Clinical Use of the Self-Assembling Peptide RADA16: A Review of Current and Future Trends in Biomedicine.

RADA16 is a synthetic peptide that exists as a viscous solution in an acidic formulation. In an acidic aqueous environment, the peptides spontaneously self-assemble into β-sheet nanofibers. Upon exposure and buffering of RADA16 solution to the physiological pH of biological fluids such as blood, interstitial fluid and lymph, the nanofibers begin physically crosslinking within seconds into a stable interwoven transparent hydrogel 3-D matrix.

Calcium modulation of doxorubicin cytotoxicity in yeast and human cells.

Doxorubicin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, but its utility is limited by cellular resistance and off-target effects. To understand the molecular mechanisms regulating chemotherapeutic responses to doxorubicin, we previously carried out a genomewide search of doxorubicin-resistance genes in Schizosaccharomyces pombe fission yeast and showed that these genes are organized into networks that counteract doxorubicin cytotoxicity. Here, we describe the identification of a subgroup of doxorubicin-resistance genes that, when disrupted, leads to reduced tolerance to exogenous calcium.