iZumi's plans to capitalize on iPS cells - pp590 - 591

Monya Baker

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-590

Full Text - iZumi's plans to capitalize on iPS cells | PDF (138 KB) - iZumi's plans to capitalize on iPS cells

Up in arms - pp592 - 594

Gunjan Sinha

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-592

Several European countries continue to defy EU law and ban genetically modified maize. Will the stalemate ever be resolved? Gunjan Sinha investigates.

Abstract - | Full Text - Up in arms | PDF (248 KB) - Up in arms

Six secrets to success—how to build a sustainable biotech business - pp595 - 597

Francesco De Rubertis, Roman Fleck & Werner Lanthaler

doi:10.1038/bioe.2009.5

PDF (119 KB) - Six secrets to success—how to build a sustainable biotech business

PRIDE Converter: making proteomics data-sharing easy - pp598 - 599

Harald Barsnes, Juan Antonio Vizcaíno, Ingvar Eidhammer & Lennart Martens

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-598

Full Text - PRIDE Converter: making proteomics data-sharing easy | PDF (314 KB) - PRIDE Converter: making proteomics data-sharing easy

NCBI Peptidome: a new public repository for mass spectrometry peptide identifications - pp600 - 601

Douglas J Slotta, Tanya Barrett & Ron Edgar

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-600

Full Text - NCBI Peptidome: a new public repository for mass spectrometry peptide identifications | PDF (215 KB) - NCBI Peptidome: a new public repository for mass spectrometry peptide identifications

More eyeballs on AERS - pp601 - 602

Leslie A Pratt & Paul N Danese

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-601

Full Text - More eyeballs on AERS | PDF (241 KB) - More eyeballs on AERS | Supplementary information

Lessons in biopolitics - pp602 - 604

Shane Morris

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-602

Full Text - Lessons in biopolitics | PDF (280 KB) - Lessons in biopolitics

Metabolic reconfiguration precedes transcriptional regulation in the antioxidant response - pp604 - 605

Markus Ralser, Mirjam M C Wamelink, Simone Latkolik, Erwin E W Jansen, Hans Lehrach & Cornelis Jakobs

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-604

Full Text - Metabolic reconfiguration precedes transcriptional regulation in the antioxidant response | PDF (241 KB) - Metabolic reconfiguration precedes transcriptional regulation in the antioxidant response | Supplementary information

Developing safe therapies from human pluripotent stem cells - pp606 - 613

Melissa K Carpenter, Joyce Frey-Vasconcells & Mahendra S Rao

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-606

Translation of human pluripotent stem cells into cell therapies will require the development of standardized tests for product consistency, stability, tumorigenicity, toxicity and immunogenicity.

Abstract - | Full Text - Developing safe therapies from human pluripotent stem cells | PDF (486 KB) - Developing safe therapies from human pluripotent stem cells

Dynamics of global disclosure through patent and journal publications for biopharmaceutical products - pp614 - 618

Harry Thangaraj, Craig J van Dolleweerd, Edward G McGowan & Julian K-C Ma

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-614

Examining the relationships between invention disclosure type in industry and academia and geographical disclosure trends, using plant-made pharmaceuticals as a single-sector model for the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract - | Full Text - Dynamics of global disclosure through patent and journal publications for biopharmaceutical products | PDF (453 KB) - Dynamics of global disclosure through patent and journal publications for biopharmaceutical products

Recent patent applications in stem cells - p619

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-619

Full Text - Recent patent applications in stem cells | PDF (57 KB) - Recent patent applications in stem cells

Fifteen years of microbial genomics: meeting the challenges and fulfilling the dream - pp627 - 632

Nikos C Kyrpides

doi:10.1038/nbt.1552

As we approach the completed sequencing of 1,000 microbial genomes, the field of microbial genomics is poised at a crossroads. The future holds great promise for far-reaching advancements in microbiology as well as in diverse, related sciences. But realizing that potential will require meeting the challenges that have accompanied the rapid development of the underlying technology and the exponential growth of data. New technologies provide unprecedented opportunities but also call for conceptual shifts. Experience gained in the first decade of genomics can guide the improved approaches now needed for the selection of genome sequencing projects and their funding, for genome publication and annotation, as well as for data analysis and access. Equipped with these new tools and policies, microbiologists will have a unique opportunity for unprecedented exploration of our microbial planet.

Now that ~1,000 microbial genomes have been sequenced, Nikos Kyrpides reflects on the past decade of microbial genomics and extrapolates forward to propose solutions to meeting challenges in the field.

Abstract - | Full Text - Fifteen years of microbial genomics: meeting the challenges and fulfilling the dream | PDF (240 KB) - Fifteen years of microbial genomics: meeting the challenges and fulfilling the dream | Supplementary information

Multi-site assessment of the precision and reproducibility of multiple reaction monitoring–based measurements of proteins in plasma - pp633 - 641

Terri A Addona, Susan E Abbatiello, Birgit Schilling, Steven J Skates, D R Mani, David M Bunk, Clifford H Spiegelman, Lisa J Zimmerman, Amy-Joan L Ham, Hasmik Keshishian, Steven C Hall, Simon Allen, Ronald K Blackman, Christoph H Borchers, Charles Buck, Helene L Cardasis, Michael P Cusack, Nathan G Dodder, Bradford W Gibson, Jason M Held, Tara Hiltke, Angela Jackson, Eric B Johansen, Christopher R Kinsinger, Jing Li, Mehdi Mesri, Thomas A Neubert, Richard K Niles, Trenton C Pulsipher, David Ransohoff, Henry Rodriguez, Paul A Rudnick, Derek Smith, David L Tabb, Tony J Tegeler, Asokan M Variyath, Lorenzo J Vega-Montoto, Åsa Wahlander, Sofia Waldemarson, Mu Wang, Jeffrey R Whiteaker, Lei Zhao, N Leigh Anderson, Susan J Fisher, Daniel C Liebler, Amanda G Paulovich, Fred E Regnier, Paul Tempst & Steven A Carr

doi:10.1038/nbt.1546

Although multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry holds considerable promise for quantifying candidate protein biomarkers in blood, transferability of MRM assays between laboratories has never been shown. Addona et al. assess the reproducibility, dynamic range and limits of detection and quantification of MRM across multiple sites.

Abstract - | Full Text - Multi-site assessment of the precision and reproducibility of multiple reaction monitoring–based measurements of proteins in plasma | PDF (599 KB) - Multi-site assessment of the precision and reproducibility of multiple reaction monitoring–based measurements of proteins in plasma | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by McIntosh & Fitzgibbon

Sequential treatment of drug-resistant tumors with targeted minicells containing siRNA or a cytotoxic drug - pp643 - 651

Jennifer A MacDiarmid, Nancy B Amaro-Mugridge, Jocelyn Madrid-Weiss, Ilya Sedliarou, Stefanie Wetzel, Kartini Kochar, Vatsala N Brahmbhatt, Leo Phillips, Scott T Pattison, Carlotta Petti, Bruce Stillman, Robert M Graham & Himanshu Brahmbhatt

doi:10.1038/nbt.1547

Drug resistance remains a major hurdle to effective cancer chemotherapy. MacDiarmid et al. show that bacterially derived minicells packaged with siRNAs reverse tumor drug resistance and that subsequent treatment with minicells loaded with cytotoxic drugs causes tumor stabilization or regression.

Abstract - | Full Text - Sequential treatment of drug-resistant tumors with targeted minicells containing siRNA or a cytotoxic drug | PDF (742 KB) - Sequential treatment of drug-resistant tumors with targeted minicells containing siRNA or a cytotoxic drug | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Karagiannis & Anderson

Quantification of the yeast transcriptome by single-molecule sequencing - pp652 - 658

Doron Lipson, Tal Raz, Alix Kieu, Daniel R Jones, Eldar Giladi, Edward Thayer, John F Thompson, Stan Letovsky, Patrice Milos & Marie Causey

doi:10.1038/nbt.1551

Lipson et al. profile the yeast transcriptome using single-molecule sequencing. This approach avoids the inherent biases of the digestion, ligation and amplification steps in alternative methods based on microarrays or other sequencing technologies.

Abstract - | Full Text - Quantification of the yeast transcriptome by single-molecule sequencing | PDF (4,199 KB) - Quantification of the yeast transcriptome by single-molecule sequencing | Supplementary information

Synergistic drug combinations tend to improve therapeutically relevant selectivity - pp659 - 666

Joseph Lehár, Andrew S Krueger, William Avery, Adrian M Heilbut, Lisa M Johansen, E Roydon Price, Richard J Rickles, Glenn F Short III, Jane E Staunton, Xiaowei Jin, Margaret S Lee, Grant R Zimmermann & Alexis A Borisy

doi:10.1038/nbt.1549

Although combinations of drugs are often more potent than single agents, they are also believed to induce worse side effects. By screening >94,000 drug pairs in vitro, Lehár et al. show that synergistic combinations tend to be more selective than single drugs and are therefore unlikely to cause synergistic side effects.

Abstract - | Full Text - Synergistic drug combinations tend to improve therapeutically relevant selectivity | PDF (1,098 KB) - Synergistic drug combinations tend to improve therapeutically relevant selectivity | Supplementary information

Rapid and systematic analysis of the RNA recognition specificities of RNA-binding proteins - pp667 - 670

Debashish Ray, Hilal Kazan, Esther T Chan, Lourdes Peña Castillo, Sidharth Chaudhry, Shaheynoor Talukder, Benjamin J Blencowe, Quaid Morris & Timothy R Hughes

doi:10.1038/nbt.1550

Until now, determining the sequences recognized by an RNA-binding protein has been time and labor intensive. Ray et al. use a custom pool of >210,000 oligos that encode linear and stem-loop RNAs to rapidly determine the sequences bound by nine RNA-binding proteins.

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Rapid and systematic analysis of the RNA recognition specificities of RNA-binding proteins | PDF (384 KB) - Rapid and systematic analysis of the RNA recognition specificities of RNA-binding proteins | Supplementary information

Small-cap biotechs in dire straits - pp672 - 673

Michael Francisco

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-672

Full Text - Small-cap biotechs in dire straits | PDF (88 KB) - Small-cap biotechs in dire straits

People - p674

doi:10.1038/nbt0709-674

Full Text - People | PDF (74 KB) - People