TOP STORY Live Imaging Puts New Light on Stem Cell Division A long-held assumption about asymmetrical division of stem cells has cracked. Researchers report that the mitotic spindle does not act alone — that cortical proteins help to position a cleavage furrow in the right location. A three-member team focused on Drosophila neural stem cells, long known for dividing asymmetrically. [Press release from the University of Oregon discussing online prepublication in Nature]
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SCIENCE NEWS
Insulin Resistance, Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Plaques Associated With Alzheimer’s Disease People with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes appear to be at an increased risk of developing plaques in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research. [Press release from ScienceDaily discussing online prepublication in Neurology] New Study Sheds Light on Painkilling System in Brain Repeatedly boosting brain levels of one natural painkiller soon shuts down the brain cell receptors that respond to it, so that the painkilling effect is lost, according to a surprising new study. [Press release from The Scripps Research Institute discussing online prepublication in Nature Neuroscience] Scripps Research Scientists Uncover New Mechanism of Memory Formation Scientists have discovered a mechanism that plays a critical role in the formation of long-term memory. The findings shed substantial new light on aspects of how memory is formed, and could lead to novel treatments for memory disorders. [Press release from The Scripps Research Institute discussing online prepublication in Neuron] Double-Therapy Approach Effectively Inhibited Brain Cancer Recurrence Researchers have identified a novel approach of combining chemotherapy with a targeted therapy to decrease the recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme. [Press release from the University of Massachusetts Medical School discussing online prepublication in Cancer Research] Gene Therapy to Treat Epilepsy a Step Closer Researchers introduced genes that increase the expression of certain receptors for neuropeptides in the brain. [Press release from Lund University discussing online prepublication in Brain] UBC Researchers Unveil “Toolbox of MiniPromoters” for Gene Research and Therapy University of British Columbia researchers have led the development of a new “toolbox of MiniPromoters” for research and future therapies on brain, spinal cord and eye function. [Press release from The University of British Columbia discussing online prepublication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]
| | | | | *Piccirillo et al., Nature, 2006. *Gallia et al., Mol Cancer Ther, 2009. | *McGillicuddy et al., Cancer Cell, 2009. *Zheng et al., Cancer Cell, 2010. |
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CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)
Alpha-Synuclein Promotes SNARE-Complex Assembly in Vivo and in Vitro Here, researchers find that maintenance of continuous presynaptic SNARE-complex assembly required a nonclassical chaperone activity mediated by synucleins. [Science] Chronic Monoacylglycerol Lipase Blockade Causes Functional Antagonism of the Endocannabinoid System Prolonged exposure to drugs of abuse, such as cannabinoids and opioids, leads to pharmacological tolerance and receptor desensitization in the nervous system. Researchers found that a similar form of functional antagonism was produced by sustained inactivation of monoacylglycerol lipase, the principal degradative enzyme for the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. [Nat Neurosci] Myosin IIb Regulates Actin Dynamics during Synaptic Plasticity and Memory Formation In this study, researchers show that myosin II motor activity is downstream of LTP induction and is necessary for the emergence of specialized actin structures that stabilize an early phase of LTP. [Neuron] Adeno-Associated Viral Vector-Induced Overexpression of Neuropeptide Y Y2 Receptors in the Hippocampus Suppresses Seizures Results demonstrate that overexpression of Y2 receptors (alone or in combination with neuropeptide Y) could be an alternative strategy for epilepsy treatment. [Brain] A Regulatory Toolbox of MiniPromoters to Drive Selective Expression in the Brain Genes with brain expression patterns of interest are subjected to bioinformatic analysis to delineate candidate regulatory regions, which are then incorporated into a panel of compact human MiniPromoters to drive expression to brain regions and cell types of interest. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Insulin Resistance is Associated with the Pathology of Alzheimer Disease Researchers examined the association between diabetes-related factors and pathology of Alzheimer disease (AD) to evaluate how diabetes affects the pathogenic process of AD. [Neurology] Myoblast-Derived Neuronal Cells Form Glutamatergic Neurons in the Mouse Cerebellum The findings suggest that although activation of REST-target genes can reprogram myoblasts to assume a general neuronal phenotype, the subtype specificity may then be directed by the brain microenvironment. [ Stem Cells] MicroRNA Signature and Expression of Dicer and Drosha Can Predict Prognosis and Delineate Risk Groups in Neuroblastoma To investigate the microRNA (miRNA) profile and role of Dicer and Drosha in neuroblastoma (NB), researchers have assessed the expression of 162 human miRNAs, Dicer and Drosha in 66 NB tumors by using real-time PCR methods. [Cancer Res] The Effect of Nanofiber-Guided Cell Alignment on the Preferential Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells Here researchers investigate the influence of aligned substratum topography on the cell morphology and subsequently, the neuronal differentiation capabilities of adult neural stem cells. [Biomaterials]
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POLICY NEWS
Obama Administration Appeals Stem Cell Injunction The Obama administration appealed a ruling that blocked federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and asked the judge who issued the injunction to put it on hold pending the appeal. [Obama Administration, United States] NIH Orders Immediate Shutdown of Intramural Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Responding to a court order, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ordered intramural researchers studying human embryonic stem cells to shut down their experiments. [National Institutes of Health, United States] NIH Asks Judge to Suspend Stem Cell Research Injunction Warning of a “devastating impact” on ongoing research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked a federal court to stay a preliminary injunction that last week forced NIH to suspend future grant payments to study human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and shut down its in-house research on hESCs. [National Institutes of Health, United States] NIH Director’s Response to Stem Cell Injunction [National Institutes of Health, United States] Request for Comments on Synthetic Biology (FR Doc. 2010-21359) [Department of Health and Human Services, United States] Notice of Meeting: Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society (FR Doc. 2010-21532) [Department of Health and Human Services, United States] National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Notice of Meetings [Department of Health and Human Services, United States] Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health; Notice of Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-20861) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings (FR Doc. 2010-21357) [National Institutes of Health, United States] National Cancer Institute; Notice of Closed Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-21282) [National Institutes of Health, United States] National Center for Research Resources; Notice of Closed Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-21280) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Guidance for Industry: Electronic Submission of Lot Distribution Reports for Biological Products [Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States] Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial Requirements, Regulations, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice; Public Workshop [FR Doc. 2010-20834] [Food and Drug Administration, United States]
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EVENTS (Listed by Date) EMBO/EMBL Structures and Function of Neural Circuits September 5-8, 2010 Heidelberg, Germany International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)-Europe 2nd Regional Meeting September 11-14, 2010 Belgirate, Italy Joint Metastasis Research Society – American Association of Cancer Research Conference on Metastasis and the Tumor Microenvironment September 12-15, 2010 Philadelphia, United States Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Congress 2010 September 13-15, 2010 Philadelphia, United States International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy of Cancer (ISCGT) Congress September 27-29, 2010 Doha, Qatar 4th American Association of Cancer Research International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development September 27-30, 2010 Denver, United States 6th International Symposium on Neuroprotection and Neurorepair October 1-4, 2010 Rostock, Germany 2010 World Stem Cell Summit October 4-6, 2010 Detroit, United States 18th Annual BioPartnering Europe October 10-12, 2010 London, United Kingdom Institute for Genomic Medicine Inaugural Symposium October 11-12, 2010 San Diego, United States 5th Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference October 12-13, 2010 New York City, United States Translational Cancer Research for Basic Scientists October 17-22, 2010 Boston, United States Fraunhofer Life Science Symposium 2010 October 29-30, 2010 Leipzig, Germany Stem Cell Society Singapore Symposium 2010: Translating Science to Therapy November 2-3, 2010 Singapore City, Singapore 40th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience 2010 November 13-17, 2010 San Diego, United States Stem Cell Network 10th Annual Scientific Meeting November 22-24, 2010 Calgary, Canada The American Society for Cell Biology 50th Annual Meeting December 11-15, 2010 Philadelphia, United States Adult Neurogenesis January 9-14, 2011 Taos, New Mexico Select Biosciences 5th Annual Stem Cells World Congress January 24-25, 2011 San Diego, United States Phacilitate 7th Annual Cell & Gene Therapy Forum 2011 January 24-26, 2011 Washington, DC, United States Trends in Central Nervous System Malignancies March 25-26, 2011 Bucharest, Romania Wiring the Brain: Making Connections April 12-15, 2011 Powerscourt, Ireland Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community. JOB OPPORTUNITIES Cell Therapy Technologist (Opexa Therapeutics) Recruit Top Talent Reach more than 11,000 potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities with Neural Cell News. Visit here to post your career opportunities.
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