By combining the concept of synthetic lethality with drug delivery via nanoparticles, researchers have extended survival in xenograft mouse models of p53-driven endometrial tumors.
A peptide produced by the skin bacterium Staphylococcus caprae, which does not lead to the serious infections that can result from its cousin S. aureus, was able to inhibit S. aureus colonization by inhibiting quorum sensing. Different bacterial species interact with each other in the human microbiome, and researchers from the University of Colorado at Denver hypothesized that benign Staphylococcus strains, which have received less attention than S. aureus because they do not lead to severe disease, might be able to influence the behavior of S. aureus.
Adding to nature's repertoire through the development of both synthetic bases and synthetic amino acids is a major goal of the field of synthetic biology. This week, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute and Synthorx Inc. reported a milestone on the way to that goal.
Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are one of the biopharma industry's most familiar frenemies. Aberrant RTK signaling is a driver in many forms of cancer, and is targeted by dozens of inhibitors.
In mouse models, certain mutations in T cells synergized with PD-1 blockade to spur uncontrolled growth, resulting in T-cell lymphomas. Jürgen Ruland, a professor of clinical chemistry and pathobiochemistry at the German Technical University of Munich and senior author of the paper reporting the findings, told BioWorld that his team was as surprised as anyone by the results.
The peptide rhesus theta-defensin (RTD-1) was able to arrest and reverse rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a rodent model. Theta-defensins are a class of peptides that are expressed by old world monkeys and dampen innate immunity via multiple mechanisms.
Researchers have solved the puzzle of how mesenchymal stromal stem cell (MSC) transfusions can dampen autoimmunity even though the cells themselves become undetectable soon after their administration. MSCs are bone marrow stem cells, but they do not need to engraft into the bone marrow to be effective.
