Recent advances in nanotechnology now allow for the methodical implementation of therapeutic nucleic acids (TNAs) into modular nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) with tunable physicochemical properties which can match the desired biological effects, provide uniformity, and regulate the delivery of multiple TNAs for combinatorial therapy. Despite the potential of novel NANPs, the maintenance of their structural integrity during storage and shipping remains a vital issue that impedes their broader applications. Cold chain storage is required to maintain the potency of NANPs in the liquid phase, which greatly increases transportation costs. To promote long‐term storage and retention of biological activities at higher temperatures (e.g., +50 °C), a panel of representative NANPs is first exposed to three different drying mechanisms—vacuum concentration (SpeedVac), lyophilization (Lyo), and light‐assisted drying (LAD)—and then rehydrated and analyzed. While SpeedVac primarily operates using heat, Lyo avoids temperature increases by taking advantage of pressure reduction and LAD involves a near‐infrared laser for uniform drying in the presence of trehalose. This work compares and defines refinements crucial in formulating an optimal strategy for producing stable, fully functional NANPs and presents a forward advancement in their development for clinical applications.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder responsible for memory loss leading to the inability to carry out the simplest tasks. AD is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. As yet there are no effective medications to treat this debilitating disease. In recent years, a human gene called bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) has emerged as one of the most important genes in affecting the incidence of sporadic AD. Bin1 can directly bind to Tau and mediates late onset AD risk by modulating Tau pathology. Recently our group found Bin1 antibody could exert drug‐like properties in an animal model of ulcerative colitis. We hypothesized that the Bin1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) could be used in the treatment of AD by lowering the levels of Tau in cell culture and animal models. Cell culture studies confirmed that the Bin1 mAb (99D) could lower the levels of phosphorylated Tau (pTau). Multiple mechanisms aided by endosomal proteins and Fc gamma receptors are involved in the uptake of Bin1 mAb into cells. In Tau expressing cell culture, the Bin1 mAb induces the proteasome machinery leading to ubiquitination of molecules thereby preventing cell stress. In vivo studies demonstrated that treatment of P301S mice expressing Tau with the Bin1 mAb survived longer than the untreated mice. Our data confirm that Bin1 mAb lowers the levels of pTau and could be a drug candidate in the treatment of AD.
PurposeTo share conference highlights and introduce new speakers.Design/methodology/approachA conference report of the LOEX‐of‐the‐West Conference held in June 2006 in Hawaii demonstrating trends and techniques in library instruction while addressing the use of current and emerging technologies in library instruction.FindingsLibrary instruction must be relevant to students and compliment the academic programs in which they are enrolled. The theme of “Information literacy for a lifetime,” suggests how fluid the library landscape is and how necessary it is to incorporate appropriate technologies that are commonly used by students in their daily lives to support the goals for instruction.Originality/valueIntroducing sessions and presentations that utilized different instructional technologies this conference report suggests some rather creative strategies for teaching and offering bibliographic instruction.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.