Publications by authors named "Amer Alasadi"

Article Synopsis
  • T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a serious blood cancer with high relapse rates despite improved chemotherapy.
  • Researchers explored a new compound, MB1-47, that disrupts mitochondrial function and shows promising anti-cancer effects by hindering cell growth and nucleotide synthesis in T-ALL cells.
  • MB1-47 not only activated important cellular energy regulators but also improved survival rates in mouse models of T-ALL, indicating potential as a new treatment approach with fewer side effects.
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Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is aggressive cancer characterized by rapid progression, metastatic recurrence, and highly resistant to treatment. PDA cells exhibit aerobic glycolysis, or the Warburg effect, which reduces the flux of pyruvate into mitochondria. As a result, more glycolytic metabolites are shunted to pathways for the production of building blocks (e.

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Conventional CRISPR approaches for precision genome editing rely on the introduction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) and activation of homology-directed repair (HDR), which is inherently genotoxic and inefficient in somatic cells. The development of base editing (BE) systems that edit a target base without requiring generation of DSB or HDR offers an alternative. Here, we describe a novel BE system called Pin-point that recruits a DNA base-modifying enzyme through an RNA aptamer within the gRNA molecule.

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Metabolism of cancer cells is characterized by aerobic glycolysis, or the Warburg effect. Aerobic glycolysis reduces pyruvate flux into mitochondria, preventing a complete oxidation of glucose and shunting glucose to anabolic pathways essential for cell proliferation. Here we tested a new strategy, mitochondrial uncoupling, for its potential of antagonizing the anabolic effect of aerobic glycolysis and for its potential anticancer activities.

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Purpose: Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) have become the major public health challenges globally. Mitochondrial uncoupling, which reduces intracellular lipid loads and corrects the underlying cause of insulin resistance, has emerged as a promising anti-obese and anti-diabetic intervention. Niclosamide is an anthelmintic drug approved by the US FDA with the mechanism of action that uncouples mitochondria of parasitic worms.

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