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Biotech Connector illuminates structural biology research
Structural biology has been in existence since 1912, when German physicist Max Von Laue first directed X-rays at crystallized copper sulfate. He later won a Nobel Prize for this discovery, and other scientists built off his work, developing an X-ray crystallography technique that can illuminate the biological structures of proteins and other biological molecules. Today, structural biologists are not limited to X-ray crystallography; they use a variety of techniques to study biological 3D structures—and as a result they are revealing previously unknown molecular mechanisms that can support drug development. The Biotech Connector held on August 22 at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) showcased the research of three investigators in the Frederick, Md., region who are working at the forefront of structural biology. Tackling drug resistance Ruth Nussinov, Ph.D., senior investigator and head of FNL’s Computational Structural Biology Section , researches structural biology to improve cancer therapy. She POSTED: 9/6/2024
Technology Showcase team blends new and old approaches for 2024 event
After eight years, the annual Technology Showcase isn’t showing any signs of slowing. In fact, according to members of the planning committee, there are still abundant opportunities to do more. “We do experiment with this event,” said Maggie Scully, Ph.D., a showcase organizer and the director of the Partnership Development Office at Frederick National Laboratory (FNL). “Now that we’ve done it a number of years, we feel like we’re confident in knowing that we can still run the event but add a [new] feature.” Creativity feels like a fitting approach given the showcase’s emphasis on technological innovation and partnerships. The event brings together scientists from NCI, FNL, and private organizations; company representatives from businesses large and small; entrepreneurs; biotech and biomedical employees; and local government representatives. United by a common interest, attendees network, discuss inventions, and—of course—learn how they can collaborate in biomedical research. Several years also featured a special POSTED: 8/29/2024
Study offers guidance for targeting HIV’s viral reservoir
After decades of progress, people with HIV now have access to drugs that keep the virus undetectable and thus under control with simple one-pill-a-day treatments of antiretroviral therapy (ART). These treatments suppress the virus, preventing progression of HIV infection to AIDS and eliminating potential transmission of the virus to others. But the virus can persist during treatment, even over many years. If ART is stopped, the virus typically resumes replicating, a “viral rebound” of high levels of virus in the blood, which can cause disease progression. This persistent virus is the major obstacle to more definitive treatment or even cure of HIV infection. Understanding this persistent virus—the Rebound Competent Viral Reservoir (RCVR)—is a key area of current HIV research. But for many reasons it is extraordinarily difficult to study the RCVR in people living with HIV. New research from the AIDS and Cancer Virus Program employed a novel nonhuman primate POSTED: 8/12/2024
Demographically diverse images are sought for national cancer resource
Scientists from the National Cancer Institute and the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research are urging medical professionals and researchers to contribute more demographically diverse images to a shared national cancer imaging database, so it better represents the at-large population and does not perpetuate health disparities in analysis of the data. This becomes even more important as artificial intelligence (AI) programs are trained on the database for potential use by doctors in diagnosing patients and by scientists to develop new treatments. Data from The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) has already been leveraged in more than 3,000 peer-reviewed articles and is frequently used in studies that advance the accuracy and clinical relevance of cancer imaging through the development of AI algorithms designed to improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. TCIA hosts a large collection of de-identified medical images of cancer with supporting data on patient outcomes, treatment details, genetic POSTED: 8/5/2024
Black in Cancer Conference draws Black cancer research professionals to first U.S. event
The inaugural U.S. Black in Cancer Conference brought more than 300 oncologists, scientists, students, trainees, advocates, and supporters to the Natcher Conference Center in Bethesda, Md., in June. Expert speakers shared the latest advances in cancer drug discovery and delivery as well as cancer biology. They discussed the future of cancer care for the Black diaspora and presented strategies to boost enrollment of diverse populations into clinical trials. The event also fostered a genuine sense of community among attendees during the meeting’s two days. The event was co-hosted by the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and the nonprofit organization Black in Cancer. Black in Cancer formed in 2020 to create a network of Black people in the cancer field, and to support a robust pipeline of future Black researchers and celebrate Black researchers’ critical contributions to cancer science and medicine. It began as an online movement, but the conference POSTED: 7/31/2024
'Empanada' is a leap forward in rapid 3-D image processing and annotation
It sounds like a pastry but it’s really part of a new wave in scientific imaging. Empanada is the name of an artificial intelligence (AI) program trained on a vast set of data for more rapid and accurate 3-D rendering of subcellular structures. Interested investigators can download it for free. “At the snap of a finger, you can identify all of the mitochondria in a cell,” said Kedar Narayan, Ph.D., senior scientist and group leader of the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Molecular Microscopy at the Frederick National Laboratory (FNL). The initial release of Empanada focuses on mitochondria, the powerhouses of living cells that produce energy. Subsequent iterations will be tailored to identify other cellular components, such as nuclei, endosomes, and lamellar bodies. The textbook diagram of mitochondria shows a plump sausage shape that has been sliced lengthwise in a cross-section that reveals in detail its interior structures. In actuality POSTED: 7/10/2024
Newly identified antibodies block many influenza strains in laboratory tests
Seeking a universal flu vaccine, scientists have identified two antibodies that block a wide range of influenza viruses by targeting a region of the viral structure that was discovered 40 years ago but has yet to be successfully exploited. Flu vaccines typically target hemagglutinin, the most abundant and accessible protein on the surface of the virus. But the head of the hemagglutinin molecule mutates often. That means vaccines that target these regions must be reformulated each year based on a best guess of which influenza strain will emerge as dominant for that season. The new research, a very early step toward a vaccine, focuses on neuraminidase, a less-studied essential protein on the surface of influenza viruses and one that is less prone to mutation. This makes it a potential target for vaccines that might provide universal protection from the flu, but only a handful of neuraminidase antibodies have been POSTED: 7/8/2024
Microscopy mini-course teaches critical but often missing skills
Ru-ching Hsia, Ph.D., heard the same concern from colleagues across the country: There is a dearth of electron microscopy training opportunities in the United States, and it’s limiting biological sciences. Hsia, who heads the Electron Microscopy Laboratory at the Frederick National Laboratory (FNL), realized that FNL could help fill this need and train the next generation of researchers, so she decided to pilot an ultramicrotomy mini-course. Ultramicrotomy is the method for cutting specimens into ultra-thin sections (less than 100 nanometers), for analysis, typically done with a diamond knife. This technique enables the microscopist to capture the specimen’s internal structures at an extremely high resolution. Twelve students participated in the pilot course held earlier this year. They listened to presentations by experts in the field, watched technique demonstration, and engaged in hands-on practice at the ultramicrotomes in the Electron Microscopy Laboratory. The need for training Hsia said preparing electron microscopy specimens POSTED: 7/1/2024
Biotech Connector explores the high-resolution world of electron microscopy
The spring Biotech Connector, a quarterly networking and speaker series, on May 23 gave an overview of the electron microscope and its uses—from the first electron microscopy (EM) image of an intact cell published in 1944 to an array of modern techniques that are changing our understanding of cell biology. The event featured two speakers from the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) and one from ZEISS Microscopy. History of electron microscopy Ru-ching Hsia, Ph.D., head of the FNL’s Electron Microscopy Laboratory, leverages high-resolution EM to study cell biology, or as she joked, to “look for tiny things in a big instrument.” She provided an overview of the history of EM, explaining that since its development in the 1930s, EM has greatly advanced our understanding of cell biology and enabled the discovery of organelles, such as the mitochondria. She presented the two broad types of EM: the transmission EM POSTED: 6/27/2024