Cancer Research Institute

About: Cancer Research Institute is a nonprofit organization based out in New York, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cancer & Population. The organization has 1061 authors who have published 754 publications receiving 26712 citations.

Characterization of a Long Terminal Repeat Region from an Infectious Indian HIV Type 2 Isolate

Abstract: An infectious Indian human immunodeficiency virus type 2 isolate from Mumbai, propagated in this laboratory, was found to bear an unusually short long terminal repeat (LTR) region. Complete sequencing of the 601 bp LTR indicated a loss of around 250 nucleotide pairs from the unique 3' (U3) region as compared to other well-characterized HIV-2 isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of this LTR shows closest relatedness to the Guinea-Bissau subtype A isolates HIV-2CAM2 and HIV-2ALI. The LTR from the biologically active infectious clone with the observed deletion contained all functionally relevant promoter and polyadenylation sequences.

Particle removal from air by face masks made from Sterilization Wraps: Effectiveness and Reusability.

Abstract: Wearing face masks is highly recommended to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission in health care workers and for the general public. The demand for high quality face masks has seen an upsurge in the recent times, leading to exploration of alternative economic and easily available options, without compromising on the quality. Particle removal from air in terms of capture efficiency of the filter media or the face mask is a crucial parameter for testing and quality assurance. Short-term reusability of the face masks is also an important aspect as the demand for masks will potentially outstrip the supply in future. Sterilization Wraps, which are used to wrap sterile surgical instruments, have shown a promising performance in terms of removal of particles from air. In this study, we evaluate the particle filtration characteristics of face masks made of 2 different metric weights [45 and 60 gram per square metre (GSM)] respectively, using locally available Sterilization Wraps. The aerosol filtration characteristics were also studied after sterilisation by different techniques such as heat with 50% humidity (thermal treatment), ethylene oxide (ETO), steam and radiation dose of 30kGy. We found that 60 GSM face mask had particle capture efficiency of 94% for total particles greater than 0.3 microns and this capture efficiency was maintained even after sterilisation with ETO and thermal treatment. The cost of producing these masks was 30 US cents/mask at our institute. Our study suggests that sterilization wrap material made of non-woven polypropylene spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS) fibres could be an appropriate readily available inexpensive material for making face masks or N95 respirators.

Autophagy inhibition impairs the invasion potential of medulloblastoma cells.

Abstract: Medulloblastoma, a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor, consists of four distinct molecular subgroups called WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4 that differ in their clinical characteristics with the WNT subgroup having excellent survival rate. About 1/3rd medulloblastomas have metastasis at the time of diagnosis suggesting, high invasion potential of these tumors. We have earlier reported that the tumor-suppressive role of miR-204 and miR-30a is accompanied by inhibition of autophagy in medulloblastoma cells. In the present study, we have investigated the role of autophagy in medulloblastoma biology. Autophagy was inhibited in the medulloblastoma cell lines belonging to the SHH, Group 3, and Group 4 using the shRNA mediated knockdown of ATG5, an upstream regulator of autophagy. The effect of autophagy inhibition was studied on the growth and malignant behavior of medulloblastoma cells. ATG5 knockdown resulted in the autophagy inhibition in medulloblastoma cells as judged by the reduction in the flux of LC3B, a marker for autophagy. Autophagy inhibition did not result in a significant difference in the proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of the medulloblastoma cells. On the other hand, autophagy inhibition brought about a substantial reduction in the invasion potential of all three medulloblastoma cell lines studied. The present study suggests a therapeutic potential for autophagy inhibitors in the treatment of medulloblastoma. Autophagy inhibitors could be effective in reducing the dose of craniospinal radiation, thereby leading to a significant reduction in the treatment-related side effects.

Mesoderm-derived PDGFRA+ cells regulate the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells in the dorsal aorta

Abstract: Abstract Mouse haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) first emerge at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5), on the ventral surface of the dorsal aorta, by endothelial-to-haematopoietic transition. We investigated whether mesenchymal stem cells, which provide an essential niche for long-term HSCs (LT-HSCs) in the bone marrow, reside in the aorta–gonad–mesonephros and contribute to the development of the dorsal aorta and endothelial-to-haematopoietic transition. Here we show that mesoderm-derived PDGFRA + stromal cells ( Mesp1 der PSCs) contribute to the haemogenic endothelium of the dorsal aorta and populate the E10.5–E11.5 aorta–gonad–mesonephros but by E13.5 were replaced by neural-crest-derived PSCs ( Wnt1 der PSCs). Co-aggregating non-haemogenic endothelial cells with Mesp1 der PSCs but not Wnt1 der PSCs resulted in activation of a haematopoietic transcriptional programme in endothelial cells and generation of LT-HSCs. Dose-dependent inhibition of PDGFRA or BMP, WNT and NOTCH signalling interrupted this reprogramming event. Together, aorta–gonad–mesonephros Mesp1 der PSCs could potentially be harnessed to manufacture LT-HSCs from endothelium.