Though Bruce Alberts is well known for his work on the biochemistry of DNA replication and as the editor-in-chief of Science, he is also recognizable as the author of the seminal biology textbook Molecular Biology of the Cell. Alberts served as the president of the National Academy of Sciences for over a decade and is currently a professor at University of California, San Francisco. This year, his dedication to advancing science policy and education was recognized with the Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award. JCI’s editor-at-large Ushma Neill sat down with Alberts to talk about how his background in science shaped his later work as an educator and leader in science policy. They also discuss the challenges of improving science education through writing, editing, and policy making.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous genetic disorder that is characterized by a progressive loss of photoreceptors that results in deterioration of vision. While gene therapy has shown promise for some forms of RP, over 60 genes have been implicated in this disorder; therefore, non-gene-targeted therapies are of great interest. In this episode, Stephen Tsang and colleagues discuss their study, which shows that upregulation of glycolytic flux, via targeted downregulation of sirtuin 6, in rod photoreceptors improves photoreceptor survival and preserves vision in a mouse model of RP. As this strategy is not gene-specific, it may be beneficial for a range of neurodegenerative disorders.
Cancer cells have a different response to nutrient limitation than healthy cells; therefore, targeting nutrient acquisition pathways has potential as a therapeutic strategy for limiting cancer cell growth. In this episode, Aimee Edinger discusses a recent study from her group, which describes the effects of a sphingolipid-based compound, SH-BC-893, in multiple pre-clinical cancer models. SH-BC-893 simultaneously disrupts both glucose and amino acid transporters and was effective against both rapid- and slow-growing tumors without affecting normal tissues. The results of this study support further exploration of the therapeutic potential of this compound.
Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose at early stages, and once it has metastasized, it is associated with a very high mortality rate. During transcoelomic metastasis, ovarian tumor cells detach from the primary tumor site and migrate to the peritoneal cavity, where their survival is supported by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). In the accompanying video, Yale University professor Wang Min describes how TAMs are recruited to ovarian tumor cells in the peritoneal environment to form spheroids that drive the early stages of metastasis. His recent study, published this week in the JCI, has shown that tumors attract macrophages by releasing cytokines. The macrophages then secrete growth factors such as EGF that promote tumor cell adhesion and proliferation, leading to the formation of tumor cell spheroids. This work elucidates a mechanism that may be a useful therapeutic target for treating ovarian and other transcoelomic metastatic cancers.