Nano-Bio Manufacturing Consortium Selects Wearable Sensor Patch Subsystem Project as First to Receive Funding

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nano-Bio Manufacturing Consortium (NBMC) has selected a proposal by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to develop a wearable sensor patch subsystem as its first project in its mission to develop human performance-monitoring electronics. The project has $450,000 in total funding. Fifty percent will come from NBMC's U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) funds, and the remaining 50 percent will be contributed by the winning team of UMass Amherst and its industrial partner, GE.

This project, which also includes work done by the University of Cincinnati, focuses on the integration of the most mature system subcomponents in order to provide a deliverable demonstration of a microfluidic subsystem capable of time-gated acquisition of a sweat sample, along with detection of the target biomarker Orexin-A. Orexin-A is a naturally occurring neuropeptide hormone released by the hypothalamus, and plays a crucial role in the stability of arousal and alertness. A wearable paper-based patch incorporating this technology would ideally provide valuable data regarding wearer fatigue.

"This research could have profound implications not only for military use, but for any high-stress job in which alertness and responsiveness are critical," said Scott Miller, Lab Manager for Nanostructures and Surfaces at GE Global Research.  "Physical and mental fatigue can be a big issue for those who work as jet pilots, air traffic controllers, fire fighters, heavy-equipment operators, and in many other careers.  It's a safety issue, and the earlier we can detect fatigue, the earlier it can be addressed.  At GE, we are working to help solve this tough challenge."

Based on assessment of the challenges associated with various sensor options, the project's primary development centers on an interdigitated field effect transistor (FET) sensor. This technology has already demonstrated performance for Orexin-A detection from blood and saliva samples and offers the lowest-risk system integration. The team is also developing, as a close alternative, a radio-frequency (RF) impedance sensor that may offer higher stability and sensitivity.

According to Dr. Benjamin J. Leever, Flexible Materials & Devices Program Manager at AFRL, "Biosensors are of significant interest to the Air Force due to their exceptional sensitivity for a wide variety of molecules and biomarkers, including Orexin-A, which is the focus of the NBMC project led by UMass.  Better understanding the underlying mechanisms and maturing the technology could have broad applicability beyond this particular device and could enable new capabilities that strengthen the Air Force."

The project team's technical lead is Dr. James J. Watkins from the UMass Dept. of Polymer Science and Engineering, with GE's Dr. Azar Alizadeh as alternate technical representative and Laura Rea as AFRL program manager.  "UMass is known nationally and around the world for its contributions to projects that advance the status of the U.S. as a technological and economic leader," stated Dr. Watkins. "We are proud to partner with GE and the University of Cincinnati to pursue this first project for the NBMC, and look forward to reporting and demonstrating the fruits of our highly experienced team's efforts."

Malcolm Thompson, NBMC's CEO, said, "These first four funded projects, beginning with the work led by UMass, reflect innovative thinking and research methodologies that we believe have the potential to greatly impact efforts to optimize U.S. airmen's safety and effectiveness in the field, as well as to be highly valuable in non-military environments."

About NBMC
The Nano-Bio Manufacturing Consortium (NBMC) was formed by the FlexTech Alliance, for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). NBMC brings together leading scientists, engineers, and business development professionals from industry and universities to mature an integrated suite of nano-bio manufacturing technologies and transition to industrial manufacturing.  To do so, NBMC operates at the confluence of emerging disciplines: nanotechnology, biotechnology, advanced (additive) manufacturing, and flexible electronics.  This enables the creation of advanced sensor systems for real-time, remote monitoring of biometrics and body chemistry though biomarker analysis of body fluids for Human Performance and Health Assessment. Visit www.nbmc.org.

About GE Global Research 
GE Global Research is the hub of technology development for all of GE's businesses. Our scientists and engineers redefine what's possible, drive growth for our businesses, and find answers to some of the world's toughest problems.

We innovate 24 hours a day, with sites in Niskayuna, New York; San Ramon, California; Bangalore, India; Shanghai, China; Munich, Germany; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Visit GE Global Research on the web at www.geglobalresearch.com. Connect with our technologists at www.geglobalresearch.com/blog and twitter.com/geresearch 

SOURCE NBMC

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Research by Structural Genomics Consortium and DiscoveRx Points to New Multi-Targeting Approaches to Cancer Therapy

DiscoveRx Corporation, Fremont, CA, Contact: Sailaja Kuchibhatla, skuchibhatla@discoverx.com. (PRNewsFoto/DiscoveRx Corporation)jwplayer.key="2kY/GKwZ2uQZmDlQ9VYArfZt2b4+KhHX3+DM4zisgtE=";OXFORD, United Kingdom and FREMONT, Calif., March 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) and DiscoveRx Corporation today announced the publication of findings that suggest compelling new multi-targeting approaches for cancer therapy. In a study entitled "Dual kinase-bromodomain inhibitors for rationally designed polypharmacology," which appeared on-line in Nature Chemical Biology (http://www.nature.com/nchembio/index.html), the researchers demonstrate that several clinical kinase inhibitors also potently inhibit diverse bromodomain epigenetic reader proteins.

Kinase inhibitor-based targeted therapies have had clinical successes. However, a substantial proportion of patients fail to respond initially, and acquired resistance to these drugs remains problematic. Inhibition of multiple oncogenic proteins in the same tumor is an established strategy to address these challenges, but the discovery of inhibitors targeting multiple rationally chosen kinases is difficult, and combination therapy approaches require complex clinical investigations.

The finding that several oncology-focused clinical kinase inhibitors also potently inhibit bromodomains, including the established cancer target BRD4, demonstrates the feasibility of a "single agent, inter-family" multi-targeting approach. The structural biology data presented indeed suggest actionable dual inhibitor design strategies. Co-senior author Stefan Knapp, Principal Investigator at the SGC (based at the University of Oxford) commented, "The diversity of the kinase catalytic site and the acetyllysine binding pockets in bromodomains will allow optimization of inhibitor potency for both target classes, which will facilitate the development of therapeutic dual inhibitors."

Among the kinase inhibitors shown to have potent BRD4 activity are the JAK2-FLT3 inhibitor TG-101348 and the PLK1 inhibitors BI-2536 and volasertib. "Since FLT3 and BRD4 can be independent drivers in acute myelogenous leukemia, the TG-101348 data raise hope for the development of an optimized dual FLT3-BRD4 inhibitor, which would be anticipated to improve patient outcomes," said co-senior author Daniel Treiber, Sr. Director of Research at DiscoveRx.

Co-author Neil Shah, Leader of the Hematopoietic Malignancies Program at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, agrees that multi-targeting single agent therapies could offer significant advantages. "Attempts to clinically test therapeutic combination strategies that exploit synergistic interactions are often hampered by significant obstacles such as the potentially unacceptable cost and toxicity of combining two drugs, as well as practical difficulties inherent in working simultaneously with two pharmaceutical companies," he said. "This work excitingly demonstrates that in some cases, rational medicinal chemistry efforts can circumvent many of these issues and potentially rapidly advance medical science."

Importantly, the dual BRD4-kinase inhibitors were also shown to exhibit complex, unique polypharmacologies across a panel of human primary cell disease models (BioMAP® systems). "Our strategy of using both target-based and phenotypic screening approaches represents a paradigm shift in developing single agents that can act as ready-made combination therapies that may be more efficacious and overcome clinical obstacles," said co-first author Alison O'Mahony, Sr., Director of Research at BioSeek, a division of DiscoveRx.

About the Structural Genomics Consortium
The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) (http://www.thesgc.org/) is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership that conducts pre-competitive research to facilitate the discovery of new medicines.  Based at the University of Oxford and University of Toronto the SGC's work contributes to new hypotheses in understanding and treating human disease, and the subsequent identification of new targets for drug discovery. The SGC's primary objectives are to produce and characterize the 3-dimensional structures of soluble proteins and of integral membrane proteins, to generate selective chemical probes for epigenetic proteins and kinases, and to release these into the public domain. As part of its mission the SGC generates medically relevant reagents and knowledge related to human proteins and proteins from human parasites, which it shares through over 250 collaborations with researchers worldwide. Since 2004 the SGC has solved over 1400 protein structures and has generated 19 chemical probes for epigenetic proteins (http://www.thesgc.org/chemical-probes/epigenetics).

About DiscoveRx Corporation
Founded in 2000, DiscoveRx is a leading provider of next generation drug discovery screening and profiling platforms. Utilizing its three proprietary technology platforms beta-galactosidase-based enzyme fragment complementation (EFC), KINOMEscan® and BioMAP® (http://www.biomapsystems.com), DiscoveRx offers an industry leading portfolio of over 1000 target-based and human primary cell-based systems for oncology, metabolic disease, inflammation, autoimmunity, CNS and cardiovascular research at global pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic institutes.  For more information, visit http://www.discoverx.com.

University of California Disclaimer
The information stated above was prepared by the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) and DiscoveRx Corp. and reflects solely that opinion. Nothing in this statement shall be construed to imply any support or endorsement of the SGC or DiscoveRx, or any of its products, by The Regents of the University of California, its officers, agents and employees.

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SOURCE DiscoveRx Corporation

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