Production of a novel N-terminal PEGylated crisantaspase.

Crisantaspase is an asparaginase enzyme produced by Erwinia chrysanthemi and used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in case of hypersensitivity to Escherichia coli l-asparaginase (ASNase). The main disadvantages of crisantaspase are the short half-life (10 H) and immunogenicity. In this sense, its PEGylated form (PEG-crisantaspase) could not only reduce immunogenicity but also improve plasma half-life.

Influence and effect of osmolytes in biopharmaceutical formulations.

Osmolytes are small organic molecules accumulated by cells in response to environmental stresses. They are represented by amino acids, sugars, polyols, tertiary sulphonium and quaternary ammonium compounds. These molecules present a protective behaviour and favour the equilibrium of macromolecules towards the native form, preventing denaturation and promoting the folding of unfolded proteins.

Chemogenomic Study of Carboplatin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Inhibition of the NEDDylation Process Overcomes Cellular Resistance Mediated by HuR and Cullin Proteins.

The use of carboplatin in cancer chemotherapy is limited by the emergence of drug resistance. To understand the molecular basis for this resistance, a chemogenomic screen was performed in 53 yeast mutants that had previously presented strong sensitivity to this widely used anticancer agent. Thirty-four mutants were responsive to carboplatin, and from these, 21 genes were selected for further studies because they have human homologues.