Pancreatic Cell News Volume 7.32 | Aug 16 2016

TOP STORY

Pancreatic Cancer Cells Find Unique Fuel Sources to Keep from Starving

Pancreatic cancer cells avert starvation in dense tumors by ordering nearby support cells to supply them with an alternative source of nutrition. [Press release from New York University Langone Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Nature] Press Release | Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

DIABETES & PANCREATITIS

Loss of Trefoil Factor 2 from Pancreatic Duct Glands Promotes Formation of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms in Mice

Scientists investigated whether pancreatic duct glands (PDGs) are a precursor compartment for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms and the role of trefoil factor family 2 — a protein expressed by PDGs and the gastric mucosa that is involved in epithelial repair and tumor suppression. [Gastroenterology] Abstract

Urea Impairs β Cell Glycolysis and Insulin Secretion in Chronic Kidney Disease

Scientists tested the hypothesis that defective insulin secretion in chronic kidney disease is caused by a direct effect of urea on pancreatic β cells. [J Clin Invest] Full Article | Press Release

IGFBP1 Increases β‐Cell Regeneration by Promoting α‐ to β‐Cell Transdifferentiation

Investigators found insulin‐like growth factor (Igf) binding‐protein 1 (Igfbp1), potently promoted β‐cell regeneration by potentiating α‐ to β‐cell transdifferentiation. [EMBO J] Full Article

Adipose- and Muscle-Derived Wnts Trigger Pancreatic β-Cell Adaptation to Systemic Insulin Resistance

Investigators showed that two Wnt proteins, WNT3a and WNT4, are specifically secreted by skeletal muscle and adipose tissue during the development of insulin resistance and play an important role in cross-talk between insulin-resistant tissues and pancreatic beta cells [Sci Rep] Full Article

Insulin Receptor Alternative Splicing Is Regulated by Insulin Signaling and Modulates Beta Cell Survival

Researchers showed that insulin induces insulin receptor exon 11 inclusion in pancreatic beta cells in both human and mouse. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Exendin-4 Enhances the Differentiation of Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Cells through Activation of Various β-Cell Markers

Scientists investigated how exendin-4 could affect the differentiation outcome of Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells into insulin-producing cells, and the role played by exendin-4 in this differentiation process. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

Transgenic Expression of a Single Transcription Factor Pdx1 Induces Transdifferentiation of Pancreatic Acinar Cells to Endocrine Cells in Adult Mice.

Scientists showed the paradigm of in vivo reprogramming indicates that acinar cells hold promise as a source for new islet cells in regenerative therapies for diabetes. [PLoS One] Full Article

PANCREATIC CANCER

Glucolipotoxicity Initiates Pancreatic β-Cell Death through TNFR5/CD40-Mediated STAT1 and NF-κB Activation

Researchers found that tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR5) signaling has a major role in triggering glucolipotoxic islet cell death. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

MicroRNA-148a Suppresses the Proliferation and Migration of Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Down-Regulating ErbB3

Scientists investigated whether microRNAs regulate levels of ErbB3 in pancreatic cancer cells. [Pancreas] Abstract

Targeting Hepatic Glucose Metabolism in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Researchers review the molecular mechanisms controlling hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogen storage, and assess the prospect of therapeutically targeting associated pathways to treat type 2 diabetes. [Nat Rev Drug Discov] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the pancreatic cell research field.

$10.4 Million Awarded for Pancreatic Cancer Research

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a $10.4 million, five-year grant to Washington University researchers and physicians at Siteman Cancer Center to lead a national group of experts in collaborative pancreatic cancer research. [Washington University St. Louis] Press Release

SBP Receives $1 Million for Pancreatic and Prostate Cancer Research

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) has received a $1 million donation from The Epstein Family Foundation for scientists to study pancreatic and prostate cancer. The gift, contributed by SBP board member Dan Epstein and his wife Phyllis, will support the lab of Nicholas Cosford, Ph.D., associate director of Translational Research at the Institute’s NCI-designated Cancer Center. [Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute] Press Release

Sun BioPharma Announces Completion of the Second Patient Cohort and Starts Recruitment of Third Cohort Patients in the Dose Escalation Phase I Study of SBP101 for Pancreatic Cancer

Sun BioPharma, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company developing disruptive therapeutics for the treatment of patients with pancreatic diseases, reported additional progress in the Phase I Study of the company’s candidate SBP101 for pancreatic cancer. [Sun BioPharma Inc.] Press Release

Merck Announces U.S. FDA Filing Acceptance of New Drug Application for MK-1293, an Investigational Follow-On Biologic Insulin Glargine

Merck announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application for MK-1293, an investigational follow-on biologic1 insulin glargine candidate for the treatment of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which is being developed by Merck with partial funding from Samsung Bioepis. [Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp] Press Release

OncoGenex Announces Results from the Phase 3 AFFINITY Trial of Custirsen in Men with Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced results from the final analysis of AFFINITY, the Phase III trial of custirsen in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer whose disease has progressed after treatment with docetaxel. The trial did not meet the primary endpoint of demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in overall survival for patients treated with custirsen in combination with cabazitaxel/prednisone compared to cabazitaxel/prednisone alone. [OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release

AbGenomics Announces FDA Acceptance to Commence Phase I Clinical Trial of AbGn-107 ADC Candidate for Pancreatic, Gastric, and Colorectal Cancer Treatments

AbGenomics International Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s Investigational New Drug Application for its AbGn-107 antibody drug conjugate (ADC) candidate for treating pancreatic, gastric, and colorectal cancers. The company will be initiating a Phase I proof of concept clinical trial for the treatment of patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers. [AbGenomics International, Inc.] Press Release

Pitt Cancer Institute Awarded Major Federal Grants for Early Cancer Detection

The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, partner with UPMC Cancer Center, will receive or is sharing in $15.5 million over five years from the National Cancer Institute to accelerate research into the early detection of cancer. [University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences] Press Release

UK Government Gives Brexit Science Funding Guarantee

British scientists say they’re relieved by a government promise to guarantee them funding for existing EU research projects, even after the country leaves the European Union. But the reassurance only partly allays concerns about Brexit’s effect on UK science. [Nature News] Editorial

Spiking Genomic Databases with Misinformation Could Protect Patient Privacy

Large genomic databases are indispensable for scientists looking for genetic variations associated with diseases. But they come with privacy risks for people who contribute their DNA. A 2013 study showed that hackers could use publicly available information on the Internet to identify people from their anonymized genomic data. [Nature News] Editorial

From Bark to Bedside

Over the past decade, researchers have conducted hundreds of studies on pets to discover new therapies and medicines. The idea is that—unlike lab rodents—cats and dogs live in the same world we do, and naturally get many of the same diseases, so they could hold the key to developing new treatments for people at a fraction of the normal cost, and potentially yield a trove of new drugs for pets themselves. [Science] Editorial

NEW Advances in Cell Engineering, Imaging, and Screenings
November 17-18, 2016
Leuven, Belgium

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – Translational Cancer Discovery (Institute of Cancer Research)

NEW Product Specialist – Oncology (Celgene Corporation)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Control and Estimation for the Artificial Pancreas (Mc Gill University)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Pancreatic Stem Cell Biology (University of Southern California)

Research Fellow – Genome Regulation and Diabetes (Imperial College London)

Research Histotechnologist I (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Research Assistant – Molecular and Cellular Control of Pancreatic Islet Function (Université Catholique de Louvain)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Pancreatic Beta Cell Biology (Lilly)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Breast, Prostate, and Pancreatic Cancer (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Pancreatic Cancer Biology (New York University School of Medicine)

Principal Investigator – Tenure Track Position (National Institutes of Health)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Various Projects (University of Pittsburgh)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.

Have we missed an important article or publication in Pancreatic Cell News? Click here to submit!

Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here.