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Long thought of as passive bystanders, glial cells are coming under increasing scrutiny as mediators of inflammatory disease in the nervous system. Now, some drug makers are hoping they can be targeted pharmacologically. Cormac Sheridan reports.
With many small biotech companies teetering at the edge of a financial precipice, the US government should act swiftly to enact tax benefits allowing a refund of net operating losses.
The cancer vaccine field is littered with promising products that failed to show clinical efficacy. Could it finally be on the verge of a first US approval?
DNA synthesis by single polymerase molecules has been visualized at the speed of catalysis, heralding a new sequencing technology of unparalleled throughput.
The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells might be improved by replacing the reprogramming transgenes with small molecules. To provide cells suitable for small-molecule screening, Markoulaki et al. segregate the transgenes Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc through breeding, creating mice carrying all possible combinations of the four factors.
A reliable supply of antigen-specific human antibodies could be useful for treating many diseases. Kuroiwa et al. use multiple rounds of genetic modification and cloning to generate a calf carrying human immunoglobulin genes and lacking bovine immunoglobulin genes, and show that the hyperimmunized animal produces >2 g/l of antigen-specific human polyclonal antibodies.
Gnirke et al. present a bead-based method for capturing sequences of interest in the human genome for massively parallel sequencing. Using long, biotinylated RNA probes to pull down PCR-amplified DNA fragments, they demonstrate sequencing of 2.5 Mbs of exons in 1,900 genes.
Development of sensitive mass spectrometry–based assays for complex biofluids depends on the ability to identify signature peptides that produce the strongest signals. Fusaro et al. use protein physicochemical properties to predict high-responding peptides in data obtained from complex samples such as plasma.
Altered gene expression in tumors has been explored as a prognostic indicator of cancer outcome and treatment efficacy. Taylor et al. extend this approach by analyzing the coordinated expression of 'hub' proteins and their interacting partners as a means of predicting breast cancer prognosis.