Research led by Maria Clara Franco of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences has implications for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

New research from the University of Central Florida has shed light on the workings of a particular protein found in the human body that could have future implications for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.

Previous research by Maria C. Franco and Alvaro Estevez of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at UCF’s College of Medicine showed that a modified version of a protein known as “heat shock protein 90” or Hsp90 is a trigger for killing cells in the nervous system in neurodegenerative disorders.

Now, Franco’s latest findings show that Hsp90 doesn’t treat all cells the same. In fact, the same protein that kills some cells may help cancer cells.

“We have found a protein that is modified only in pathological conditions,” said Franco, an assistant scientist at the Burnett School who led the research team. “In the nervous system, it is toxic to the cells that are affected by neurodegenerative diseases, while in tumour cells it may actually be acting as a pro-survival agent. In both cases, targeting this oxidized protein may be a potential therapeutic alternative.”

Hsp90 is one of the most studied proteins in terms of potential cancer-fighting drugs, but progress has been slow. Franco’s work provides more clarity on the complex nature of the protein’s impact on cells.

Her research team discovered that a nitration of Hsp90 limits oxygen to the cell’s mitochondria, decreasing its energy production. It sounds like a death knell for the cell, but the reduction of oxygen consumption may actually help the cancerous cells by increasing their resistance to hypoxia since these cells rely on other energy sources.

Franco has been studying the role of Hsp90 and other oxidized proteins in the regulation of cellular metabolism for the past eight years, with the goal of identifying new targets for drugs to combat tumour cells. She is eager to find ways to combat tumour cells while keeping healthy cells intact. University of Central Florida

Diagnosing a heart attack can require multiple tests using expensive equipment. But not everyone has access to such techniques, especially in remote or low-income areas. Now scientists have developed a simple, thermometer-like device that could help doctors diagnose heart attacks with minimal materials and cost.

Sangmin Jeon and colleagues note that one way to tell whether someone has had a heart attack involves measuring the level of a protein called troponin in the person’s blood. The protein’s concentration rises when blood is cut off from the heart, and the muscle is damaged. Today, detecting troponin requires bulky, expensive instruments and is often not practical for point-of-care use or in low-income areas. Yet three-quarters of the deaths related to cardiovascular disease occur in low- and middle-income countries. Early diagnosis could help curb these numbers, so Jeon’s team set out to make a sensitive, more accessible test.

Inspired by the simplicity of alcohol and mercury thermometers, the researchers created a similarly straightforward way to detect troponin. It involves a few easy steps, a glass vial, specialized nanoparticles, a drop of ink and a skinny tube. When human serum with troponin — even at a minute concentration — is mixed with the nanoparticles and put in the vial, the ink climbs up a protruding tube and can be read with the naked eye, just like a thermometer. American Chemical Society

Genetic errors identified in a new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may reduce risk of heart attacks and serve as a basis for developing new drugs designed to prevent heart disease.

To reduce risk of heart attack, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are clear. But genetics can still stack the deck. Some people’s genes bestow a natural advantage — or disadvantage — in protecting against heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

Now, a new study that included genetic data from more than 190,000 people has identified two genes that, when altered in specific ways, either promote or undermine cardiovascular health. The findings may help guide efforts to design new preventive drugs, similar to the way statins now are prescribed to lower “bad” cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart disease.

The research is from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Broad Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.

“We identified genetic variation in several genes that associated with protection from coronary heart disease,” said first author Nathan O. Stitziel, MD, PhD, a Washington University cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine and genetics. “Our findings support the idea that therapies focused on a major pathway regulating triglycerides should help prevent the buildup of plaque in the heart’s coronary arteries and protect against heart attacks.”

To identify genes that might be relevant for drug discovery, the investigators plumbed DNA data from patients with coronary disease and from healthy controls. They searched across more than 220,000 genetic variants that altered proteins to identify those that appeared to influence heart disease risk. Errors in proteins can have major physiologic consequences.

As part of the study, the researchers confirmed past work identifying genes already shown to confer an advantage or a vulnerability in protecting against heart disease risk, and they implicated two new ones — ANGPTL4 and SVEP1. Rare errors in ANGPTL4 were associated with reduced risk of coronary artery disease. The reduction varied from 14 percent for a small error in the gene to cutting risk by about 50 percent when an entire copy of the gene was disabled. The other gene, SVEP1, showed the opposite correlation — a rare error increased risk of coronary artery disease by about 14 percent.

While ANGPTL4 has been the subject of much study, the other gene newly implicated in cardiovascular health is a bit of a mystery. In the new study, Stitziel and his colleagues showed that the error in SVEP1 also was linked to higher blood pressure in their study populations, but beyond that there are few clues to what it’s doing.

In contrast, ANGPTL4 has long been known to play a role in processing triglycerides, a type of fat that circulates in the bloodstream. Doctors measure levels of triglycerides as a marker of heart disease risk, though whether these fats play a role in causing plaque to build up in arteries historically has been a matter of debate. ANGPTL4’s role in processing triglycerides is part of a system called the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) pathway. Blocking ANGPTL4 actually opens up this pathway, allowing the body to process triglycerides from the diet and get them out of the bloodstream.

“The gene’s association with lower triglycerides has been known for a while,” said Stitziel, who also sees patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “But for a long time it was not clear that high triglycerides were a cause of coronary disease rather than a marker of it. Now we know that errors in ANGPTL4 associate with both reduced triglycerides and lower risk of coronary disease. This is another piece of the puzzle that points to a causal role for triglycerides in coronary disease.” Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

29 September 2015, Darmstadt, Germany — Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck, accepted a Silver Stevie^® Award for its AFS^® E Water Purification Systems at a banquet held on Friday, September 11 in San Francisco. The award was conferred by The American Business Awards^SM, the premier business awards program in the United States.

The AFS^® E systems won the silver award in the ‘Health & Pharmaceuticals – Products & Services’ category in an event dedicated to outstanding new products and technology industries. Finalists were announced in May from over 3,300 entries submitted, and Gold, Silver and Bronze winners were judged and determined by more than 200 U.S. executives. Created in 2002 to recognize the achievements of organizations and professionals worldwide, the Stevie^® Awards are organized in six separate programs, including The American Business Awards^SM.

Merck Millipore was represented at the awards dinner by Mohamed Bacchus, Regional Director of Sales West – Lab Water, and Joseph Plurad, North America Field Marketing Manager – Lab Water. ‘These AFS^® E water purification systems incorporate our latest innovative technologies,’ said Joseph. ‘I’m proud to accept this award on behalf of all my colleagues worldwide who helped develop and support these new systems. By listening attentively to our clinical laboratory users, we were able to take their demands — as well as unmet needs — into account. The result is impressive, with systems offering our clinical lab customers the best advanced water purification technologies, as well as a unique user interface, serviceability, and sustainability.’

The AFS^® 40E, 80E, 120E and 150E Water Purification Systems provide an economical and reliable high-performance solution for clinical analyzers with daily pure water needs up to 3000 liters. These systems integrate Merck Millipore’s state-of-the-art Elix^® electrodeionization module, unique E.R.A.™ technology that decreases costs by automatically optimizing water recovery based on feed water quality, as well as 24/7 real-time monitoring and remote control.
Details about The American Business Awards^SM and the list of finalists in all categories are available at: www.stevieawards.com/aba

For more information on www.merckmillipore.com/labwater

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^{About Merck Millipore
Merck Millipore is the Life Science subsidiary of Merck, Darmstadt, Germany. As part of the global Life Science business of Merck, Merck Millipore offers a broad range of innovative performance products, services and business relationships that enable our customers’ success in research, development and production of biotech and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Through dedicated collaboration on new scientific and engineering insights, and as one of the top three R&D investors in the life science tools industry, the Life Science business of Merck serves as a strategic partner to customers and helps advance the promise of life science. Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, the global business has around 10,000 employees, operations in 66 countries and 2014 revenues of €2.7 billion. Merck Millipore operates as EMD Millipore in the U.S. and Canada.
For more information, please visit www.merckmillipore.com}

^{About Merck
Merck is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company has six businesses – Merck Serono, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Biosimilars, Merck Millipore and Performance Materials – and generated sales of € 11.3 billion in 2014. Around 39,000 Merck employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers and to help meet global challenges. Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company – since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70% interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United States, where the company operates as EMD Serono, EMD Millipore and EMD Performance Materials.
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^{About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie® Awards are conferred in six programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the German Stevie® Awards, The American Business AwardsSM, The International Business Awards, the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie® Award competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies™ recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie® Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com}

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