LabToWallStreet / teXchange Technology of the Day

Modulators of Apoptotic Cell Death

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is essential for the proper development and homeostasis of many organisms, including humans.  Activation of caspases, a family of enzymes, triggers apoptosis.  IAPs (Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins) are proteins that bind to these caspases and inhibit their activity, thus preventing apoptosis.  IAPs are also frequently over-expressed in human cancer cells, indicating that IAPs could be a possible target for anti-cancer drugs.  Our scientists have discovered proteins and peptides containing specific motifs that stimulate degradation of IAPs, thus permitting apoptosis to occur. 

To learn more about this technology available for licensing, please visit Rockefeller University's module on the LabToWallStreet teXchange.

Novel Tumor Suppressors: The Human G2 Checkpoint Genes

Normal

Normal eukaryotic cells cease to divide when they experience damage to the DNA caused by chemotherapy or radiation.  This phenomenon is termed the “DNA damage-induced checkpoint response”.   These checkpoints in the cell division cycle play a critical role in the maintenance of genomic integrity.  Cells that are mutated in one of the cell cycle checkpoint genes are unable to stop cell cycle progression even in the presence of DNA damage.  This can lead to increased rates of tumor formation and therefore checkpoint genes are termed tumor suppressors. 

To learn more about this technology available for licensing, please visit Rockefeller University's module on the LabToWallStreet teXchange.

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Structural Targets in the NS2 Protease of Hepatitis C Virus

           Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the causative agent for non-A, non-B hepatitis and is a significant problem i       n global public health.  It is currently estimated that 3% of the world’s population has persistent HCV     infections and it is even more unfortunate that no vaccine exists and the current anti-viral     therapeutics are not effective in the majority of cases.  Understanding the molecular biology of this      pathogen is key to developing potent treatments for HCV-infected patients.

Our investigators have been studying the non-structural (NS) proteins of HCV, and have now elucidated the three-dimensional structure of the C-terminal domain of NS2 protease at high resolution.  The C-terminal domain of NS2 is adjacent to the NS3 protein in the HCV polypeptide precursor, where together NS2 and NS3 form a NS2/3 autoprotease that mediates the cleavage of the NS2/3 junction resulting in the two independent proteins. 

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Rockefeller University Technology: Identification Of Novel Factors That Induce Insulin Expression In Embryonic Cells

The pancreas is a flat organ in vertebrates, about six inches long and located in the abdomen. Proper pancreas function is essential for the production of digestive enzymes and a number of hormones, including insulin which controls the levels of sugar, i.e. glucose, in the blood. An insufficient production of insulin causes diabetes, a group of diseases characterized by abnormally high levels of glucose in blood. There are a number of serious health complications due to diabetes such as blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, neuropathy, and amputations. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and currently no cure exists.

In the recent years, embryonic stem cells (ES) have become as one of the more promising therapies for the treatment of diabetes. In theory, ES cells would be directed to become insulin-producing pancreatic cells that could then replace dysfunctional ones. Our scientists have described two factors involved in the differentiation of pancreatic cell lines during embryogenesis...

To continue learning more about this technology available for licensing, please visit Rockefeller University's module on the LabToWallStreet teXchange.