May 2016 Issue of The Translational Scientist

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Cancer biology is advancing fast – but does America’s “moonshot” to cure cancer fit the bill?

New findings have revealed that “dirty” mice can actually recapitulate the human adult immune system better than lab mice

UV radiation can control cardiomyocyte function – with intriguing therapeutic possibilities

Neural implants and smart software give a paralyzed patient the gift of movement

Stem cells restore function to damaged spinal cords in rats

BioPen could allow surgeons to “draw” live cells onto damaged bone

The CDC confirms the Zika–microcephaly link, and in vitro tissue models offer further insight

Are the metrics used to measure cancer drug efficacy inherently flawed?

Azad Shademan and Ryan Decker during supervised autonomous in vivo bowel anastomosis.

MIT scientists have developed a new super-resolution imaging technique

A special issue of The Translational Scientist will celebrate the very best images in the field of translational science.

Is the overwhelming focus on genomics and transcriptomics in translational science really the best way to help patients?

When it comes to industry–academia partnerships, it’s quality – not quantity – that counts.

Mobile devices promise a new future of point-of-care diagnostics for all

Scientists from opposite ends of the translational spectrum have teamed up to help solve a pressing problem in Alzheimer’s research. By creating a human equivalent to the water mazes used in rodent studies, they hope to allow easier comparison of data from animal and human studies.

Long thought to be a key component of the metastatic process, researchers are now questioning long-held beliefs on the role of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Two recent studies on EMT may revise the field’s understanding of the process – but it’s important to keep in mind the limitations.

A triple-transgenic mouse model allows researchers to trace the lineage of EMT tumor cells, and reveals the transition’s surprising lack of significance in metastasis

Pancreatic cancer cells don’t seem to rely on EMT for metastasis – but it plays a key role in their ability to resist our best chemotherapy options

When it comes to prognosis, the mouse models I use to study amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are sadly accurate – like their human counterparts with familial ALS, all mice with these mutations die young. After 20 years of trying – and failing – to find a treatment that could extend life, I was close to giving up, until a new drug candidate came along. Then something amazing happened – a mouse lived.

New software couples computer programming with cell function using the ultimate coding language: DNA

What does it take to create a competitive companion diagnostic? Bharathi Vennapusa outlines her role in the development and approval of the ALK CDx – a fully-automated immunohistochemistry assay that identifies lung cancer patients who may be eligible for treatment with Pfizer’s Xalkori (crizotinib).

As cancer rates continue to climb, low and middle income countries are ramping up prevention and screening efforts.

Sitting Down With… Robert A. Weinberg, founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.