologies
    
17. Nano-level Contrast Agents: Advantages and Possible Toxicity
    
18. Modified biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids in transgenic cereals
    
19. Morphological analysis of cancer spheroids
    
20. Angiogenic signals move on “copper railways”. Role of specific transport systems in vascular copper handling
    
21. Role of antioxidant phenolic compounds in plant responses to environmental stress
    
22. The biology of micro RNA and its role in pathology
    
23. Selection of bioreactor and optimization of bioprocess performances for enhancement integrated bioethanol production
    
24. Development of a Novel Instrument For Ex-Vivo and In-Vivo Real-Time Analysis
    
25. Synthesis and investigation of novel small antimicrobial peptides
    
26. Biotechnology of turning toxins to treasure - paradigm shift from re-mediation to recovery
    

Best Biotechnology Product Award 2015
The congress features an award for a European Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) which will be honoured with Best Biotechnology Product Award.

Best Biotechnology Poster Award 2015
The poster presenters in the conference will be judged for their presentation skills and technical relevance, to be finally awarded with Best Poster Award.

Congress Web Page
A web site has been created to allow the participants keep track of all announcements relating to the congress.

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Previous Conference: EUROPEAN BIOTECHNOLOGY CONGRESS 2014 | May 15-18 2014 | Lecce, Italy

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Organisers: European Biotechnology Thematic Network Association (EBTNA)

Dates: 15th–18th May 2014

Location: Grand Hotel Tiziano e dei Congressi, Lecce, Italy

Website:  http://eurobiotech2014.eu/php/
The website gives all the necessary information on conference agenda, hotel, exhibitions and other important facts.

About the conference:

The congress will feature sessions on Plant Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nutrition in Biotechnology, Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering, Medicine & Biotechnology, Bioinformatics & System Biology, Metabolic Engineering, Enzyme & Protein Engineering, Renewables, Biorafinery, Bioenergy, Biofuels, Bioproducts, Biocatalysis & Biotransformation, Bioprocess Engineering, Animal Biotechnology, Nanobiotechnology and Omic Sciences.

Plenary sessions are as follows:
• Novel technological approaches and their applications in biotechnology
• Current Biotechnology in Italy
• Process-based vs data-driven modelling of cancer cell behaviour in cancer
• Mass spectrometry imaging and tissue microproteomic for clinical applications
• Biological markers for bladder cancer
• The two-hybrid system: A powerful tool to dissect molecular mechanisms underlying membrane traffic diseases
• Lysosomal enzymes in CSF and brain tissues and their potential role as biomakers for neurological diseases such as Parkinson disease
• RNA polymerase genetic engineering (RPGE) as a new strategy for drug discovery and improvement of industrial microorganisms

The full programme can be viewed on the website.

Speakers:

• Alberto Magi, University of Florence, Italy
• Alessandro Sannino, University of Salento, Italy
• Angelo Quattrini, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Italy
• Anita Slavica, University of Zagreb, Zagreb
• Burak Durmaz, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey
• Cecilia Bucci, University of Salento, Italy
• Daniele Vergara, University of Salento, Italy
• Daumantas Matulis, Vilnius University, Lithuania
• Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Macedonia
• Edo D'agaro, University of Udine, Italy
• Emin Karaca, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey
• Ferda Özkınay, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey
• Giovanni Romeo, University of Bologna, Italy
• György Kéri, Semmelweis University, Hungary
• Hande Yapışlar, İstanbul Bilim University, Turkey
• Haydar Bagis, Adiyaman University, Turkey
• Hilal Ozdag, Ankara University, Turkey
• James Bown, University of Abertay Dundee, United Kingdom
• Juraj Krajcovic, Comenius University, Bratislava
• Kevan Gartland, Caledonian University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
• Laura Cortesi, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
• Mariapia Viola Magni, University of Perugia, Italy
• Michel Salzet, University of Lille, France
• Michele Maffia, University of Salento, Italy
• Munis Dundar, Erciyes University, Turkey
• Nikolai Zhelev, The University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland
• Oscar Vicente – Politecnica, Universidad Politcnica de Valencia, Spain
• Pietro Alifano, Università del Salento, Italy
• Saverio Alberti, University ‘G. D' Annunzio’, Italy
• Sezen Arat, Namik Kemal University, Turkey
• Sonia Abdelhak, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunisia
• Tommaso Beccari, Universita degli Studi di Perugia, Italy
• Tommaso Pippucci, University of Bologna, Italy
• Ugur Ozbek, Istanbul University, Turkey
• Vito Racanelli, University of Bari, Italy
• Yusuf Deeni, University of Abertay Dundee, United Kingdom

Best Biotechnology Product Award 2014

The congress features an award for a European Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) which will be honoured with Best Biotechnology Product Award.