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Flux balance analysis is a mathematical approach for analyzing the flow of metabolites through a metabolic network. This primer covers the theoretical basis of the approach, several practical examples and a software toolbox for performing the calculations.
Although mergers and acquisitions (M&As) failed to hit the heights some analysts had predicted in 2009, a new type of tiered transaction rose to prominence—the structured deal. Randy Osborne reports.
Biotech inventors and patent practitioners alike need to be aware of new interpretations of what is considered patentable, and draft claims that extend beyond biological principles.
Combinations of cytostatic treatments and chemotherapies currently in clinical practice offer limited hope for patients whose cancers have spread. But increasing understanding of the processes underlying metastasis may one day provide other therapeutic options.
Spinal muscular atrophy is an autosomal recessive disease of motor neurons caused by lack of the SMN gene. Foust et al. achieve long-term correction of the disease phenotype in a mouse model by intravenous delivery of SMN using the viral vector scAAV9.
Decreasing levels of mutant, but not normal, huntingtin (HTT) protein remains a major obstacle to treating Huntington's disease (HD). Bauer et al. show that a fusion of polyglutamine-and HSC70–binding motifs specifically targets mutant HTT for degradation by chaperone-mediated autophagy and ameliorates the phenotype of a mouse model of HD.
Magnetic resonance imaging of hemoglobin in the brain can detect blood flow associated with neural activity, but direct imaging of neurotransmitters would provide a more sensitive measure of neural signal processing. Shapiro et al. use directed evolution to generate a protein probe that enables magnetic resonance imaging of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Many diseases are characterized by shifts in cellular energy metabolism. Gohil et al. use a quantitative, nutrient-sensitized screen to identify drugs that affect the relative rates of glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration, and demonstrate the protective capacity of an approved antiemetic in models of cardiac and cerebral ischemia.
In acute myeloid leukemia, a sub-population of quiescent cancer cells, called leukemia stem cells, is thought to be responsible for chemotherapy resistance and eventual recurrence of the disease. Saito et al. show that treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor can overcome resistance to standard therapy by inducing cell cycle entry of the leukemia stem cells.