TOP STORY

New Mechanism of Pancreatic Cancer Discovered
New research shows how RAS and the Hedgehog pathway interact in the development of pancreatic cancer in mice. [Press release from the Karolinska Institutet discussing online prepublication in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology]

Survival in Pancreatic Cancer Patients May Be Predicted by Response to Preoperative Therapy
New research from Fox Chase Cancer Center finds that patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma whose tumors respond most to preoperative chemotherapy and radiation survive four times as long, on average, as those whose tumors respond least. [Press release from Medical News Today discussing research to be presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology]

Some Circulating Tumor Cells May Be Worse Than Others in Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Fox Chase Cancer Center investigators find that pancreatic cancer patients who have circulating tumor cells tend to have worse outcomes than patients without circulating tumor cells. [Press release from Medical News Today discussing research to be presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology]

Targeted Immunotherapy Shows Promise for Metastatic Breast and Pancreatic Cancers
Early trials using targeted monoclonal antibodies in combination with existing therapies show promise in treating pancreatic cancer and metastatic breast cancer. [Press release from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discussing research to be presented at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting]

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CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)

DIABETES

Self-Assembling Nanostructures to Deliver Angiogenic Factors to Pancreatic Islets
Researchers believe that the infiltration of bioactive nanofibers in the interior of islets as an artificial extracellular matrix can improve cell viability and function in vitro and enhance their vascularization in the presence of growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor. The approach described here may have significant impact on islet transplantation to treat type 1 diabetes. [Biomaterials]

The Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 2 (SOCS2) Is a Key Repressor of Insulin Secretion
SOCS2 was shown to be a potent regulator of proinsulin processing and insulin secretion in beta cells. Increased SOCS2 production could be an important event predisposing to beta cell failure. [Diabetologia]

cAMP Mediators of Pulsatile Insulin Secretion from Glucose-Stimulated Single Beta Cells
While both protein kinase A and Epac2 partake in initiating insulin secretion, the cAMP-dependence of established pulsatility is mediated by Epac2. [J Biol Chem]

Diabetes Prevention by Immunomodulatory FTY720 Treatment in the LEW.1AR1-iddm Rat Despite Immune Cell Activation
FTY720 treatment prevented the manifestation of diabetes by promoting the retention of activated immune cells in the lymph nodes, thereby avoiding islet infiltration and beta cell destruction by proinflammatory cytokines. [Endocrinology]

Regeneration of Pancreatic Islets in Vivo by Ultrasound-Targeted Gene Therapy
This study uses a novel approach to gene therapy in which plasmid DNA is targeted to the pancreas in vivo using ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction to achieve islet regeneration. [Gene Ther]

Regulation of Glucose and Mitochondrial Fuel-Induced Insulin Secretion by a Cytosolic Protein Histidine Phosphatase in Pancreatic Beta Cells
Researchers report localization of a cytosolic protein histidine phosphatase (~ 16 kDa; PHP) in INS 832/13 cells, normal rat islets and human islets. [Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab]

Glucose Inhibits Angiogenesis of Isolated Human Pancreatic Islets
The data suggest that glucose reduces key factors of islet angiogenesis which might exacerbate beta cell failure. [J Mol Endocrinol]

Acute Cytokine Mediated Downregulation of the Zinc Transporter ZnT8 Alters Pancreatic Beta Cell Function
Results suggest that an acute decrease in ZnT8 levels impairs beta cell function and zinc homeostasis and may contribute to inflammatory cytokine-induced alterations in beta cell function. [J Endocrinol]

Glucose Sensing in the Pancreatic Beta Cell: A Computational Systems Analysis
This comprehensive model predicts a special role for mitochondrial control mechanisms in insulin secretion and ROS generation in the beta cell. [Theor Biol Med Model]

PANCREATIC CANCER

DYRK1B-Dependent Autocrine-to-Paracrine Shift of Hedgehog Signaling By Mutant RAS
Synergism between the RAS and Hedgehog (HH) pathways has been suggested for carcinogenesis in the pancreas, lung and colon. Researchers investigated the molecular cross-talk between RAS and HH signaling and found that, although mutant RAS induces or enhances SHH expression and favors paracrine HH signaling, it antagonizes autocrine HH signal transduction. [Nat Struct Mol Biol]

Mechanism of Radiosensitization by the Chk1/2 Inhibitor AZD7762 Involves Abrogation of the G2 Checkpoint and Inhibition of Homologous Recombinational DNA Repair
Findings suggest that G2 checkpoint abrogation and homologous recombination repair inhibition both contribute to sensitization by Chk1 inhibition. Furthermore, they support the clinical use of AZD7762 in combination with gemcitabine and radiation for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. [Cancer Res]

Glucocorticoid-Dependent Transdifferentiation of Pancreatic Progenitor Cells into Hepatocytes Is Dependent on Transient Suppression of WNT Signaling
The data demonstrate that the transdifferentiation of pancreatic acinar AR42J-B-13 cells into hepatocyte-like cells in response to glucocorticoid was dependent on the repression of constitutively active WNT signaling. [J Cell Sci]

Identification of Novel Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Cell-Surface Targets By Gene Expression Profiling and Tissue Microarray
One-hundred seventy unique targets were highly expressed in two or more of the pancreatic tumor specimens and were not expressed in the normal pancreas samples. Two targets (TLR2 and ABCC3) were further validated for protein expression by tissue microarray based immunohistochemistry. [Biochem Pharmacol]

INDUSTRY NEWS

NIH Awards $10M to Einstein for Diabetes Research
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $9.5 million grant for the continuation of its Diabetes Research and Training Center. [Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Press Release]

NOXXON Pharma AG raises 33 Million Euros in Series D Round
NOXXON Pharma AG announced the successful closing of a 33 million Euros Series D round of financing. The funds raised will be used primarily for the ongoing clinical and pre-clinical development of NOXXON´s lead products NOX-E36, NOX-A12, and NOX-H94 in the fields of diabetic complications, oncology and hematology. [NOXXON Pharma AG Press Release]

NewLink Initiates Pivotal Phase III Clinical Trial Of HyperAcute®-Pancreas Immunotherapy For Resected Pancreatic Cancer
NewLink Genetics Corporation announced treatment of the first patient in a nationwide Phase III clinical trial of its HyperAcute®-Pancreas cancer immunotherapy for patients who have successfully undergone pancreatic surgical resection. [PR Newswire]

Repligen Announces FDA and EMA Approval of Re-Analysis of Images from Phase III Trial of RG1068 for Pancreatic Imaging
Repligen Corporation announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have approved the Company's proposal to re-analyze the images from our Phase III study to establish the utility of RG1068, synthetic human secretin, in improving magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas. [Repligen Corporation Press Release]

Oncolytics Biotech® Inc. Announces Start of Enrolment in U.S. Phase II Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trial
Oncolytics Biotech Inc. announced that the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio has started patient enrolment in a U.S. Phase II clinical trial using intravenous administration of REOLYSIN® in combination with gemcitabine (Gemzar®) in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. [Oncolytics Biotech Inc. Press Release]

TuDiabetes and Children's Hospital Boston Launch Online Effort to Map U.S. Diabetes Metrics
TuDiabetes.org, a social network for people touched by diabetes, has partnered with Children's Hospital Boston in the creation and launch of a new application called "TuAnalyze." The application enables members to submit a key health metric, Hemoglobin A1C, as part of a massive data donation drive. [Children's Hospital Boston Press Release]

POLICY NEWS

Third Time's a Charm for COMPETES Bill
By a vote of 262 to 150, legislators authorized $84 billion for research, education, and innovation programs over the next 5 years at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and two Department of Commerce agencies-NOAA and NIST under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (HR 5116). [House of Representatives, United States]

Democrats: FDA Should Be Able to Recall Drugs
House Democrats repeatedly called for federal regulators to be given the authority to recall drugs.
Pending legislation would grant that power to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food, but not for drugs. [House of Representatives, United States]

Congress Considers Synthetic Biology Risks, Benefits
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the government is moving quickly to bring synthetic biology under review by two existing panels that have done a good job of monitoring cutting-edge research in the past. [U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, United States]

Last Hurrah from National Academies Stem Cell Committee
Even though the National Institutes of Health issued stem cell guidelines last year, there's still a need for guidelines for research that remains off-limits for U.S. government-funded labs. [National Academies' National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, United States]

NIH Set to Tighten Financial Rules for Researchers
After a wave of financial scandals over the past few years involving biomedical researchers, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed far-reaching changes that would lead to tighter oversight of agency-funded extramural investigators and their institutions. [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Administrative Supplements to Advance Special Translational Research Acceleration Projects on Immune Response Modifiers Currently Funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) (NOT-CA-10-025) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association
June 25-29, 2010
Orlando, United States

21st Meeting of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) 
June 26-29, 2010
Oslo, Norway

United Kingdom National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN) Third Annual Scientific Conference
July 12-14, 2010
Nottingham, United Kingdom

2010 World Cancer Congress
August 18-21, 2010
Shenzhen, China

Select Biosciences Inaugural Cellular Therapy Summit
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Meeting - Advancing the Life Sciences
September 4-7, 2010
Barcelona, Spain

The Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (AUGIS) 2010 Scientific Meeting 
September 9-10, 2010
Oxford, United Kingdom

Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Congress 2010
September 13-15, 2010
Philadelphia, United States 

Annual Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) World Congress
September 19-23, 2010
Sydney, Australia

Institute of Medicine - University of Illinois at Chicago Midwest Conference on Diabetes and Obesity
September 21, 2010
Chicago, United States

35th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress
October 8-12, 2010
Milan, Italy

Fraunhofer Life Science Symposium 2010
October 29-30, 2010
Leipzig, Germany

2010 American Pancreatic Association (APA) Annual Meeting
November 3-6, 2010
Chicago, United States

Select Biosciences International Forum on Stem Cells
November 12-13, 2010
Tianjin, China

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