| Vol. 15.12 – 31 March, 2021 |
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| Scientists used cerebral organoids derived from human, gorilla, and chimpanzee cells to study developmental mechanisms driving evolutionary brain expansion. [Cell] |
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| PUBLICATIONSRanked by the impact factor of the journal |
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| Investigators generated human serotonergic neurons in vitro and detected secreted serotonin using aptamer-coated nanopipettes in a low nanomolar range, with the possibility of detecting significantly lower concentrations. [Molecular Psychiatry] |
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| The authors identified sulfatase 2 (Sulf2) mRNA in activated human primary oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Sulf2, an extracellular endosulfatase, modulated the signaling microenvironment by editing the pattern of sulfation on heparan sulfate proteoglycans. [Nature Communications] |
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| Using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells and CRISPR/Cas9 engineering, scientists developed a human model of Leigh syndrome caused by mutations in the complex IV assembly gene SURF1. [Nature Communications] |
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| Investigators revealed that mitophagy was broadly activated in metabolically enhanced neurons upon oxidative phosphorylation stimulation, which sustained high energetic activity by increasing mitochondrial turnover and hence facilitated mitochondrial maintenance. [Autophagy] |
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| Researchers report that depletion of sciatic nerve resident macrophages (rMΦ) in mice attenuated mechanical/cold hypersensitivity and spontaneous pain evoked by intraplantar injection of melanoma or lung carcinoma cells. Targeted deletion of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (Trpa1) revealed a key role for Schwann cell TRPA1 in sciatic nerve rMΦ expansion and pain-like behaviors. [Cancer Research] |
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| The authors demonstrated increased binding of a specific GA binding protein B1L (GABPB1L)-isoform–containing complex to the mutant telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter. They found that TERT promoter mutant glioblastoma cells, unlike wild-type cells, exhibited a critical near-term dependence on GABPB1L for proliferation. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] |
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| Scientists demonstrated that MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas were sensitive to the combined inhibition of MCT1 and complex I of the mitochondrion. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] |
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| Investigators showed that Ogt deficiency or depletion in adult neural stem/progenitor cells (aNSPCs) led to the diminishment of the aNSPC pool and aberrant neurogenesis and consequently impaired cognitive function in adult mice. [Cell Reports] |
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| The authors showed that cerebellar molecular layer GABAergic interneurons, derived from the same progenitor pool, used separate migration paths to reach their laminar position and differentiate into distinct basket cell and stellate cell GABAergic interneuron subtypes. [Cell Reports] |
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| In cell lines derived from Parkinson’s disease patients, astrocytes were characterized by a significant decrease in S100B and GFAP-positive astrocytic profiles associated with marked decrease in astrocyte complexity. [npj Parkinsons Disease] |
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| Scientists discovered that glioblastoma cells exhibited features indicative of malignant progression and were present in a hypoxic environment. [Cell Death & Disease] |
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| In BV2 microglial cells treated with LPS, pre-application of artemisinin significantly reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines and suppressed microglial migration. [Acta Pharmacologica Sinica] |
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| Scientists focus on the use of engineered cells to treat glioblastoma, with an emphasis on data from the small number of clinical trials that have been performed to date and the lessons learned from these. [Cancer Gene Therapy] |
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| Investigators survey data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and available literature on the roles of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinose (NCL) genes in different oncogenic processes to reveal links between all the NCL genes and cancer-related processes. They also discuss the potential contribution of each NCL gene to cancer immunology. [iScience] |
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| Anavex Life Sciences Corp. announced that the Independent Data Safety Monitoring Board for the company’s Phase IIb/III Alzheimer’s disease study of its investigational compound ANAVEX®2-73 has completed its recent pre-planned review of the preliminary Phase IIb/III study data. [Anavex Life Sciences Corp.] |
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| BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. announced topline data from the company’s Phase II trial evaluating three repeated administrations of NurOwn®, each given two months apart, as a treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). [BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.] |
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| Genmab A/S announced that the European Commission has granted Novartis marketing authorization for the use of Kesimpta® in the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis in adults with active disease defined by clinical or imaging features. [Genmab A/S] |
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| May 17 – 21, 2021 Virtual |
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| Duke University Medical Center – Durham, North Carolina, United States |
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| University of Minnesota Medical Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
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| University of California, San Francisco – San Francisco, California, United States |
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| Chinese University of Hong Kong – Hong Kong, China |
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| Rutgers University – New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States |
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