MRSA

New 'superbug' approach relies on decoy DNA

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:59:59 -0500

A team of scientists in the UK have designed a genetic tool that can disable genes equipped with antibiotic resistance, an approach that could scuttle superbugs like MRSA. And the researchers at John Innes Center have created a spinoff company--Procarta Biosystems--to commercialize their discovery. The key to their work involved taking a stretch of DNA from bacterium that disrupts gene activity and adding it to an antibiotic. The U.S. market for combating antibiotic resistance amounts to $5 billion and is growing as lethal superbugs continue to spread.

"The DNA sequence acts as a decoy, disrupting gene expression and blocking resistance," said Michael McArthur, head of the research team. "We are putting genetic information directly into drugs."

- check out the report from the Financial Times

Related Articles:
Dry antibiotic pipeline concerns infectious disease experts. Report
Clues shed light on fighting lethal MRSA strain. Report
Study finds alarming spread of MRSA. Report
Superdrug given wider scope in Europe. Report

Clues shed light on fighting lethal MRSA strain

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

A team of researchers from the U.S. and Germany has found that community associated MRSA, a particularly virulent strain of staph infection, creates a peptide that causes immune cells to burst. The destruction of these neutrophils destroys the body's most significant line of defense against infection, leaving them vulnerable to a potentially lethal attack of MRSA. Studying mice infected with CA-MRSA, the researchers said that damage to the immune cells was apparent within five minutes of exposure.

"This elegant work helps reveal the complex strategy that S. aureus has developed to evade our normal immune defenses," Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, NIAID director, said in a statement. "Understanding what makes the infections caused by these new strains so severe and developing new drugs to treat them are urgent public health priorities."

- check out this release
- read the AP report for more info

Related Articles:
Dry antibiotic pipeline concerns infectious disease experts. Report
WHO: Infectious disease a growing threat. Report
Study finds alarming spread of MRSA. Report

Studies ponder powers of a plant derivative

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

A biochemist at Rutger's Biotechnology Center says that the plant derivative Aframomum melegueta may include the most powerful anti-inflammatory known. Scientist Ilya Raskin was attracted to the rare derivative, which grows in West Africa, during her studies of plant-derived therapeutics. Aframomum figures into a number of home remedies in Africa and its absence in the diet of zoo gorillas is considered a possible cause of various diseases. One species of the plant has also been shown to work against MRSA. Phytomedics has licensed Aframomum for cosmetic purposes and Interleukin Genetics has been conducting clinical trials of the material to inhibit cytokine modulators, a component of the immune system.

- check out the article from The Washington Post on Aframomum

ALSO NOTED: White blood cells overwhelm cancer; Bacteria used to create vaccine;

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

More Research

A line of cancer-resistant mice rely on white blood cells that can detect and overwhelm the defenses of cancer cells, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Medical Center. "Apparently, the mutation in the cancer-resistant mice renders the white blood cells capable of sensing unique diffusible and surface signals from cancer cells and responding to those signals by migration and physical contact," they said. Report

The combination of four potent bacterial surface proteins created a vaccine that was able to effectively fight MRSA in mice, according to researchers at the University of Chicago. Reporting in the Nov. 7, 2006, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists concluded that the vaccine was able to prevent five serious, drug-resistant strains of infections. Release

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have, for the first time, coaxed umbilical cord blood stem cells to differentiate into a type of lung cell. Eventually, the research could lead to new lung therapies or treatments for respiratory illnesses. Release

Women with early-stage breast cancer may benefit from a new, accelerated approach to radiation therapy making their course of treatment shorter, according to a new study released today in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO. Release

A new study in Science magazine indicates that a newly found gene produces a protein that could protect people who have it from inflammatory bowel diseases. Researchers noted that they took a somewhat different tact than many scientists, researching the genetics of health rather than the genetics of disease. Report

A team of researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital say a person's level of the molecule called BH4 can influence their tolerance of pain as well as their risk of chronic pain. Report

Gene therapy may hold the key to curing impotence in men with diabetes, according to a team of researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Centre. In animal studies, they replaced a gene in rats with the equivalent of diabetes to counter erectile dysfunction. Report

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center has opened a new clinical study using a vaccine strain of the measles virus to attack recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a largely untreatable brain tumor. This is the second of several pending molecular medicine studies in patients using measles to kill cancer. Release

Patients with Type 2 diabetes and periodontal disease who receive periodontal therapy see levels of oxidative stress--a condition in which antioxidant levels are lower than normal--reduced to the same levels as non-diabetic patients, according to a new study that appeared in the November issue of the Journal of Periodontology. Report

Rapid and guided healing of bones has moved a step closer with research by two biomedical engineering students who have found new ways to deliver bone growth enhancers directly to broken or weakened bones. Release

The next generation of treatments for shock or stroke could be based on a protein that is already in our heads--neuroglobin. In a review article to be published in the November issue of the FASEB Journal, scientists from University of Rome describe this protein, which may be the key to unlocking new therapies to minimize brain damage and improve recoveries for patients. Release

Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University's School of Dentistry have uncovered an interaction between two proteins in the nerve cells that carry pain information from the head and neck to the brain. The finding could play a significant role in the development of therapies to cure migraines and other craniofacial pain conditions like TMJ disorder. Release

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School say that they believe the common sequence of DNA characteristic in most people with rheumatoid arthritis may be the cause of overproduction of nitric oxide which inhibits apoptosis and leads to the disease symptoms. Release

Scientists studying the proteins spectrin and ankyrin, which shape and fortify cell membranes, say that spectrin's capacity to adhere to membranes may help researchers develop therapeutic molecules. Report

Cell biologists have provided further evidence that a gene thought to play a role in suppressing tumors actually protects against the development of pre-cancerous cell growth as well. The researchers say that the gene, caveolin-1, which they found in two major types of breast cells, could be a potential target for future drugs aimed at preventing breast cancer. The work also suggests a potentially important role of the tumor "microenvironment" in the cancerous process. Release

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have been studying an enzyme called APOBEC-3G in the white blood cells of HIV-infected patients to determine how it can help stave off infections. Recently, they gained a close look at the A3G to determine how they could develop a therapeutic that would provide the same protection to others. Release

The British company e-Therapeutics has formed a partnership with Brazilian company Grupo TCI to establish a joint research facility close to the Amazonian and Atlantic rain forests, to start testing substances from the millions of plants in the most diverse ecosystem on the planet. Release

Deals & Dollars

The National Palliative Care Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, has been awarded a $5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Release

The Institute for OneWorld Health has won a $46 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its research into new methods to fight diarrheal disease. The announcement was made at Forum 10, the Global Forum for Health Research's annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. OneWorld Health is a non-profit pharmaceutical company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Release

Tools & Technology

Peter Richardson, a professor of engineering and physiology at Brown University, is using new computing tools to test ideas about clotting. He worked in collaboration with Igor Pivkin and George Karniadakis to create a model that combines fluid dynamics with platelet biochemistry to shed new light on methods to treat and prevent strokes and heart attacks. Report

Greg Albers, M.D., director of the Stanford Stroke Center, and his team report in the November issue of Annals of Neurology that new magnetic resonance imaging techniques can discriminate between stroke patients who are likely to benefit from a stroke medication--even when administered beyond the currently approved three-hour time window--and those for whom treatment is unlikely to be beneficial and may cause harm. Release

ALSO NOTED: New sequencing project in cancer; Researchers increase potency of antibiotics; Nano-napkin to ID pathogens;

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:01:38 -0400

More Research

The NIH has begun a new project to sequence all the genetic changes that occur in brain, ovarian and lung cancer. Their work is intended to highlight new genes that will be the target of a new generation of cancer drugs. Report

By switching sugar molecules using a class of enzymes called glycosyltransferases, researchers at the University of Wisconsin discovered a new process that significantly heightens the impact of antibiotics and anti-tumor drugs. By "pirating" nature's sugars, they were able to create a variant of vancomycin and new versions of a cancer drug that eliminates tumor cells. And other researchers say the approach offers great promise in tackling MRSA and other drug-resistant infections. Article

Scientists at Cornell are developing a napkin that can be used to quickly detect pathogens. The napkin will be made of nanofibers containing antibodies to chemicals and biohazards and will change color on detection. Report

E. coli bacteria that have become resistant to standard therapies could be treated with cranberry juice, according to researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Cranberries contain a group of tannins that work as antibiotics, changing the shape of the bacteria from rods to spheres and altering cell membranes. The transformation prevents the bacteria from latching on to cells. Release

Researchers at Jefferson Medical College say that the protein GRK2 may be an effective biomarker for heart failure. Levels of GRK2 are higher in heart failure patients than in healthy ones, they found. The study was to be presented at the annual scientific meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America. Report

Researchers at the George Institute for International Health have concluded that a prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs following hip surgery could do more damage than good. Increased incidences of bleeding have to be considered alongside the prevention of ectopic bone formations. Report

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrated that AMD3100 can mobilize angiogenic cells from bone marrow of human patients in a matter of hours, spurring the formation of new blood vessels necessary for spreading oxygen and nutrients to tissue. Release

Resistance to some of the new, frontline therapies for non-small cell lung cancer can be created by tiny genetic mutations that can be detected with standard screening techniques, according to Dana Farber Cancer Research. Release

Cold Spring Harbor Protocols, an online journal that publishes methods used in a wide range of biology laboratories, has added over 40 new peer-reviewed protocols to its archive. The new collection highlights two techniques for characterizing protein interactions, which will aid many cell and molecular biologists--including those who seek to identify the molecular basis of human diseases. Release

An antimicrobial compound found in crustaceans could be used to fight hospital-based infections. Scientists at the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University say that chitosan protects against the buildup of biofilms. Report

Building on previous work, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that deleting an inflammation enzyme in a mouse model of heart disease slowed the development of atherosclerosis. What's more, the composition of the animals' blood vessels showed that the disease process had not only slowed, but also stabilized. This study points to the possibility of a new class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that work to reduce the risk of heart disease. Release

Vitamin D can significantly reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. Report

Researchers have determined the precise structure of a protein needed for the replication of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, a potential bioterrorist weapon. Report

By changing which carbohydrates they attach to, viruses are able to infect cells more efficiently--a finding that may prove valuable to scientists seeking ways to fight cancer or brain diseases, say University of Florida researchers writing in the current Journal of Biological Chemistry. Release

For older adults, anemia's trademark loss of red blood cells has been linked to fatigue, muscle weakness and other physical problems. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins have found a relationship between anemia and impaired thinking, too. Release

Two genes, known as REG1A and EXTL3, are overexpressed in colorectal tumors of patients who are at high risk of recurrence, according to a new study from the Max Delbrueck Center in Berlin, Germany. Release

Researchers say they've discovered two proteins secreted by the placenta that may be entirely responsible for preeclampsia, a potentially lethal condition. Report

A team of researchers at Purdue University has found a protein in the blood that may prove to be more reliable than the standard prostate specific antigen (PSA) test in measuring the extent of prostate cancer. Release

Tools & Technology

Scientists at MIT have developed a "molecular sieve" that they say will speed up the accurate sorting of proteins, work essential in drug discovery. Using a microchip with a standard set of nanopores, the scientists can separate proteins by size and shape. Report

A team of researchers from Arizona State University and Motorola Labs has developed sensors based on carbon nanotubes, microscopically small structures that possess excellent electronic properties. In early tests, the new devices detected the presence of heavy metal ions in water down to parts per trillion levels. Release

Germany's Genomatix Software has announced plans to sell its products to the Chinese market through Beijing ZGZ Science and Technology Development. Release

Deals & Dollars

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has given a $1.1 million grant to a scientist at St. Louis University to research a family of neurodegenerative diseases. Report

Inscent has received a Small Business Innovative Research grant from the US National Science Foundation to continue the development of novel technologies and products based on insect chemosensory proteins. Release