Partnology’s Post

📢 [Join us on 24 Jan] Webinar: Advanced biomimetic tissue models to mimic the tumour-stroma and test therapeutics During this webinar, Prof. Umber Cheema from the Department of Targeted Intervention will delve into how bioengineered tumoroids for colorectal, renal, and osteosarcoma tumours, incorporating connective tissue stroma and bone stroma, exhibit distinct hallmarks of tumour progression and can be used to assess drug efficacy. This webinar is part of the webinar series by the UCL Therapeutic Innovation Networks (TINs) to highlight UCL’s Research Infrastructure and Capabilities that enable effective translation of research toward patient/public benefit. The series aims to encourage multidisciplinary collaborations across departments. Academics from the UCL biomedical community are invited to share subjects of interest from their research expertise and interact with research fellows.   Date : Wednesday 24 January 2024 Time : 1300 - 1345 Venue : Online Open to: All Speaker: Prof. Umber Cheema, Bioengineering Department of Targeted Intervention, UCL Chaired by: Dr. Darren Player, Musculoskeletal Bioengineering Department of Targeted Intervention and Regenerative Medicine Therapeutic Innovation Network committee member, UCL Register now: bit.ly/3th30zV Full schedule of UCL’s Research Infrastructure and Capabilities Series: bit.ly/46q4PaW #TranslationalResearch #TranslatingUCLScience #RegenerativeMedicine #Collaborations

We are happy to announce that Professor Daniel Kaganovich has joined Rafa's Moonshot as a Strategic Advisor for Small Molecule Drug Discovery and Translational Assay Development 🌟 Prof. Kaganovich brings a unique blend of expertise: 15 years as a professor studying the mechanisms of rare neurological diseases, building biotech startups, and serving as VP of Neurobiology in a Pharma company focused on neurodegenerative therapeutics. Here are a few key highlights about him: 📜 Prof. Kaganovich received his AB degree from Harvard University and did a PhD at Stanford University. His PhD work led to the creation of a new platform for investigating protein association in live cells. 🧪 In his early work, which was published in Nature journal, Prof. Kaganovich discovered a new cell biological phenomenon which is now recognized as the central driver of neurodegenerative pathology in diseases like ALS, Parkinson's, and Dementia. 🤝 In 2019, Prof. Kaganovich co-founded 1Base Pharmaceuticals, a company developing curative drugs for ALS patients. 💡 With many years of experience in drug discovery, Prof. Kaganovich is committed to advancing novel drug discovery ideas from basic research to drug development pipelines. At Rafa's Moonshot, he will steer small molecule drug discovery for STXBP1 and assist in translational assay development. Join us in welcoming Prof. Daniel Kaganovich to our team! His dedication and expertise are invaluable as we continue our mission to find a cure for STXBP1 and bring hope to families affected by rare genetic diseases. 🔬 Follow our journey on LinkedIn to stay updated on our latest research developments and team achievements! #Welcome #Neuroscience #STXBP1 #RafasMoonshot #RareDiseases #Innovation #Research

I am very proud to share that my latest article is finally now online in Nature Communications!!! We introduce CONTRAX, an open-access, versatile, and streamlined computational pipeline for quantitative tracking of contractile dynamics in single hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) over time. Why is this important? hiPSC-CMs are powerful in vitro models for studying cardiomyopathies and cardiotoxicity. Understanding the contractile function of these cells at high-throughput and over time is crucial for unraveling how cellular mechanisms impact heart function. CONTRAX is a powerful tool that empowers researchers with a quantitative approach to develop and test new cardiac therapies. Dive into the details of our research and explore how CONTRAX can advance your work in cardiac biology and therapy development! https://lnkd.in/eDKUSjEV Key Features of CONTRAX: - Parameter-based identification of contractile function in single hiPSC-CMs - High-throughput automated video acquisition of >200 single cells/hour - Quantitative and multi-parametric contractility measurements via traction force microscopy In our study, we analyzed over 4,500 hiPSC-CMs under various conditions, including different maturation media and substrate stiffnesses, drug treatment and cardiac mutations. Our findings include: - Identification of converging maturation patterns - Quantifiable drug response to Mavacamten - Significant contractile deficiencies in hiPSC-CMs with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy mutations on fibrotic-like substrates underlying spiralling disease progression. Thank you to all my co-authors for their support and guidance throughout! Alison Vander Roest Orlando Chirikian Foster Birnbaum Henry Lewis Erica Castillo Robin Wilson Aleksandra Denisin, Ph.D. Cheavar Blair Kassie Koleckar Alex Chia Yu Chang Helen Blau Beth Pruitt #CardionvascularResearch #Cardiomyocytes #StemCells #Cardiotoxicity #Duchenne #CardiacTherapies #Research #hiPSC #CONTRAX #Biotechnology #Bioengineering #Contractility #TFM #StanfordUniversity #Stanford #UCSB #SNSF #AHA #StanfordCVI #CVI #StanfordCardiovascularInstitute

Trailhead Biosystems Puts iPSCs on a New Path - https://lnkd.in/gRabRpiU Biotech founder and CEO Jan Jensen has never been one for following the beaten track. As a young scientist studying the formation of insulin-producing pancreatic cells, Jensen questioned the prevailing view that these cells descended from neuroectoderm. His pancreatic embryonic tissue studies told him otherwise: insulin-producing pancreatic cells originate from within the pancreas itself. Jensen’s hypothesis, now the accepted view, and his further studies made him the first developmental biologist at Novo Nordisk, at a time when the world’s largest insulin producer had little interest in cell-based therapy. Now, 20 years later, Novo Nordisk is at the forefront of cell-based Type I Diabetes research. In 2007, Cleveland Clinic recruited Jan to apply his world-class expertise to two novel areas: regenerative medicine, and cell therapy for diabetes. The Cleveland Clinic continues to be ranked among the finest health care systems in the world, and Jan found himself surrounded by preeminent physicians, wishing to make an impact as a developmental biologist upon patient care. Jensen then found himself faced with the opportunity to solve the problem of connecting lab knowledge to the exam room and operating table. In response, Jan founded Trailhead Biosystems to shift paradigms in both drug development and cell-based therapies. In addition to recently moving in to their new 12,000 sq ft facility, Trailhead recently launched their first remarkable product: iPSC-derived Oligodendrocytes. “We are constantly in awe of the powers of the HD-DoETM technology. This platform empowers us to uncover and harness the secrets of human development to create better specialized cell products in a very efficient manner,” says Katie Sears, PhD, of Trailhead’s Bioinformatics team. According to Nooshin Amini, Ph.D., head of the ectoderm team, “Trailhead Biosystems’ mathematically driven experiments are vastly superior to human hypotheses. Cells never rely on a single signaling input –multiple inputs always combine to create the right conditions for it to change..." Read more at: https://lnkd.in/gRabRpiU #diabetes #celltherapy #regenerativemedicine

🚀 Enhancing Organoid Research with Ready-CEPT 🧬 A recent study by The National Institutes of Health, published in Biofabrication in late 2023, highlights the transformative impact of the CEPT cocktail in improving the viability and functionality of embryoid bodies (EBs) and organoids. The research demonstrates how CEPT enhances cell survival, reduces variability, and promotes superior differentiation—especially in brain, gut, and kidney organoid models. At Defined Bioscience, we are excited to offer Ready-CEPT, the commercial version of this innovative cocktail. Licensed from the NIH, Ready-CEPT provides researchers with a powerful tool to achieve more reliable and consistent results in iPSC and organoid research as highlighted by this paper. Whether you're developing new disease models or scaling up for drug discovery, Ready-CEPT can help you push the boundaries of what's possible. Learn more about how Ready-CEPT can support your research and drive your next breakthrough. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gCgX2nY6 #Organoids #CEPT #ReadyCEPT # #StemCells #DrugDiscovery #BiomedicalResearch #DefinedBioscience

🏆 Urologia internationalis award 🏆 by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Urologie at #DGU24 for the discovery of novel concepts of post-receptor signaling: Phospholipase C (PLC) plays an important role in prostate cell proliferation, viability, and cytoskeletal organization (V30.6). Together with our data from small molecule inhibitor #QS11, immunomodulatory imide drugs (#IMiDs), and the contractile properties of PLC in the lower urinary tract, this discovery of potential novel mechanisms of smooth muscle physiology and cellular organization provide the basis for bench to bedside #translational solutions for the #treatment and #care of #LUTS #BPH and #OAB by introducing novel #pharmaceutical options in the #future! Data are from our #research group focusing on basic and translational research in #urologic diseases, in particular lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), prostate and bladder #physiology, #urooncology, #prostate, #bladder, and #kidney #cancer, and minimally-invasive #surgery. Shoutout to Prof. Christian Gratzke, Prof. Thomas Bschleipfer, and Prof. Stefan Madersbacher for organizing a perfectly curated session on basic research in LUTS #BPH. Special thanks to Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department of #Urology for providing the necessary research facilities, and for #funding through Munich Medical and Clinician Scientist Program (MCSP) by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - German Research Foundation, and our industrial partners Johnson & Johnson, APOGEPHA Arzneimittel GmbH, and Tocris Bioscience, a Bio-Techne brand, without whom academic research would not be possible. #healthcare #research #project #growth #leadership #luts #bph #germany #munich #benchtobedside #leipzig #aua #eau #knowledge #academia

𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 $𝟰.𝟲𝟴 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟭. *𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝘄: https://lnkd.in/dbsxxV-b The neurogenomics market is projected to reach $4.68 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 16.6% from 2024 to 2031. This growth is fueled by several factors, including declining sequencing costs, the rising prevalence of neurological disorders, increasing use of advanced sequencing technologies in diagnostics and precision medicine, growing pharmaceutical R&D investments, improved regulatory and reimbursement frameworks, and higher healthcare spending. Additionally, government initiatives, increased research funding, and the demand for early detection of neurological conditions further drive market expansion. However, high costs of neurogenomics products, low identification rates of actionable mutations for precision medicine, and ethical and legal concerns surrounding sequencing-based diagnostics pose challenges to market growth. 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: *𝗕𝘆 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: Next-generation Sequencing, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Microarray, Software & Services *𝗕𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Research Applications, Clinical Applications *𝗕𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿: Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, Academic & Research Institutes, Hospitals & Diagnostic Laboratories *𝗕𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: North America (U.S. and Canada), Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Rest of Asia-Pacific), Latin America and the Middle East & Africa *𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀: Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, QIAGEN, Agilent Technologies, Revvity, Danaher Corporation, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, MGI Digital Technology *𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://lnkd.in/dBSM_GZ8 #Neurogenomics #GeneticResearch #Neurology #PrecisionMedicine #GeneSequencing #Neurobiology #NeurologicalDisorders #HealthcareInnovation #Biotechnology #PharmaceuticalResearch #Genomics #ClinicalGenomics #DNASequencing #MedicalResearch #GeneticTesting #HealthTech #Neuroscience #ResearchFunding #DiseaseDiagnostics #GeneticMutations 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀: *𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁: https://lnkd.in/dcS7AJH8

I want to share this really interesting article recently published in Theranostics: "Endosome-microautophagy targeting chimera (eMIATAC) for targeted protein degradation and enhanced CAR-T cell anti-tumor therapy." The article introduces a novel therapeutic approach to the Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) field: the endosome-microautophagy-targeting chimera (eMIATAC). The eMIATAC system utilizes the endosome-microautophagy-lysosomal pathway for protein degradation. It comprises a cell membrane permeability domain, a protein of interest (POI) binding domain, and a chaperone recognition motif. This approach is highly effective in promoting oncoproteins TPD both in vitro and in vivo, and it has been proposed to enhance the persistence of CAR-T cells by targeting proteins associated with T-cell exhaustion. Even if still in the earlier stages of research and development compared to other TPD approaches, in the future, the eMIATAC system could potentially complement PROTACs and molecular glues (MGs), broadening the therapeutic options within the TPD area. Curious to hear your thoughts on this! Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e6desskr #TargetedProteinDegradation #PROTACs #MolecularGlues #CancerTherapy #Immunotherapy #CARTCells #Biotechnology #DrugDevelopment #OncologyResearch #ProteinDegradation #Innovation #CellTherapy

⭐️⭐️⭐️I’m thrilled to share the recent publication of our latest research in the Journal of #MedicinalChemistry. This work represents a significant leap forward in our quest to unlock new possibilities in the field of #lifesciences, particularly in the exploration of orphan G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). This remarkable accomplishment was made possible through the collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim and DOMAIN Therapeutics, showcasing how scientific excellence and #teamwork can push the boundaries of GPCR complexities. GPCRs are the largest family of human proteins, which are pivotal in numerous physiological and pathological functions. Despite their vast therapeutic potential, there’s still much to explore, especially in challenging, orphan and intractable GPCRs. One such receptor, GPR88, robustly expressed in the striatum of the central nervous system, is often implicated in many behavior-linked neurological disorders. The clinical progression of novel preclinical GPR88 agonists has been hindered by poor pharmacokinetic properties. Though the collaborative efforts of Boehringer Ingelheim and Domain, our recent study has successfully navigated these obstacles introducing a game-changer, BI-9508, a brain-penetrant GPR88-receptor-agonist tool compound. This breakthrough not only opens new possibilities in CNS research but also underscores the trade-offs required to successfully target GPR88’s allosteric pocket. Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to this project, and a special thanks to the researchers at Boehringer Ingelheim for their invaluable expertise! Participating in this study, which exemplifies the quality, originality and clarity of our collective #scientificresearch, fills me with immense pride. Exciting news: this new tool compound is now made available to the scientific community free of charge via the open innovation portal of Boehringer Ingelheim: opnMe.com. This initiative will undoubtedly advance #innovation in the life sciences industry, helping us better understand the role of GPR88 and develop breakthrough treatments in #neuroscience. Visit the website opnMe.com and order BI-9508 for free. Together, we are pushing the boundaries of medicinal chemistry and bringing hope to patients experiencing therapeutic failure.⭐️⭐️⭐️ For more details, please visit the link in comments. #biothechnology #drugdevelopment

Looking forward very much to an upcoming virtual event conversation with Ilyas Singec, Chief Scientific Officer of FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics on fascinating developments in the world of iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells). These dynamic stem cells, remarkably, can be transformed from skin and blood cells into *any* type of cell in the human body, with enormous implications for biomedical research, therapeutic development, and precision medicine. Particularly interesting to me are the implications for solving the opioid crisis and neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc. #biology #stemcells STAT #lifesciences #science #research #virtualevent