Low-Rhes approach to Huntington's FREE

by Tim Fulmer, Senior Writer

doi:10.1038/scibx.2009.993

Johns Hopkins researchers may have solved a central mystery of Huntington's disease: why the mutant form of the huntingtin protein occurs throughout the body and yet causes pathology primarily in the brain. The proposed target, Rhes, also looks to be druggable.

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Science for export

by Steven Edelson, Executive Editor

doi:10.1038/scibx.2009.994

Although every major university or institute would like to be located in a biotech hub and keep its discoveries close to home, only a few true hubs exist. For everyone else, the question is whether their research will be taken elsewhere for commercialization. In the long run, the answer is usually yes.

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Seeing CNV sooner

by Michael J. Haas, Senior Writer

doi:10.1038/scibx.2009.995

A multinational research team suggests that noninvasive imaging of CCR3 could help detect incipient wet age-related macular degeneration, making earlier therapeutic intervention possible. The researchers also suggest that CCR3 inhibition could be used to augment treatment with VEGF-A inhibitors.

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Proteasome progress

by Lev Osherovich, Senior Writer

doi:10.1038/scibx.2009.996

Researchers at Proteolix have found a small molecule that inhibits a subunit of the proteasome involved in immune cell activation. The compound's profile could make it suitable for autoimmune indications, an area previously off-limits to general proteasome inhibitors because of toxicity concerns.

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Antagonizing CCR7 to prevent the spread of ALL; inhibiting HIF1α to treat cardiac hypertrophy; boosting LEPR activity to prevent obesity and diabetes; using rapamycin to increase the efficacy of infectious disease vaccines; and more...

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Total synthesis of haouamine A; a mouse model of spontaneous relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; magnetic nanoparticle-assisted adenoviral gene transfer; and more...

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