Science translational medicine
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A December 2014 meeting reviewed Ebola virus immunology relevant to vaccine development, including Ebola prevention, immunity, assay standardization, and regulatory considerations. Vaccinated humans appear to achieve immune responses comparable in magnitude with those associated with protection in nonhuman primates, suggesting that immunological data could be used to demonstrate vaccine efficacy.
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There is a critical need for effective new pharmacotherapies for pain. The paucity of new drugs successfully reaching the clinic calls for a reassessment of current analgesic drug discovery approaches. ⋯ In this review, we highlight approaches that are being pursued vigorously by the pain community for drug discovery, including innovative preclinical pain models, insights from genetics, mechanistic phenotyping of pain patients, development of biomarkers, and emerging insights into chronic pain as a disorder of both the periphery and the brain. Collaborative efforts between pharmaceutical, academic, and public entities to advance research in these areas promise to de-risk potential targets, stimulate investment, and speed evaluation and development of better pain therapies.
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Numerous studies have implicated microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer initiation and progression. In contrast, only recently has attention been focused on the pathway that generates these regulatory molecules. The identification of neoplasia-associated germline mutations in DICER1 has focused translational research on components of the miRNA processing pathway. Deciphering of the many links between miRNA processing perturbations and cancer will likely provide insights into mechanisms of cancer control.
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Review
alpha2A-adrenergic receptors in the genetics, pathogenesis, and treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Insulin secretion from pancreatic islets is inhibited by the activation of beta cell alpha(2A)-adrenergic receptors (alpha(2A)ARs). Increased expression of alpha(2A)ARs, then, would depress insulin release, which is a pathogenic mechanism of type 2 diabetes. ⋯ A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the human ADRA2A gene was associated with decreased insulin secretion in normal people during glucose challenge and was also associated with type 2 diabetes. These findings offer another genetic association locus for the disease, with concordant biochemical and expression phenotypes, and also provide a potential new pathway for therapeutic intervention.