Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 20, Issue 17, 2013

Synchrotron radiation (SR), which combines extremely high intensity, high collimation, tunability, and continuous energy spectrum, allows the development of advanced X-ray based techniques that are becoming a uniquely useful tool in life science research, along providing exciting opportunities in biomedical imaging and radiotherapy. This review summarize emerging techniques and their potential to greatly enhanc Read More

This review focuses on the use of Raman spectroscopy, an analytical technique based on the inelastic scattering of harmless laser light with biological tissues, as an innovative diagnostic tool in pediatrics. After a brief introduction to explain the fundamental concepts behind Raman spectroscopy and imaging, a short summary is given of the most important and common issues arising when handling spectral data wit Read More

The results accrued in the last few years have clearly showed that recombinant antibodies, and specifically single- domain antibodies, represent valid alternatives to conventional IgGs for in vivo imaging. It does not simply mean that antibody fragments can substitute full-length antibodies, but that they are substantially more suitable for some applications and can perform other functions for which no real alternative is available Read More

Fluorescence imaging techniques are becoming essential for preclinical investigations, necessitating the development of suitable tools for in vivo measurements. Nanotechnology entered this field to help overcome many of the current technical limitations, and luminescent nanoparticles (NPs) are one of the most promising materials proposed for future diagnostic implementation. NPs also constitute a versatile platform that ca Read More

Nanomedicine is certainly one of the scientific and technological challenges of the coming years. In particular, biodegradable nanoparticles formulated from poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) have been extensively investigated for sustained and targeted delivery of different agents, including recombinant proteins, plasmid DNA, and low molecular weight compounds. PLGA NPs present some very attractive properties Read More

Since the discovery of p53 as “guardian of the genome” , a large number of efforts have been put in place in order to find molecular strategies aiming to restore p53 wild-type functions, particularly in the light of the fact that its pathway results ineffective in most tumors even though they have non-mutated p53. In this context, pediatric cancers, that are mostly p53 wild-type at the time of diagnosis, represent an ideal targ Read More

Several lympholytic and cytotoxic agents are used in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) polychemotherapy. Genetic variants for cellular components involved in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these drugs can influence the pharmacological response, and molecular characterization of these genetic variants could be helpful for the comprehension of the mechanisms of resistance or increased sensitivi Read More

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a pro-apoptotic ligand that has shown the exquisite ability to trigger extrinsic apoptosis in various types of cancer cells without significant toxicity toward normal cells, when compared to other pro-apoptotic ligands such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α or Fas ligand. Consequently, TRAIL-based therapies aim to trigger apoptosis in cancer cells by providing th Read More