1
18 April 2001), along with a big increase in the number of start-ups seeking venture capital support in the proteomics field. Several industrial proteome mapping projects are planned or under way, including Myriad Genetics ($185 million), GeneProt (with 51 mass spectrometers) and also Celera, who, according to company President J. Craig Venter, are ‘building the largest proteomics facility by farthe size of a football field.’ This should greatly increase the rate of identification of therapeutic targets, but, given that the proteome, unlike the genome, is cell specific and constantly changing, a Human Proteome Project will be an extremely challenging undertaking. S.L. Wellcome targets the British government Mike Dexter, Director of the Wellcome Trust, has announced that the Trust will not fund any new buildings but will concentrate its funding on research and equipment rather than the ‘bricks and mortar’. Dexter was reported in Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying that such funding was the ‘responsibility of the state’ and that ‘charities should not become an alternative to adequate state investment’. State spending on R&D in the UK has dropped by 12.5% in the past 10 years. Particular emphasis was put on the need to maintain Britain’s competitiveness in science, as well as the need to suitably fund the running and maintenance of University research facilities. Recent initiatives from the government have sought to redress the deficit in the research budget, but much of this money has itself been contributed by medical research charities. The Telegraph also highlights that 23% of the UK research and development budget now comes from charities compared with only 9% in the USA. D.S. Stem cell research triumphs Two recent papers in Science exemplify the steady progress towards clinical application of stem-cell-derived tissue in replacement surgery. Wakayama and coworkers from New York’s Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center provide proof of principle for multistep therapeutic cloning: a somatic cell nucleus could be reprogrammed to produce embryos, from which pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) were isolated. Nuclei of mouse cells from a tail biopsy were transferred to anucleated egg cells and, a few days later, ESCs were derived from blastocyst-stage embryos. The stem cell capacity of the newly derived ESC lines was demonstrated by differentiating them into dopaminergic and serotonergic neuronal cells in vitro, and the cells passed the acid test of pluripotency by contributing to the germline in vivo [Science 292, 740–743 (2001)]. In a second report [Science 292, 1389–1394 (2001)], a team at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, describes how it applied new insight into pancreatic development to successfully differentiate mouse ESCs into insulin-secreting cells in vitro. Lumelsky et al. transformed ESCs into small clusters of cells that look and behave very much like islets of Langerhans: mini-organs comprising beta cells producing insulin, and glucagon- and somatostatin- producing cells. Tissue produced in vitro might thus benefit diabetes patients, who display malfunctioning of the islets of Langerhans. J.d.B. TRENDS in Cell Biology Vol.11 No.7 July 2001 http://tcb.trends.com 0962-8924/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 285 News & Comment This month’s ‘In brief’ articles were written by: Jan de Boer [email protected] Sean Lawler [email protected] David Stephens [email protected] Cancer drug screening while you wait Regardless of your research speciality, it is now possible to use your desktop computer in the fight against cancer. Running under the headline ‘don’t just make a donation, make a difference’, a global collaborative network has been established to speed up dramatically computer-based drug discovery for cancer therapy. The project is functionally similar to the phenomenally successful SETI@home project, which aimed to use spare computing power in the search for extraterrestrial life. It is estimated that up to 80% of the processing power of the average desktop computer is unused during routine use – distributed computing systems aim to exploit this unused power. Individual users download a small program that can be run either as a screensaver or continuously in the background. Cooperation of users in this way provides more computing power than the largest supercomputers currently available. The Centre for Computational Drug Discovery at the University of Oxford, UK, has teamed up with Intel and United Devices to generate the virtual supercomputing network required for the cancer project. The so-called ‘THINK’ software is essentially a virtual molecular modeling package that aims to find potential anti-cancer drugs from screens against a number of key proteins implicated in cancer. Users are sent a package of 100 molecules, which are screened in multiple conformations against the three- dimensional structure of targets such as superoxide dismutase and Ras. The project, funded by the National Foundation for Cancer Research, is believed to be the largest combinatorial chemistry project ever undertaken. Over 320 000 users have signed up so far, with the organizers hoping for several million. Intel’s role in the project forms part of the company’s ‘Philanthropic Peer-to-Peer Program’. Peer-to-peer computing involves collaboration of users to share files and resources, enabling greater functionality. Intel has long used peer-to- peer computing internally, and the company believes that the technology will allow much greater use of computing power in this and many other medical research applications. For further information, see: http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/curecancer.html http://www.intel.com/cure http://members.ud.com/vypc/cancer/ D.S. Vascular endothelial growth factor – a typical THINK screening target. Further molecular structures can be viewed at the ‘Cure Cancer’ website.

Stem cell research triumphs

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

18 April 2001), along with a big increase inthe number of start-ups seeking venturecapital support in the proteomics field.Several industrial proteome mappingprojects are planned or under way,including Myriad Genetics ($185 million),GeneProt (with 51 mass spectrometers)and also Celera, who, according tocompany President J. Craig Venter, are‘building the largest proteomics facility by far… the size of a football field.’ Thisshould greatly increase the rate ofidentification of therapeutic targets, but,given that the proteome, unlike thegenome, is cell specific and constantlychanging, a Human Proteome Project will be an extremely challengingundertaking. S.L.

Wellcome targets the Britishgovernment

Mike Dexter, Director of the WellcomeTrust, has announced that the Trust will notfund any new buildings but will concentrateits funding on research and equipmentrather than the ‘bricks and mortar’. Dexterwas reported in Britain’s Daily Telegraphnewspaper as saying that such funding wasthe ‘responsibility of the state’ and that‘charities should not become an alternativeto adequate state investment’. Statespending on R&D in the UK has dropped by 12.5% in the past 10 years. Particularemphasis was put on the need to maintainBritain’s competitiveness in science, as wellas the need to suitably fund the runningand maintenance of University researchfacilities. Recent initiatives from thegovernment have sought to redress thedeficit in the research budget, but much ofthis money has itself been contributed bymedical research charities. The Telegraphalso highlights that 23% of the UK research and development budget nowcomes from charities compared with only9% in the USA. D.S.

Stem cell research triumphsTwo recent papers in Science exemplify the steady progress towards clinicalapplication of stem-cell-derived tissue inreplacement surgery. Wakayama andcoworkers from New York’s RockefellerUniversity and Memorial Sloan-KetteringCancer Center provide proof of principle formultistep therapeutic cloning: a somatic cellnucleus could be reprogrammed to produceembryos, from which pluripotent embryonicstem cells (ESCs) were isolated. Nuclei ofmouse cells from a tail biopsy weretransferred to anucleated egg cells and, a few days later, ESCs were derived fromblastocyst-stage embryos. The stem cellcapacity of the newly derived ESC lines wasdemonstrated by differentiating them intodopaminergic and serotonergic neuronalcells in vitro, and the cells passed the acidtest of pluripotency by contributing to thegermline in vivo [Science 292, 740–743(2001)]. In a second report [Science 292,1389–1394 (2001)], a team at the NIH in

Bethesda, Maryland, describes how itapplied new insight into pancreaticdevelopment to successfully differentiatemouse ESCs into insulin-secreting cellsin vitro. Lumelsky et al. transformed ESCsinto small clusters of cells that look andbehave very much like islets of Langerhans:mini-organs comprising beta cells producinginsulin, and glucagon- and somatostatin-producing cells. Tissue produced in vitromight thus benefit diabetes patients, who display malfunctioning of the islets ofLangerhans. J.d.B.

TRENDS in Cell Biology Vol.11 No.7 July 2001

http://tcb.trends.com 0962-8924/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

285News&Comment

This month’s ‘In brief’ articles were

written by:

Jan de Boer

[email protected] Sean Lawler

[email protected] Stephens

[email protected]

Cancer drug screening whileyou wait

Regardless of your research speciality, it isnow possible to use your desktop computerin the fight against cancer. Running underthe headline ‘don’t just make a donation,make a difference’, a global collaborativenetwork has been established to speed updramatically computer-based drugdiscovery for cancer therapy. The project isfunctionally similar to the phenomenallysuccessful SETI@home project, whichaimed to use spare computing power in thesearch for extraterrestrial life. It is estimatedthat up to 80% of the processing power ofthe average desktop computer is unusedduring routine use – distributed computingsystems aim to exploit this unused power.Individual users download a small programthat can be run either as a screensaver orcontinuously in the background.Cooperation of users in this way providesmore computing power than the largestsupercomputers currently available. TheCentre for Computational Drug Discovery at

the University of Oxford, UK, has teamed upwith Intel and United Devices to generate thevirtual supercomputing network requiredfor the cancer project. The so-called ‘THINK’software is essentially a virtual molecularmodeling package that aims to find potentialanti-cancer drugs from screens against anumber of key proteins implicated in cancer.Users are sent a package of 100 molecules,which are screened in multipleconformations against the three-dimensional structure of targets such assuperoxide dismutase and Ras. The project,funded by the National Foundation forCancer Research, is believed to be thelargest combinatorial chemistry project everundertaken. Over 320 000 users have signedup so far, with the organizers hoping forseveral million. Intel’s role in the projectforms part of the company’s ‘PhilanthropicPeer-to-Peer Program’. Peer-to-peercomputing involves collaboration of users toshare files and resources, enabling greaterfunctionality. Intel has long used peer-to-peer computing internally, and the companybelieves that the technology will allow muchgreater use of computing power in this andmany other medical research applications.

For further information, see:http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/curecancer.htmlhttp://www.intel.com/curehttp://members.ud.com/vypc/cancer/ D.S.

Vascular endothelialgrowth factor – a typicalTHINK screening target.Further molecularstructures can be viewed atthe ‘Cure Cancer’ website.