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Jan 03, 2012

Nature speaks with Keim about H5N1 studies

In Nature, Heidi Ledford speaks with pathogen-genomics expert Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University and TGen North about the controversial recommendation by the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity--Keim chairs the panel--that Nature and Science censor papers on how to make the H5N1 avian flu virus more transmissible:

“We’re being accused of being the bad guys,” says Keim, based at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. “But most of what we’ve done is to push back against harsher regulations.” Since its inception, Keim says that the NSABB has only been asked to review six papers, including two in 2005 that described the reconstruction of the 1918 influenza virus that is thought to have killed more than 20 million people. In that case, the board recommended that the papers simply be amended to spell out the public-health benefits of the research.

[...]

In the course of its deliberations over the H5N1 papers, the NSABB became aware of additional work on H5N1 transmissibility that was nearing publication. Keim says the board is now considering whether to recommend a voluntary moratorium on the publication of such work until the community can discuss further precautions to prevent misuse. He expects the board to vote on this in the next few weeks, and adds: “It is time for us to have a broad and global discussion.”

Read more: "Call to censor flu studies draws fire"

 Tags: h5n1, northern arizona university, paul keim, tgen north
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Nov 12, 2011

CSS Institute for Advanced Health signs data-center partner

The Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, which announced earlier this year that it would establish headquarters in Phoenix, has, with NantWorks LLC and National LambdaRail, selected IO, "the leading provider of next-generation modular data center technology and services," to support the giant data center that the CSS Institute is establishing in Phoenix.

"Now, for the first time, we are able to bring together a high-performance communications network, dedicated storage capacity and high-performance computing," said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman of the CSS Institute, NantWorks and the NLR. "This is the infrastructure that we have so far lacked for healthcare, and which is vital to translate genomic data into actionable clinical decision making. It is the beginning of 21st century medicine."

"In addition to generating massive volumes of information requiring high-performance IT, the regulatory environment of the healthcare ecosystem also requires a highly protected and reliable infrastructure," said Anthony J. D'Ambrosi, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. "IO's high-density and ultra-secure infrastructure enables healthcare IT to accomplish their goals both today and into the future."

Read more: "IO Announces Contract with the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, NantWorks LLC and National LambdaRail"

 Tags: css institute for advanced health, io, national lambdarail, patrick soon-shiong
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Sep 14, 2011

ASU President Michael Crow to head NLR oversight council

 

Patrick Soon-Shiong, chair of National LambdaRail (NLR), has named Arizona State University President Michael Crow to head the advisory council that will overseeNLR.

“Michael Crow is the perfect person to lead the advisory council for this ambitious mission,”
said Soon-Shiong. “He is the most innovative university leader in the country, and he is a founder member of Gig.U., the University Community Next Generation Innovation Project, which was set up in July to accelerate the deployment of ultra high speed networks among universities.”

“I applaud the mission of the new NLR,” said President Michael Crow. “This is exactly the kind of initiative we need to maintain and enhance the economic competitiveness of our universities and our country. I am delighted to be a part of it.”

[...]

Dr. Soon-Shiong described NLR’s enhanced mission as twofold: first, to integrate the science around advanced communications networks under a new affiliated body called the National Advanced Networks Alliance (NANTA); and second, to utilize such advanced networks for practical application, beginning with the translation of new medical science into new clinical practice via a Clinical Translational Science Network.

NLR is financially backed by the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, a Phoenix-based organization that aims to improve health drawing together and analyzing vast networks of health data.

Read more at the source: "National LambdaRail Appoints Chairman’s Advisory Council"

 

 Tags: arizona state university, institute for advanced health, michael crow, national lambdarail, patrick soon-shiong
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Jun 20, 2011

Promising skin-cancer drug nears approval

A promising new drug to treat advanced basal-cell skin cancer is inching closer to FDA approval. The treatment, guided through the development process by Daniel Von Hoff, TGen's physician in chief, would mark a major milestone for Arizona bioscience leaders:

The drug, called GDC-0449, is expected to receive Food and Drug Administration approval this fall. The drug began testing in 2008 at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials in Scottsdale, a partnership between the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Scottsdale Healthcare.

It would be the first drug connected to either institution to receive FDA approval.

[...]

"It's the reason everyone exists and works to help somebody," said Von Hoff, who also serves as chief scientific officer at Scottsdale Healthcare and US Oncology. "Everybody involved with this is very proud. And if it's done once, you can do it again."

Perhaps as exciting, the mechanism the drug targets, the "Hedgehog" pathway, may provide a target for a more widely dreaded cancer:

Scottsdale is in the early stages of testing the safety and effectiveness of GDC-0449 for treatment of other forms of cancer, including pancreatic.

Read more at the source: "Scottsdale-tested 'miracle' cancer drug awaits FDA approval"

 Tags: daniel von hoff, scottsdale healthcare, tgen
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Mar 17, 2011

Collaboration between ASU, Mayo supported by BioAccel

Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic are developing a new device that could put an end to the painful finger pricking that patients with diabetes must endure on a daily basis.

The project, funded first by a seed grant from Mayo Clinic, now also has support from BioAccel, an Arizona-based nonprofit organization focused on accelerating the commercialization of bioscience technology.

The new sensor would enable people to draw tear fluid from their eyes to get a glucose-level test sample.

Glucose in tear fluid may give an indication of glucose levels in the blood as accurately as a test using a blood sample, the researchers say.

“The problem with current self-monitoring blood glucose technologies is not so much the sensor," says Jeffrey T. LaBelle, a bioengineer. "It’s the painful finger prick that makes people reluctant to perform the test. This new technology might encourage patients to check their blood sugars more often, which could lead to better control of their diabetes by a simple touch to the eye."

LaBelle, the designer of the device technology, is a research professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, one of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He is leading the ASU-Mayo research team along with Mayo Clinic physicians Curtiss B. Cook, an endocrinologist, and Dharmendra (Dave) Patel, chair of Mayo’s Department of Surgical Ophthalmology. The team reported on their early work on the sensor in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology last year and at various regional and national conferences.

[...]

“With funding provided by BioAccel, the research team will conduct critical experiments to determine how well the new device correlates with use of the current technology that uses blood sampling,” says Ron King, BioAccel’s chief scientific and business officer.

The results should help efforts to secure downstream funding for further development work from such sources as the National Institutes of Health and the Small Business Incentive Research Program, King says.

Read more at the source: "ASU, Mayo Clinic team work to help diabetes patients"

 Tags: arizona state university, bioaccel, diabetes, mayo clinic
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Mar 09, 2011

PBS-Bio identifies mechanism for cancer drug candidate's effectiveness

Predictive Biomarker Sciences, a Mesa-based firm, has concluded a study that explains how a drug candidate developed by the Brussels-based firm Unibioscreen kills cancer.

Previous studies have shown that over-activity of a gene known as MCL1 can cause cancer cells to grow out of control. PBS-Bio, which is owned in part by the non-profit, Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), co-discovered that UNBS1450 effectively shuts off the gene and induces apoptosis, the cancer cell’s normal process of cellular death.

“It’s a very nice candidate drug,” said Dr. Michael Bittner, a biologist and Principal Investigator of the PBS-Bio technology. Dr. Bittner said UNBS1450 is effective against MCL1 in very low dosages, which means it could potentially be delivered to patients with minimal side effects and low toxicity. MCL1 is prevalent in leukemia, non-small-cell lung cancer, as well as cancers of the prostate and pancreas.

“The presence of MCL1 can be used as a stratification, or predictive, biomarker to help determine which cancer patients are most likely to respond to UNBS1450,” said Dr. Edward Smith, co-founder and CEO of PBS-Bio. This would be particularly beneficial, Dr. Smith said, in selecting patients to participate in clinical trials of UNBS1450, and ultimately in helping physicians decide who should be placed on the drug once it is approved for general use.

Read more at the source: "PBS-Bio uncovers how Unibioscreen drug kills cancer"

 Tags: predictive biomarker sciences, tgen
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Feb 16, 2011

TGen, Mayo sequence pancreatic cancer tumor

[From the Arizona Republic]

Ken Alltucker of the Republic reports on an important project that the Translational Genomics Research Institute and the Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale) have completed: sequencing the genome of a pancreatic cancer tumor--quickly.

Doctors and scientists have talked about the prospect of tailored medical treatments based on an individual's DNA since the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003. Yet the technology has provided few practical tools for doctors as they provide care for patients facing life-threatening disease.

"We were impressed with the technology," said Keith Stewart, Mayo Clinic's dean of research. "What we couldn't figure out is how we would make this clinically applicable for the future."

The extraction and sequencing took 6 weeks, and cost an estimated $150,000. But given the expense of many cancer-fighting drugs, and the potential for sequencing costs to continue falling, TGen and Mayo are already closing in on a clinical viability.

John Carpten, director of TGen's cancer-genomics division, said that the cost of such DNA sequencing should be compared to existing chemotherapy drugs. Such cancer drugs may cost as much as $60,000 to $70,000 per round, and patients often must endure multiple rounds of such therapies before they find one that is effective for them.

"What if you spend tens of thousands up front to try to figure out the right regimen to give patients?" Carpten said. "We are in the proof-of-principle stage. We have to prove to the medical establishment that providing this type of molecular detail is as or more beneficial (than current therapies). It is up to us to prove it."

Read more at the source: "DNA quickly mapped in study by Mayo Clinic, TGen"

 Tags: mayo clinic, tgen
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Feb 07, 2011

Researchers work on malaria-proof mosquitoes

[From the Sacramento Bee]

Hudson Sangree of the Bee reports on a celebrated project led by researchers at the University of Arizona and the University of California at Davis:

Open the door to a vault-like room at UC Davis and the cool sterility of a laboratory gives way to the sticky heat of the tropics, with thousands of mosquitoes buzzing in cages and feasting on blood.

Here in the university's medical sciences complex, researchers are studying mosquitoes which they genetically altered to resist the parasite that causes malaria.

In other words, malaria-proof mosquitoes.

Now the goal is to make the altered mosquitoes hardier than native varieties, which they could someday supplant in nature throughout the world.

Read more at the source: "UC Davis researchers work to create malaria-proof mosquitoes"

 Tags: university of arizona
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Feb 01, 2011

Journal of Neuroscience features Barrow research on cover

[From Barrow Neurological Institute]

The cover article for the Feb. 2 edition of Journal of Neuroscience features research led by Andrej Romanovsky of Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.

The featured research discovers a new role of TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid-1) receptors in the regulation of locomotor activity, or the movement from place to place. [...] While studying how TRPV1-deficient mice regulate their body temperature, the researchers made an unexpected observation that these animals, when young, exhibit a much higher locomotor activity than control mice. [...]

The researchers then conducted experiments with drugs that block or activate TRPV1 receptors and looked at how these drugs affect general motor activity. These pharmacological experiments confirmed that TRPV1 receptors located outside the brain send signals to the brain to suppress locomotion.

"We all know that the body's propensity for physical activity changes based on numerous factors," explains Dr. Romanovsky. "For example, we do not want to exercise after having a large meal, when it is hot outside, or when we are tired, nauseated or in pain. We all know people who seem to be naturally inactive, as well as people who are more active than others. Our study suggests that the TRPV1 receptors may send signals that play a role in regulating the extent of locomotor activity."

Read more at the source: "Barrow TRPV1 research highlighted in Journal of Neuroscience"

 Tags: barrow neurological institute, fever lab, st. joseph's hospital and medical center
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Jan 24, 2011

Alzheimer's discovery receives national attention

The endorsement by an FDA advisory panel of a new test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease in living patients has ignited excitement among researchers and clinicians about potential benefits that Alzheimer's patients may soon see.

The new test was developed by drugmaker Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, with important research contributions from scientists at the Phoenix-based Banner Alzheimer's Institute. Eric Reiman, the institute's executive director, and Pierre Tariot, director of the institute's memory disorders center, were both interviewed by numerous Arizona and national media outlets, including:

 Tags: banner alzheimer's institute, eric reiman, pierre tariot
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Jan 19, 2011

Adrian Shelton named to UA research post on interim basis

[From University Communications, University of Arizona]

Adrian Shelton is certainly no stranger to the University of Arizona. Not only is she married to the University's top administrator, she's also actively involved with the campus community, particularly through her fundraising efforts for the Arizona Assurance financial aid program. But her ties to the UA recently became even stronger when she was appointed interim assistant vice president for research compliance and policy.

[...]

In the interim role, Adrian Shelton is heading up the University's Office for the Responsible Conduct of Research, which helps University researchers comply with a variety of federal regulations pertaining to topics such as human subjects research, humane animal care and use, laboratory safety, and various issues related to scientific integrity and ethical practices.

A national search for an individual to fill the position on a full-time basis will be underway within the next few weeks.

Read more at the source: "Adrian Shelton Appointed Interim Assistant VP for Research Compliance and Policy"

 Tags: adrian shelton, research compliance, university of arizona
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Dec 10, 2010

National Children's Study recruiting in Pinal County

[From Casa Grande Dispatch]

Pinal County is one of 105 areas in the United States that was randomly selected to participate in the National Children's Study being conducted by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

It is the largest research study of environmental effects on children's health and development ever conducted in the United States and will follow 100,000 children from before birth to age 21.

Read more at the source: "What makes kids sick? Pinal County intends to participate in a 21-year-long nat'l study to find out"

 Tags: asthma, autism, diabetes, fernando martinez, national children's study, nih, ua
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Nov 30, 2010

How genes jump from crop to crop

A new data-driven statistical model that incorporates the surrounding landscape in unprecedented detail describes the transfer of an inserted bacterial gene via pollen and seed dispersal in cotton plants more accurately than previously available methods.

Shannon Heuberger, a graduate student at the University of Arizona's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and her co-workers published their findings in the open access journal, PLoS ONE.

The transfer of genes from genetically modified crop plants is a hotly debated issue. Many consumers are concerned about the possibility of genetic material from transgenic plants mixing with non-transgenic plants on nearby fields. Producers, on the other side, have a strong interest in knowing whether the varieties they are growing are free from unwanted genetic traits.

 Tags: bioagriculture, genomics, university of arizona
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Nov 30, 2010

Kissing plant is a tree-killer

Ah, Christmas. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Sleigh bells ringing. Mommy kissing Santa Claus under a tree-killing parasitic plant.

Mistletoe may be a festive and romantic Christmas tradition, but the plant has a sinister side: It has long infested native trees throughout the Tucson area.

 Tags: bioagriculture, university of arizona
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Nov 29, 2010

Arizona Cancer Center program gets $2.5M renewal

The Arizona Cancer Center's Cancer Prevention and Control Fellowship Program has received a five-year, $2.5 million grant renewal. The training program has had National Cancer Institute funding since 1998.

The postdoctoral training program admits fellows from a range of disciplines relevant to cancer prevention and control. The program provides experiences in a variety of scientific disciplines including epidemiology, biostatistics, nutritional science, cancer biology and clinical medicine.

At the completion of the two-year program, fellows are positioned to be competitive for grant funding and as future leaders in the field of cancer prevention and control.

 Tags: azcc, cancer, university of arizona
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Nov 28, 2010

UA scientists at the frontiers of research

Scientists are both thinkers and tinkerers.

At their core, Scientists are both thinkers and tinkerers.

At their core, they are not far removed from their childhood selves, ripping apart their parents' electronic devices just to see what makes them tick.

At the frontiers of scientific research at the University of Arizona, the scientists are still kids at heart, only now the gadgets are way cooler than anything they ever laid their hands on at home - and far more expensive.they are not far removed from their childhood selves, ripping apart their parents' electronic devices just to see what makes them tick.

 Tags: university of arizona
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Nov 27, 2010

Parkinson's patient improves after brain surgery

Louis Huning is looking forward to actually enjoying the holiday season with his family this year.

Huning was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about 10 years ago and it has limited him, especially in recent years, from doing things he enjoys.

After the delicate balance of medications Huning took every day stopped working, Huning researched deep brain stimulation surgery at the recommendation of his doctor, Dr. Holly Shill, a neurologist and movement disorders specialist at Banner Sun Health Research Institute.

 Tags: banner sun health research institute
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Nov 23, 2010

Plant-derived scavengers prowl the body for nerve toxins

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across the narrow cleft separating one neuron from another or between neurons and their target cells. Of the many kinds of molecules involved in this lively chemical symposium, acetylcholine is among the most critical, performing a host of functions in the central and peripheral nervous system.

This delicate cholinergic design however is highly vulnerable. It can fall victim to inadvertent or deliberate poisoning by a class of compounds known as organophosphates -- chemicals found in a range of pesticides as well as weaponized nerve agents.

 Tags: arizona state university, biodesign institute, infectious disease, neuroscience
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Nov 23, 2010

Lifeblood of leaves: Vein networks control plant patterns

New University of Arizona research indicates that leaf vein patterns correlate with functions such as carbon intake and water use -- knowledge that could help scientists better understand the complex carbon cycle that is at the heart of global climate warming.

 Tags: bioagriculture, university of arizona
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Nov 23, 2010

New test for Clostridium difficile allows rapid, accurate diagnosis

A self-contained molecular assay for Clostridium difficile allows sensitive and specific identification within 24 hours, and detects the toxin A gene (tcdA) in addition to the toxin B gene (tcdB).

C difficile–associated diarrhea is on the rise in both hospital and community settings, and with it comes an increased need for a rapid diagnostic test to identify the presence of C difficile and help guide treatment, noted Brianne Couturier, PhD, from the ARUP Institute for Clinical Experimental Pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, during her poster presentation here at the Association for Molecular Pathology 2010 Annual Meeting.

 

 Tags: infectious disease, university of arizona
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Nov 23, 2010

UA receives $1.6M to study new ways to fight brain cancer

An enzyme that normally establishes a sense of direction in developing brain cells might be a poorly understood cause of glioblastoma, the most common and devastating type of brain cancer.

The National Institutes of Health awarded $1.6 million to the University of Arizona to investigate ways to get the deranged signaling mechanism back on track and test whether the protein could serve as a candidate target for new cancer-fighting drugs.

 Tags: azcc, bio5, cancer, mayo clinic, university of arizona
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Nov 23, 2010

UA to make salads safer

Researchers at the University of Arizona have four years to come up with environmentally friendly ways to prevent outbreaks of salmonella and E.coli in contaminated leafy greens.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proving $2.9 million for the project.

The aim is to study how the harmful bacteria attach themselves to the produce and reach consumers.

 Tags: bioagriculture, university of arizona
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Nov 22, 2010

Algae fuel inches toward price parity with oil

The promise of making motor fuel out of pond scum is inching closer to reality as the algae industry and its supporters plow forward with technology demonstrations and demand tax credits that are needed to cut costs.

The head of the 170-member Algal Biomass Organization (ABO), Mary Rosenthal, predicts the fledgling fuel source could be cost competitive with oil in seven years.

 Tags: arizona state university, biofuels
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Nov 20, 2010

UA dedicates Bio5 OV facility; cancer research group included

The University of Arizona on Friday dedicated its new Bio5 Oro Valley facility at 1580 E. Hanley Blvd.

The Bio5 Oro Valley laboratory and office space off North Oracle Road will house three major components: the Arizona Drug Discovery Center, an incubator space that will allow common initiatives between private enterprise and university researchers, and a cancer-prevention research group.

 Tags: bio5, cancer, university of arizona
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Nov 19, 2010

Walk in the park yields biological treasure

Scientists trying to get a grip on the arms race between plant-eating insects and the defenses put up by their hosts just got a boost from new research by a University of Arizona entomologist published in the early view edition of Molecular Ecology.

Noah Whiteman, an assistant professor in the UA's department of ecology and evolutionary biology, has found a miniature ecosystem consisting of a plant and a tiny fly that spends its entire life cycle on the plant.

 

 Tags: bioagriculture, university of arizona
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Nov 19, 2010

Three new life science machines join Top500 supercomputer ranking

Three high-performance computers dedicated to life science research have debuted on the most recent listing of the world's fastest supercomputers.

 Tags: arizona state university, bioinformatics, tgen
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Nov 19, 2010

Fetal programming in diabetes

Babies born to women who have high blood sugar (gestational diabetes) during pregnancy face a greater risk for developing obesity and Type 2 diabetes later on.

Although elevated blood sugar levels can be mild for diabetic mothers who take precautions, the excess glucose crossing the placenta into their babies may seriously affect the pancreatic beta cells, which are involved in insulin secretion.

 Tags: diabetes, genomics, university of arizona
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Nov 17, 2010

UA economics professor to study rural hospital program

Gautam Gowisankaran, an associate professor of economics and an Eller College Fellow at the University of Arizona, and three co-investigators have been awarded a $500,000 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant that aims to shed light on the impact of the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, or Flex, on hospital care for rural residents.
 
Congress established Flex in 1997 in response to growing concern about rural Americans' access to health care. Now Congress is revisiting the program.

 Tags: university of arizona
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Nov 16, 2010

The lifeblood of leaves: Vein networks control plant patterns

New University of Arizona research indicates that leaf vein patterns correlate with functions such as carbon intake and water use – knowledge that could help scientists better understand the complex carbon cycle that is at the heart of global climate warming.

"Leaves have very different networks of veins. They have different shapes, different sizes, different thicknesses," said Benjamin Blonder, a doctoral student in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology. "The really interesting question is how a leaf with a certain form produces a certain function."

 Tags: bioagriculture, university of arizona
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Nov 15, 2010

Human creativity may have evolved as a way for parents to bond with their children

Evidence from Disneyland suggests that human creativity may have evolved not in response to sexual selection as some scientists believe but as a way to help parents bond with their children and to pass on traditions and cultural knowledge, a new study published in the inaugural issue of the International Journal of Tourism Anthropology suggests.

Evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller of the University of New Mexico has suggested that human creativity, storytelling, humor, wit, music, fantasy, and morality, all evolved as forms of courtship behavior. He used evidence drawn from the Southern California tourist industry to underpin his argument. The work offers an explanation as to why the human brain is so much bigger relative to body size than that of other apes -- sexual selection for greater intellect. Intriguingly, Miller has referred to the mind as "amusement park."

 Tags: university of arizona