Adhiron: a stable and versatile peptide display scaffold for molecular recognition applications.

We have designed a novel non-antibody scaffold protein, termed Adhiron, based on a phytocystatin consensus sequence. The Adhiron scaffold shows high thermal stability (Tm ca. 101°C), and is expressed well in Escherichia coli.

Approaches for the simultaneous detection of thiamphenicol, florfenicol and florfenicol amine using immunochemical techniques.

Thiamphenicol and florfenicol are antibacterial agents permitted for use as veterinary drugs in animals used for food production. However, as the EU has established maximum residue limits for both and the metabolite florfenicol amine, there is a requirement to monitor animal food products for their residues. In this study antisera were generated which can simultaneously detect thiamphenicol, florfenicol and florfenicol amine in an immunoassay.

An investigation of the effects of dithranol-induced apoptosis in a human keratinocyte cell line.

Objectives: Dithranol, one of the most successful topical agents for the treatment of psoriasis, has been shown to exert its therapeutic effect by inducing keratinocyte apoptosis. To gain further insights into dithranol-induced apoptotic events in vitro, a detailed investigation of its time- and dose-dependent effects has been performed through the evaluation of selected apoptotic markers, using a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) as a model.

Methods: The time- and dose-dependent effects of dithranol on a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) were investigated through the evaluation of a series of apoptotic markers; morphological changes (electron microscopy), phosphatidylserine externalisation (flow cytometry), and caspase-3/7 activation.

Design and synthesis of EGFR dimerization inhibitors and evaluation of their potential in the treatment of psoriasis.

Hit compounds from in silico screening for inhibitors of the EGFR dimerization process were evaluated for their anti-proliferative (CCD-1106 keratinocytes) and anti-oxidant (TBA assay) activity and their effect on EGFR dimerization (BS(3) chemical crosslinking assay). 7-Benzyl-8-{N'-[1-(3-ethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)meth-(Z)-ylidene]hydrazino}-1,3-dimethylxanthine 2a (127 μM) leads to 37% inhibition of p-EGFR dimerization in the CCD-1106 cell line and also inhibits phosphorylation of proteins in the MAPK/ERK pathway, ERK 1/2 and p-38. Based on this initial data, 2a was selected for further study and was evaluated for its anti-proliferative activity in a range of keratinocyte (CCD-1106, HaCaT and NHEK) and monocyte (ThP1 and U937) cell lines.

An investigation into the potential use of nanoparticles as adjuvants for the production of polyclonal antibodies to low molecular weight compounds.

Two nanoparticle based adjuvants were assessed for their ability to produce polyclonal antibodies in rabbits to low molecular weight target analytes, i.e. veterinary drugs banned from use in food producing animals.

Evaluation of a range of anti-proliferative assays for the preclinical screening of anti-psoriatic drugs: a comparison of colorimetric and fluorimetric assays with the thymidine incorporation assay.

Established treatments for psoriasis are generally based on antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, or differentiation-modifying activity, or a combination of these effects. New agents for the treatment of psoriasis could be identified by high-throughput screening (HTS) of large compound libraries using keratinocyte proliferation models. Although several new proliferation assays have been developed, the radioactive [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation assay is still considered to be the gold standard for the evaluation of keratinocyte proliferation in vitro.