Scripps Research Institute

NIH funnels $533M into translational research work

John Carroll — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:43:57 -0400

The Scripps Transitional Research Institute was one of 14 research groups that will gain $533 million from the NIH over five years. The funds are earmarked to speed the development of new technologies. Scripps will get $20 million over five years to advance work on genomics. The acclaimed geneticist Eric Topol runs the program at Scripps. The Clinical Translation Science Award was set up in 2006, giving researchers a great deal of freedom in determining how the money is spent.

Among other recipients, medical researchers at The Ohio State University, in partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital, received a $34 million grant. Other institutions awarded with a fund from the NIH included Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City; Boston University; the Stanford University School of Medicine; Harvard University; Indiana University School of Medicine; Northwestern University; Tufts University; the University of Alabama at Birmingham; the University of Colorado, Denver; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of Utah.

- check out the release
- read the report from the San Diego Union-Tribune

ALSO: After a lengthy delay, the NIH unveiled its new $278 million research facility in Baltimore. More than 80 scientists won't be able to move to the facility because vibrations in the structure would skew data. Report

Chance discovery links ACE inhibitors to weight loss

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:59:59 -0400

Australian scientists say that targeting angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) can be an effective way to spur weight loss and prevent diabetes. And the research demonstrates that ACE-inhibitors could be modified to do just that. In a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists described how they bred mice that couldn't produce the ACE hormone. Compared to a control group that ate and exercised in exactly the same ways, the engineered mice had 50 percent to 60 percent less body fat and maintained lower blood sugar levels.

"The mechanism we've shown in rodents is that a deficiency of ACE leads to an increase in metabolic rate and burning of calories," neurobiologist Michael Mathai told The Australian. "If you combine that with control of (food intake) that should be less excess calories to store as fat."

Interestingly, the researchers discovered the link by accident. The team had been investigating blood pressure mechanisms when they observed that the weight of the mice had dropped unexpectedly.

- read the story in The Australian

ALSO NOTED: Miniature stem cell lab developed; Scripps opens new research center; Major advance in microRNA research;

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:59:58 -0400

Technology

A team at the Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine at Northwestern University has created a "miniature laboratory" from one polymer and one small molecule in which human stem cells can grow. The sac in turn safeguards the stem cell from the human immune system so it can arrive safely at its destination. Report

New gene-scanning technology has revealed genetic variations which significantly heightens the risk of schizophrenia. And the work demonstrates the technology's promise in revealing the biology involved in mental disorders. Article

Stem Cell Research

Scripps Research Institute in California is boosting its presence in the stem cell field. Scripps has launched the Center for Regenerative Medicine and wooed noted scientist Jeanne Loring away from the Burnham Institute to run it. It now has an organized stem cell effort, putting it in line with the three other big research institutes in its area--all of which are competing for state funds. Report

The heads of two new research institutes in Florida are steering clear of controversial stem cell research programs in the Sunshine state. Recent ballot initiatives favoring stem cell research in Florida have failed to attract enough signatures needed to put the measures up for a public vote. Story

A highly charged debate over the future of new legislation in the UK allowing the creation of human/animal hybrids for medical research has pitted scientists against the leaders of the Catholic Church. The head of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church calls the proposal "monstrous" but says he will sit down to discuss the issue with members of the scientific community. Report

Genetics

Over the past three years gene-scanning has linked almost 100 DNA variants to 40 diseases and traits, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And scientists have heralded the work as one of the most significant stages in the history of medical research. Report

Scientists have identified six new genes which play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, and among the group is the second gene known to also play a role in prostate cancer. Release

New research from Colorado State University suggests that genes previously thought to be non-functional are working at a low level. This phenomenon may help answer questions about chronic disease and aging. Report

UK scientists have found three more genes linked to increased risk of bowel cancer. And in some cases the risk is limited to certain races. Four other gene mutations have already been linked to the cancer. Story

An international team of legal, scientific and ethics experts have assembled ethics guidelines for human genome sequencing research work. Report

Researchers working in Vietnam have identified a genetic variant that predisposes people to developing a lethal form of tuberculosis, tuberculous meningitis, if they are infected with a strain of TB known as the Beijing strain. Release

Cancer Research

An Australian scientist, Dr. Alex Swarbrick, says that new research into the therapeutic effects of turning off the Id1 gene in aggressive breast cancer tumors in mice could offer a new approach to treating the disease. In an animal study, about 40 percent of the cancers were cured by putting the tumors to "sleep." Report

Lawmakers in the UK have raised concerns over funding for a new UK Centre for Research and Medical Innovation, billed as the largest medical research facility in the country. The new facility is expected to bring together experts from the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and University College, London. Article

University of Florida chemists are the first to use a new tool to identify the molecular signatures of serious diseases--without any previous knowledge of what these microscopic signatures or "biomarkers" should look like. The advance could one day lead to earlier detection and improved treatment of some types of cancer as well as other diseases. Release

More Research

New Scientist examines the work at Santaris Pharma to muzzle microRNA. The new approach has been used to lower cholesterol but researchers say that controlling microRNA could be an effective approach to controlling a host of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. The first human trial will target hepatitis C. Article

Scientists at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have shown that a specific signaling protein is crucial to protecting the heart and helping it to adapt during a heart attack. And receptors that turn on the protein could be effective new drug targets. Release

Vaccine offers approach to blocking infections

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

A novel vaccine developed at The Scripps Research Institute at La Jolla may offer a new way to block infections without sparking bacterial resistance--a process that gradually dilutes the effectiveness of antibiotics. Reporting in Chemistry and Biology, the team focused on blocking the communication link among bacteria--which is necessary to make them virulent. The team designed a molecule that spurs production of antibodies by the immune system.

"Bacteria basically sense they have enough of their buddies around to allow them to say, 'OK, we're in a favorable environment to start turning on certain genes,'" says team leader Professor Kim Janda, director of the Worm Institute for Research and Medicine at Scripps Research. But if you stop bacteria from communicating, they can't organize an assault on the body.

- read the release on the vaccine program

Related Articles:
Dry antibiotic pipeline concerns infectious disease experts. Report
Scripps researchers find anti-obesity vaccine. Report
New approach to vaccine development. Report

ALSO NOTED: Successful test of new AIDS drug; Mass. starts to dole out stem cell money; Texans set to vote on cancer research f

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:59:58 -0400

More Research

French researchers say they have successfully tested a new drug--IDC16--that interferes with a human splicing protein that plays a critical role in the development of AIDS. Report

More than half of all drugs given to patients work by targeting a particular type of "docking station," or receptor, found on body cells, to steer the cell's machinery toward healing an illness. Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine and the Scripps Research Institute have determined what one of those receptors looks like at the molecular level, giving them the keys to greater control of the process. Release

Researchers say that the insular cortex in the brain could play a key role in controlling addictive behavior. Damage to the insula has already been linked to a higher rate of people giving up smoking, making a link that could help drug developers in their search for new therapies. Report

The NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a $51 million grant to fund a five-year project by Scripps' Immunology Department to analyze immune responses to a range of pathogens that includes influenza. Report

U.S. scientists have found a link between a virtually unknown signaling molecule and neuron health that affects such diseases as Alzheimer's. University of Michigan researchers led by graduate student Yanling Zhang, postdoctoral fellow Sergey Zolov and Professor Lois Weisman connected the loss of the molecule to massive neurodegeneration in the brain. Release

Stem Cell Research

The publicly funded Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has handed out $8 million to set up a stem cell bank and registry. These are the first moves in an effort to compete with California on encouraging the research field. Report

A New Jersey appeals court has cleared the way for a public vote on a $450 million program to fund stem cell research. Report

A new study from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation concludes that the Id1 protein controls the proliferation of adult stem cells. Report

Cancer Research

The debate over a $3 billion program to support cancer research is heating up in Texas as the vote on the amendment looms. Report

Researchers at the University of Georgia Cancer Center have synthesized a carbohydrate-based vaccine that--in mice--has successfully triggered a strong immune response to cancer cells. Release

The University of Ulster and the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston have joined forces to create a 3D model of the mammary gland in order to better understand cancer cells. Report

Scientists at Sunnybrook have new information that may help to improve the use of anti-cancer drugs designed to block the growth of new blood vessels in tumors, a process called angiogenesis that is critical to tumor growth. While these antiangiogenic drugs are effective, at present there are no reliable methods for determining whether they are working, if the right dose is used, or if a patient will benefit (or not) from treatment. Release

Canada has launched a country-wide translational research initiative aimed at cancer therapies. Report

In a new study, researchers at Jennerex Biotherapeutics have focused on the development of a new virotherapy with antitumor effects in animals. Report

Genetics

Previously hidden obesity-related genes have been uncovered from old experiments by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The finding suggests that useful information about many medical disorders may be languishing in mountains of discarded data. Release

Clarient has named Michele Hibbard, Ph.D., a veteran clinical molecular biologist and cytogeneticist, to the newly created position of director of genetics. Release

Max Planck Society eyes Florida research center

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

The Max Planck Society is considering developing a 100,000-square foot research facility in Florida Atlantic University's Jupiter campus. The site is close to another research center in Palm Beach County being developed by Scripps Research Institute. In order for the project to get the green light, county officials would have to bless the project and the state would have to come up with matching funds. So far, though, that hasn't been an issue, as Florida pushes ahead with ambitious plans to make a name for itself as an international hub for biomedical research. Scripps and other research facilities have been drawn to the Sunshine State.

- check out the AP report

Related Articles:
Florida moves up the charts in tech spin-offs. Report
Florida gets an honorable mention, with a warning. Report
Can Florida woo biotechs? Report
Scripps Florida sees first biotech spin-off take root. Report

Scientists plot first moves for Project Checkmate

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:59:59 -0400

A collaboration between the Scripps Research Institute and IBM to find new antidotes to flu before new mutations surface is making some initial progress. Dubbed Project Checkmate, scientists are using phage displays to identify antibodies that can be used to fight influenza. The project hopes to employ supercomputers to anticipate the way that the flu mutates and moves. Researchers could develop new drugs for new versions of the flu that had yet to surface in the public. Scientists are waiting to hear back on their grant application to the NIH.

- read the article from the Palm Beach Post

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Pathway discovered to influence fat accumulation

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:01:39 -0400

In a remarkable breakthrough for weight research, scientists have reported the discovery of a neurochemical pathway that stimulates the accumulation of fat in animals laboring under chronically high stress and exposed to a diet of junk food. Inhibiting the pathway prevented weight gain in mice but selectively spurring the mechanism allowed for the strategic accumulation of weight--potentially opening a new pathway to mold larger breasts, firmer buttocks and younger faces.

Zofia Zukowska of Georgetown University's Department of Physiology and Biophysics led the project, which involved an international team of scientists. Researchers say their work may show that a confluence of high rates of stress and easy access to junk food has led to an epidemic of obesity. Mice in the study were left standing in cold water or exposed to an alpha mouse for part of each day and then offered either a junk food diet or standard feed. The mice receiving high fat diets swiftly added weight. An examination of their fat tissue revealed neuropeptide Y (NPY), a chemical messenger that is produced by the body's nerves. They also had extraordinarily high levels of the far higher levels of neuropeptide Y2R receptor, a molecular partner NPY needs in order to work.

- see the release on their work
- read the article from The Washington Post

ALSO: Mayo Clinic researchers have that the absence of the CD38 gene prevented mice on high-fat diets from gaining weight. Report

Related Articles:
A biologic mechanism for weight gain. Report
Scripps researchers find anti-obesity vaccine. Report
Molecular research points to new obesity therapy. Report
Scientists explore role of PYY in obesity. Report

New drug controls body's signals for eating

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:01:39 -0400

A research team at Hebrew University on Jerusalem has developed a drug that mimics the activity of the hormone aMSH, which spurs the feeling of fullness. The hormone binds to a receptor in the brain that sends out the signal to the body that it is full. The researchers, led by a grad student, developed a synthetic peptide called BL-3020 that was able to enter the bloodstream, make its way to the receptor and emit the 'full' signal. Testing the therapy on mice over 24 hours, researchers noted a reduction in eating. Over a 12-day period, the mice dropped to a weight that was 40 percent below normal. Israel's Bioline RX bought the development rights.

- read the report from Scenta

ALSO: A new study indicates that mutations in the gene known as brain specific homeobox transcription factor might explain why some people fidget less and put on more weight. German engineers developed a mouse model without the Bsx factor and found they had accumulated more weight than normal mice over a period of three months. Report

Related Articles:
Obesity research points to new therapeutic target. Report
Molecular research points to new obesity therapy. Report
Scripps researchers find anti-obesity vaccine. Report
Solvay earns $25M as obesity drug advances. Report

Gene deletion study defuses disease risk from fat

Mon, 07 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

A new study in mice raises the possibility that humans may one day be able to eat any kind of fat they want without raising their risk of heart disease. The study involved deleting a gene in the mice that causes production of ACAT2, an enzyme that alters the molecular structure of cholesterol so that it can be transported to the body's cells.

"We deleted an enzyme in mice and they could eat any type of fat and not get heart disease," said Lawrence Rudel, Ph.D., a professor of comparative medicine. "If you're a mouse, it's great. Of course, we don't know yet if it will be the same in humans."

- read the release for more information

Related Articles:
Drug switches on fat-burning gene in mice. Report
Molecular research points to new obesity therapy. Report
Scripps researchers find anti-obesity vaccine. Report
A biologic mechanism for weight gain. Report