Volume 5.36 | Sep 23 - Pancreatic Cell News

Pancreatic Cell News 5.36 September 23, 2014

TOP STORY

Reversal of β Cell De-Differentiation by a Small Molecule Inhibitor of the TGFβ Pathway
Investigators show that Urocortin 3 (Ucn3), a marker for mature β cells, is down-regulated in the early stages of T2D in mice and when β cells are stressed in vitro. Using an insulin expression-coupled lineage tracer, with Ucn3 as a reporter for the mature β cell state, they screened for factors that reverse β cell de-differentiation. [eLife] Abstract | Download Full Article

Take the "if" out of "diff": Reduce variability when differentiating to endothelial cells

PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

DIABETES & PANCREATITIS

Placental Insufficiency Decreases Pancreatic Vascularity and Disrupts Hepatocyte Growth Factor Signaling in the Pancreatic Islet Endothelial Cell in Fetal Sheep
Investigators determined the impact of intrauterine growth restriction on pancreatic vascularity and paracrine signaling between the pancreatic islet endothelial cell and β-cell. [Diabetes] Abstract

Loss of TRB3 Alters Dynamics of MLK3-JNK Signaling and Inhibits Cytokine-Activated Pancreatic Beta Cell Death
Researchers show that genetic deletion of TRB3 results in a basal activation of AKT, preserves mitochondrial integrity, and confers resistance to cytokine-induced pancreatic beta cell death. Mechanistically, they found that TRB3 stabilizes MLK3, most likely by suppressing AKT-directed phosphorylation, ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of MLK3. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

In Vitro Reprogramming of Pancreatic Alpha Cells towards a Beta Cell Phenotype following Ectopic HNF4α Expression
Scientists investigated whether hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α), a transcription factor essential for a normal beta cell phenotype, could induce the reprogramming of alpha cells towards potential beta cells. [Mol Cell Endocrinol] Abstract

Epiplakin Deficiency Aggravates Murine Caerulein-Induced Acute Pancreatitis and Favors the Formation of Acinar Keratin Granules
Scientists analyzed epiplakin’s expression in healthy and inflamed pancreatic tissue and compared wild-type and epiplakin-deficient mice during caerulein-induced acute pancreatitis. They found that epiplakin was expressed primarily in ductal cells of the pancreas and colocalized with apicolateral keratin bundles in murine pancreatic acinar cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

PANCREATIC CANCER

CD166/ALCAM Expression Is Characteristic of Tumorigenicity and Invasive and Migratory Activities of Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Researchers aimed to clarify the role and significance of CD166 expression in pancreatic cancer. The differences between isolated CD166⁺ and CD166^– pancreatic cancer cells were analyzed by invasion and migration assays, and in mouse xenograft models. [PLoS One] Full Article

Arginine Deiminase Augments the Chemosensitivity of Argininosuccinate Synthetase-Deficient Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Gemcitabine via Inhibition of NF-KappaB Signaling
Investigators evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of arginine deiminase in combination with gemcitabine, the first line chemotherapeutic drug for patients with pancreatic cancer, and identified the mechanisms associated with its anticancer effects. [BMC Cancer] Abstract | Full Article

Immunohistochemical Analysis of Cancer Stem Cell Markers in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Patients after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy
Scientists examined the sequential changes in cancer stem cell marker expressions after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and the impact of these changes on the prognosis. [BMC Cancer] Abstract | Full Article

Neurotrophic Factor Artemin Promotes Invasiveness and Neurotrophic Function of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma In Vivo and In Vitro
Researchers investigated the effect of the neurotrophic factor Artemin on neuroplasticity and perineural invasion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Artemin overexpression and RNA interference in the pancreatic cancer cell lines were performed to evaluate the effects of Artemin on cell proliferation, invasion, and neurotrophic activity in vitro and in nude orthotopic transplantation tumor models. [Pancreas] Abstract | Download Full Article

Cytotoxicity of Gemcitabine Enhanced by Polyphenolics from Aronia melanocarpa in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line AsPC-1
Extending work with brain tumors, the hypothesis that micronutrients may usefully augment anticancer regimens, chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) extract was tested to establish whether it has pro-apoptotic effects in AsPC-1, an established human pancreatic cell line, and whether it potentiates cytotoxicity in combination with gemcitabine. [J Clin Pathol] Full Article | Press Release

New TeSR™-E8™ Is Here For Feeder-Free Culture of Human ES Cells and iPS Cells

REVIEWS

Role of Islet β Cell Autophagy in the Pathogenesis of Diabetes
Studies on the possible involvement of dysregulated autophagy in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and diabetes are summarized with an emphasis on the autophagic process in pancreatic islet β cells. [Trends Endocrinol Metab] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the pancreatic cell research field.

SCIENCE NEWS

Chemotherapy and Stereotactic Ablative Radiation (SABR) Consecutively May Be Promising Treatment Option for Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
For patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, the combination of chemotherapy and SABR may be a promising treatment option, ultimately allowing them to undergo surgery that may not otherwise be an option. [Press release from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) discussing research presented at ASTRO’s 56^th Annual Meeting, San Francisco] Press Release

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INDUSTRY NEWS

£0.5 Million in Research Grants for Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer UK announced the award of seven individual research grants through its second annual round of Research Innovation Fund grants, amounting to £0.5 million. [Pancreatic Cancer UK] Press Release

SWOG to Resume Clinical Trial of Halozyme’s PEGPH20 in Combination with Modified FOLFIRINOX for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has removed the clinical hold on patient enrollment and dosing of PEGPH20 (PEGylated recombinant human hyaluronidase) in SWOG’s ongoing Phase Ib/II clinical trial. [Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

POLICY NEWS

Welsh NHS to Fund New Drug for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer
Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer in Wales will have access to the drug Abraxane on the NHS. Wales is the only country in the UK where the chemotherapy drug will be routinely available to eligible patients on the NHS. [NHS Wales] Editorial

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

EVENTS

NEW New Horizons in Cancer Research: Harnessing Breakthroughs – Targeting Cures
October 9-12, 2014
Shanghai, China

NEW 5^th International Conference on Stem Cells and Cancer (ICSCC-2014): Proliferation, Differentiation and Apoptosis
November 8-10, 2014
New Delhi, India

NEW CellTech India 2015
March 2-3, 2015
Bangalore, India

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the pancreatic cell community.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

NEW Postdoctoral Training Fellow – Systems & Precision Cancer Medicine (Institute of Cancer Research)

NEW Postdoctoral Scientist – Differentiation of Pancreatic Beta-Cells (Medical Research Council)

Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Surgical Oncologist (European Institute of Oncology)

Research Assistant/Laboratory Manager – Differentiation of Pancreatic Insulin-Producing Beta-Cells (Medical Research Council)

Postdoctoral Position – Role of p38MAPK in the Development of Obesity and Obesity-Induced Diseases (Spanish National Cardiovascular Research Center [CNIC])

Research Officer / Postdoctoral Fellow – Beta Cell Regeneration (Garvan Institute of Medical Research)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer (Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School)

Postdoctoral Trainee – Pancreatic Cancer (UT Southwestern Medical Center)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology Endoderm Lineages (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Media Development, High Throughput Screening (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Cell Culture Support Products (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Immunology/Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Associate – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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