Posters

The evidence for an association between autoimmune diseases and chronic HCV infection has been clearly established. To this aim, a protein array was employed to analyze serum samples of HCV patients w/wo autoimmune complications, of patients with autoimmune hepatitis but not infected with HCV and of healthy donors as controls. A panel of autoantigens able to discriminate among the three groups of patients was identified for potential use as biomarkers.

A newly developed antibody suspension bead array assay allows for a systematic and high-throughput plasma profiling. This microtiter based assay uses antibody-coupled beads for a multiplexed analysis of minute amounts of directly labelled samples. The key requirement of a?nity reagents towards all human proteins is met by the Human Protein Atlas project.

DNA mehtylation can lead to chemotherapy resistance in cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of DNA methylation in docetaxel-resistant human breast cancer cells. Whereas the DNA methylation machinery is altered in docetaxel-resistant human breast cancer cells compared to docetaxel-sensitive human breast cancer cells, resistance to docetaxel could not be reversed using the DNA methylation inhibitor decitabine.

Here is a description of MitoProd patented technology for RNA manufacturing, permitting a recurring production of RNA in industrial quantities. This technology enables the production of custom RNA at a gram scale, 99 % full length and 95% pure. MitoProd has also designed a new class of interfering RNA called ciRNA®, which have improved features such as RNAses resistance and an increased in vivo efficiency compared to siRNAs.

We present two computer programs: 1) AIMS in silico - a suggestion tool for Amplification of Intermethylated Sites experimental design and results analysis; and 2) PeakPick – a tool to view & analyse capillary electrophoregrams Our computer software is intended to standardize AIMS applications and to turn it into one of the principal approaches towards cancer methylomes studies as well as towards diagnostics in oncology, including early screening.

By bioinformatics we predicted that miR-23b could recognize two sites in the 3’ UTR of uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator) and four sites in the 3’ UTR of c-met (hepatocyte growth factor receptor). miR-23b transfections in SKHep1C3 caused uPA and c-met decreased and migration and proliferation inhibition of SKHep1C3; anti-miR-23b transfection in human fibroblasts upregulated uPA and c-met. uPA and c-met shared a common microRNA that negatively regulates their expression.

Apomixis is a trait which allows flowering plants to produce seeds by asexual ways. Molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon are poorly understood. We used cDNA microrrays coupled to substractive libraries to find genes related to apomixis in Brachiaria. Genes related to meiosis and cell division, and some putative transcription factors, were overexpressed in sexual plants. It may indicate that apomixis could be caused by downregulation of these genes.

Thousands of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from clinical archives are available for retrospective studies. Such samples could provide crucial information for drug target discovery and diagnostics of various diseases. Here we used FFPE samples and their matched fresh-frozen (FF) counterparts to examine their performance on three types of microarrays including whole genome expression, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and microRNA.

Thousands of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from clinical archives are available for retrospective studies. Such samples could provide crucial information for drug target discovery and diagnostics of various diseases. Here we used FFPE samples and their matched fresh-frozen (FF) counterparts to examine their performance on three types of microarrays including whole genome expression, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and microRNA.