Acrp30 is a circulating protein synthesized in adipose tissue. A single injection in mice of purified recombinant Acrp30 leads to a 2-3-fold elevation in circulating Acrp30 levels, which triggers a transient decrease in basal glucose levels. Similar treatment in ob/ob, NOD (non-obese diabetic) or streptozotocin-treated mice transiently abolishes hyperglycemia. This effect on glucose is not associated with an increase in insulin levels. Moreover, in isolated hepatocytes, Acrp30 increases the ability of sub-physiological levels of insulin to suppress glucose production. We thus propose that Acrp30 is a potent insulin enhancer linking adipose tissue and whole-body glucose metabolism.

The adipocyte-secreted protein Acrp30 enhances hepatic insulin action

High Resolution Mapping of the Binding Site on Human IgG1 for FcγRI, FcγRII, FcγRIII, and FcRn and Design of IgG1 Variants with Improved Binding to the FcγR

The present invention concerns polypeptides comprising a variant Fc region. More particularly, the present invention concerns Fc region-containing polypeptides that have altered effector function as a consequence of one or more amino acid modifications in the Fc region thereof.

Polypeptide variants with altered effector function

Novel fluorescent nanoparticle (FNP)-based bioprobes are expected to generate new medical diagnostic techniques in biomedical and biological areas for their superior brightness and photostability compared with conventional molecular probes including small organic dyes and fluorescent proteins. Potentially interesting nanoscale platforms for various biomedical applications are greatly attractive due to the potential to avoid exposure of human tissues to toxic drugs, enhancing delivery of hydrophobic therapeutics and fabricating multifunctional imaging, targeting and delivery system. In this review, recent progress in the area of novel aggregation induced emission (AIE)-based FNPs is summarized over the past few years (2007–2013), and the reported fabrication methodologies of these fluorescent systems including non-covalent and covalent strategies are mainly discussed, and the biomedical applications of AIE-based FNPs are also summarized.

Aggregation induced emission-based fluorescent nanoparticles: fabrication methodologies and biomedical applications

From 2006 to 2011, an average of 15 novel recombinant protein therapeutics have been approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) annually. In addition, the expiration of blockbuster biologics has also spurred the emergence of biosimilars. The increasing numbers of innovator biologic products and biosimilars have thus fuelled the demand of production cell lines with high productivity. Currently, mammalian cell line development technologies used by most biopharmaceutical companies are based on either the methotrexate (MTX) amplification technology or the glutamine synthetase (GS) system. With both systems, the cell clones obtained are highly heterogeneous, as a result of random genome integration by the gene of interest and the gene amplification process. Consequently, large numbers of cell clones have to be screened to identify rare stable high producer cell clones. As such, the cell line development process typically requires 6 to 12 months and is a time, capital and labour intensive process. This article reviews established advances in protein expression and clone screening which are the core technologies in mammalian cell line development. Advancements in these component technologies are vital to improve the speed and efficiency of generating robust and highly productive cell line for large scale production of protein therapeutics.

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Wai Lee Wong

Papers

Green fluorescent protein as a second selectable marker for selection of high producing clones from transfected CHO cells.