Bio Saga Blog - A Chronicle of Life Sciences & Informatics

Applications are invited for the post of Post Doctoral Fellow for the following time-bound sponsored project as per the details given below: Post :  Post Doctoral Fellow Consolidated fellowship :  As per terms governed by the Wellcome trust DBT India Alliance and National Institute of Immunology (a Minimum of Rs. 40,000/- per month).  Project title :  Exploring the role of a developmental regulator in inflammatory immune response under Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance Essential Qualification :  a. Must hold a Ph.D Degree (not awarded before 2009), or must already have submitted their thesis towards obtaining a Ph.D degree from a reputed Institute. b. Must have more than Five years of research Experience. c.  Must have proven research expertise/skills in basic biochemistry, cell biology and Molecular Biology, Research Expertise in in vivo animal work is also preferred. d. Must have one publication as first author, in international journal, preferab...

Pathway analysis has become the first choice for gaining insight into the underlying biology of differentially expressed genes and proteins, as it reduces complexity and has increased explanatory power. We discuss the evolution of knowledge base–driven pathway analysis over its first decade, distinctly divided into three generations. We also discuss the limitations that are specific to each generation, and how they are addressed by successive generations of methods. We identify a number of annotation challenges that must be addressed to enable development of the next generation of pathway analysis methods. Furthermore, we identify a number of methodological challenges that the next generation of methods must tackle to take advantage of the technological advances in genomics and proteomics in order to improve specificity, sensitivity, and relevance of pathway analysis. Do you wish to know more?

New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research. Endocannabinoid signaling is important to the normal functioning of the digestive system and has been shown to protect the colon against inflammation. Since chronic inflammation is a known risk factor for colorectal cancer, the researchers decided to look into the role of cannabinoid receptors in a mouse model of colon cancer. Cannabinoids previously had been shown to kill cancer cells in lab experiments by inducing apoptosis - programmed cell death. The team confirmed the role of CB1 in apoptosis, showing that tumor cells with high CB1 expression were sensitive to apoptosis when treated by a cannabinoid agonist. Cell lines with silenced CB1 resisted cell death. A series of experiments showed that CB1 increases cancer cell death by stifling a protein called survivin. Survivin is ov...

Previously blogging on novel anti-cancer molecules in Researchers Find that a Small Molecule Can Activate an Important Cancer Suppressor Gene. Scientists at The Wistar Institute have developed a new type of enzyme inhibitor capable of blocking a biochemical pathway that plays a key role in cancer development by combining natural organic atoms with metal complexes. Based on studies in human melanoma cells, the research paves the way for developing new ways to treat cancer by dampening the overactive enzyme activity that leads to uncontrolled tumor growth. Details of the study, to be published in the May 16 issue of the journal ACS Chemical Biology , show how small-molecule inhibitors can be designed to target a family of signaling proteins, called phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinases, or PI3Ks. “The PI3K pathway has been called the most mutated pathway in human cancer,” says Ronen Marmorstein, Ph.D., a professor in the Gene Expression and Regulation Program at Wistar and s...