Guidelines for the welfare and use of animals in cancer research

Animal experiments remain essential to understand the
fundamental mechanisms underpinning malignancy and to discover
improved methods to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
Excellent standards of animal care are fully consistent with the
conduct of high quality cancer research. Here we provide updated
guidelines on the welfare and use of animals in cancer research. All
experiments should incorporate the 3Rs: replacement, reduction
and refinement. Focusing on animal welfare, we present recommendations
on all aspects of cancer research, including: study
design, statistics and pilot studies; choice of tumour models
(e.g., genetically engineered, orthotopic and metastatic); therapy
(including drugs and radiation); imaging (covering techniques,
anaesthesia and restraint); humane endpoints (including tumour
burden and site); and publication of best practice.

Guidelines

DNA sintético: XNA

Un equipo internacional de investigadores dirigidos por  Philipp Holliger y Vitor Pinheiro, biólogos del Laboratorio de Investigación Médica del Consejo de Biología Molecular de Cambridge, Reino Unido,  han demostrado que los ácidos nucleicos artificiales - los "XNAs" - pueden replicarse y evolucionar, al igual que lo hacen el DNA y el RNA.

La "X" significa "Xeno"

El  "XNA" es un polímero sintético que puede transportar la misma información que el DNA, pero con un conjunto diferente de las moléculas. La "X" en XNA es sinónimo de "xenofobia". Los científicos utilizan el prefijo xeno para indicar que uno de los componentes que se encuentran típicamente en los "bloques" que componen el RNA y el DNA ha sido sustituido por algo distinto de lo que encontramos en la naturaleza.

Las moléculas que se ensamblan para formar los seis XNAs son casi idénticos a los de DNA y RNA, con una excepción: en los nucleótidos de XNA, la desoxirribosa y los grupos de azúcar  DNA y RNA se reemplazan. Algunas de estas moléculas de recambio contienen cuatro átomos de carbono en lugar de  cinco. "Cualquier polímero puede almacenar la información", dice Pinheiro, lo que hace que podamos copiar y acceder a la información codificada en el DNA y el RNA [en forma de genes, por ejemplo].

Usando una técnica artesanal de ingeniería genética llamada "compartmentalized self-tagging" (o "CST"), el equipo de Pinheiro diseñó polimerasas especiales que podrían sintetizar XNA a partir de una plantilla de DNA. El resultado fue un sistema genético que permitió la replicación y la propagación de la información genética.

Esta investigación tiene  importantes aportaciones para bioterapia, exobiología, para investigación sobre los orígenes de la información genética en sí misma  lo que en términos generales implica grandes avances para la Biología.

La reseña original de esta noticia puedes consultarla aquí:  XNA is synthetic DNA that’s stronger than the real thing y el artículo original en este sitio:  Synthetic Genetic Polymers Capable of Heredity and Evolution

The IAP-antagonist ARTS initiates caspase activation upstream of cytochrome C and SMAC/Diablo

ARTS (Sept4_i2) is a pro-apoptotic tumor suppressor protein that functions as an antagonist of X-linked IAP (XIAP) to promote apoptosis. It is generally thought that mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) occurs before activation of caspases and is required for it. Here, we show that ARTS initiates caspase activation upstream of MOMP. In living cells, ARTS is localized to the mitochondrial outer membrane. In response to apoptotic signals, ARTS translocates rapidly to the cytosol in a caspase-independent manner, where it binds XIAP and promotes caspase activation. This translocation precedes the release of cytochrome C and SMAC/Diablo, and ARTS function is required for the normal timing of MOMP. We also show that ARTS-induced caspase activation leads to cleavage of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein Bid, known to promote MOMP. We propose that translocation of ARTS initiates a first wave of caspase activation that can promote MOMP. This leads to the subsequent release of additional mitochondrial factors, including cytochrome C and SMAC/Diablo, which then amplifies the caspase cascade and causes apoptosis.

Cell Death & Differentiation 19, 356-368 (February 2012).

PhD survival guide

Some brief advice for PhD students

Leonardo Almeida-Souza & Jonathan Baets

Introduction

By now you have secured your place on a PhD programme, your project is beginning to crystallize and you have a paid position or a fellowship to support you financially during your time in the lab. Time to put your brain and body to work at last. But beware, although your PhD will have many thrilling moments of discovery and insight, there will also be many pitfalls and perils to overcome or avoid. Here, we hope to summarize some of those challenges and offer a few tips that might help budding PhD students survive the bad times and enjoy the good

link (dentro del INMEGEN)

INTERNATIONAL CANCER GENOME CONSORTIUM

Este es el proyecto global en el que participa el INMEGEN. El ICGC es uno de los dos proyectos más grandes a nivel mundial (el oro es el TCGA). México es el único país latinoamericano en participar. En él están 13 países y 390 grupos de investigación.

ICGC Goal: To obtain a comprehensive description of genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in 50 different tumor types and/or subtypes which are of clinical and societal importance across the globe.

!Al final esperamos tener 18000 tumores secuenciados!

 

Pueden echarle un vistazo en icgc.org

 

Curso

Elsevier y el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica tienen el honor de invitarle a participar y a convocar a personas interesadas en recibir un Taller para Autores y Editores.

El Taller para Autores está dirigido a científicos de todas las edades y disciplinas que quieran obtener guías de ¿Cómo publicar un artículo científico para revistas internacionales?. Y el taller para Editores está dirigido a personas que editan revistas científicas de todas las áreas de investigación para proveerles guías sobre la Profesionalización de las revistas científicas en la era de la información.

Día:
lunes 26 de marzo 2012

Lugar:
Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN nueva sede)

Dirección:
Periférico Sur No. 4809 Col. Arenal Tepepan, Delegación Tlalpan México, D.F. C.P. 14610
Entrada SÓLO por: Arenal S/N esquina Xochimaltzin. Ver Mapa

Horarios:
Taller para Autores: de 9:00 a 13:30 horas 
Taller para Editores: de 16:00 a 19:30 horas

Entrada Gratuita. Cupo Limitado

Ver la agenda detallada del evento.

Favor de reservar su lugar AQUÍ ó con la Lic. Ana Laura Pavón al teléfono 5350-1900 ext.1933 o al correo electrónico alpavon@inmegen.gob.mx.

Antiangiogenic therapy and Cancer Stem Cells

Antiangiogenic agents increase breast cancer stem cells via the generation of tumor hypoxia [Medical Sciences]

de Conley, S. J., Gheordunescu, E., Kakarala, P., Newman, B., Korkaya, H., Heath, A. N., Clouthier, S. G., Wicha, M. S.

Antiangiogenic therapy has been thought to hold significant potential for the treatment of cancer. However, the efficacy of such treatments, especially in breast cancer patients, has been called into question, as recent clinical trials reveal only limited effectiveness of antiangiogenic agents in prolonging patient survival. New research using preclinical models further suggests that antiangiogenic agents actually increase invasive and metastatic properties of breast cancer cells. We demonstrate that by generating intratumoral hypoxia in human breast cancer xenografts, the antiangiogenic agents sunitinib and bevacizumab increase the population of cancer stem cells. In vitro studies revealed that hypoxia-driven stem/progenitor cell enrichment is primarily mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor 1α. We further show that the Akt/β-catenin cancer stem cell regulatory pathway is activated in breast cancer cells under hypoxic conditions in vitro and in sunitinib-treated mouse xenografts. These studies demonstrate that hypoxia-driven cancer stem cell stimulation limits the effectiveness of antiangiogenic agents, and suggest that to improve patient outcome, these agents might have to be combined with cancer stem cell-targeting drugs.

Algunos Webcast para publicar

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/trainingwebcasts

CNN

Entrevista

Microarreglos no tan exactos

Concerning the Affymetrix™ human genotyping array, we detected 25 differences (5 in different chromosomes), of which 10 (40%) were in different genes. These 25 discrepancies lead to 61,916 SNPs being in a different genomic order, with 89% being less or equal than 2 indexes away (Data S5). By checking manually a subset of those alignment discrepancies, we found that the Affymetrix™ mismappings were due to their hit not being perfect, having one or more extra SNPs on the SNP flanking sequence, or having less flanking sequence aligned. With the Illumina's™ human beadchip, 271 SNPs have different genomic positions (with 22 on different chromosomes), of which 59 (22%) are on different genes. The 271 discrepancies lead to 131,378 SNPs being in a different genomic order, although 98% are less or equal than two indexes away (Data S6). By checking manually a subset of those alignment discrepancies, we found that the Illumina™ mismappings were due to their hit not being perfect, having one or more extra SNPs on the SNP flanking sequence, or having less flanking sequence aligned.


Fuente
Fadista J , Bendixen C , 2012 Genomic Position Mapping Discrepancies of Commercial SNP Chips. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31025. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031025

Ciencia en México (y el mundo)

Aunque el mapa de como estamos en producción científica es poco halagador, lo interesante es que hemos crecido, sobre todo comparando a otros países (incluído EU). Compare la primera foto con la segunda. Este tipo de gráficas se parecen al homúnculo de Penfield (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homúnculo) :)

 

PRODUCCION CIENTIFICA

CRECIMIENTO PRODUCCION CIENTIFICA

 

 

fuente http://www.worldmapper.org

Molecular definitions of cell death subroutines

In 2009, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) proposed a set of recommendations for the definition of distinct cell death morphologies and for the appropriate use of cell death-related terminology, including ‘apoptosis’, ‘necrosis’ and ‘mitotic catastrophe’. In view of the substantial progress in the biochemical and genetic exploration of cell death, time has come to switch from morphological to molecular definitions of cell death modalities. Here we propose a functional classification of cell death subroutines that applies to both in vitro and in vivo settings and includes extrinsic apoptosis, caspase-dependent or -independent intrinsic apoptosis, regulated necrosis, autophagic cell death and mitotic catastrophe. Moreover, we discuss the utility of expressions indicating additional cell death modalities. On the basis of the new, revised NCCD classification, cell death subroutines are defined by a series of precise, measurable biochemical features.

http://www.nature.com/cdd/journal/v19/n1/pdf/cdd201196a.pdf

Video animation: RNA interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is an important pathway that is used in many different organisms to regulate gene expression. This animation introduces the principles of RNAi involving small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs).