Supramolecular Peptide/Surface Assembly for Monitoring Proteinase Activity and Cancer Diagnosis.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are a family of proteolytic enzymes, the expression of which in a key step of tumor progression has recently been better defined. The overexpression of one or more MMPs is thus common among malignant tumors. It may characterize tumor progression and help predict its response to chemotherapy.

Potential of FTIR spectroscopy for analysis of tears for diagnosis purposes.

It has been widely reported that the tear film, which is crucially important as a protective barrier of the eye, undergoes biochemical changes as a result of a wide range of ocular pathology. This tends to suggest the possibility of early detection of ocular diseases on the basis of biochemical analysis of tears. However, studies of tears by conventional methods of biomolecular and biochemical analysis are often limited by methodological difficulties.

Interaction of fluorescently labeled triethyleneglycol and peptide derivatives with β-cyclodextrin.

A triethyleneglycol (TEG) chain, a linear peptide, and a cyclic peptide labeled with 7-methoxycoumarin-3-carboxylic acid (MC) and 7-diethylaminocoumarin-3-carboxylic acid (DAC) were used to thoroughly study Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) in inclusion complexes. (1) H NMR evidence was given for the formation of a 1:1 inclusion complex between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and the fluorophore moieties of model compounds. The binding constant was 20 times higher for DAC than for MC derivatives.

Basis of a FTIR spectroscopy methodology for automated evaluation of Akt kinase inhibitor on leukemic cell lines used as model.

The PI3K/Akt-signaling pathway, associated with cancer development and disease progression, is recognized to be an anti-tumor drug target that could present important therapeutic benefit. However, no targeted Akt medicines have been commercialized yet, reflecting that drug selection procedures requires significant improvement from early research to clinical trials. Thus, new methods permitting both the evaluation of cytotoxic and proliferation inhibition effect on cancer cells but also to provide a global fingerprint of the drug action mechanism of new Akt inhibitor candidates are of major interest.

Design, characterization, and evaluation of peptide arrays allowing the direct monitoring of MMP activities.

Characterization of matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activities is of increasing interest for cancer prognosis or treatment follow-up. Indeed, MMP-1, -2 and -9 are widely involved in the growth of many tumors and progression steps such as angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Fluorogenic peptide MMP substrates were previously synthesized with the aim of detecting MMP activities.