Molecular Diagnostics--Select Biosciences' Second World Congress. 6-7 August 2009, South San Francisco, CA, USA

The Select Biosciences' Molecular Diagnostics Second World Congress held in South San Francisco, CA, USA included topics covering new developments and technologies in the field of molecular diagnostics. This conference report highlights selected presentations on market analyses, DNA microarray diagnostics, multiplexed diagnostics and biomarker discovery.

[What can experimental research offer to rheumatology today--the viewpoint of molecular biology? Contribution of molecular biology to pathogenesis research in rheumatology using the example of rheumatoid arthritis]

Molecular biology plays an increasing role for the development of innovative approaches to analyze the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases and to improve diagnosis and therapy of these disorders. Some of these approaches/techniques have recently yielded important results, e.g. the analysis of 1) chromosomal aberrations (numerical and, in part, structural aberrations in synovial fibroblasts/macrophages from chronic joint inflammation); 2) cell clonality (oligoclonal expansion of synovial T-cells, B-cells, but also fibroblasts); 3) the importance of genetic factors (genome-wide screening for arthritis susceptibility genes); 4) mutations in key genes of cell cycle and/or function (mutations in p53 and proto-oncogenes in the inflamed synovial membrane); and 5) gene expression patterns (e.g. by high-density microarrays, custom arrays, in situ hybridization, and real-time PCR). It can be expected that these analyses will result in central new findings concerning the understanding of the pathogenetic basis of chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, with the potential to develop differential diagnostic criteria for these hitherto extremely heterogeneous diseases, and to create the basis for individual-oriented therapy.

[Diagnosis and therapy monitoring applying methods of molecular medicine]

New experimental approaches are presented which are implemented in rheumatology research. DNA microarray technology and proteome analysis are two new methods which are applied to gain a global survey over the gene expression at the RNA and protein level under various conditions. Based on these methods of molecular medicine important functional proteins in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well as clinical relevant genetic polymorphisms shall be identified. New insights are expected which will help in the differentiation of clinical entities and in the search for new therapeutic strategies in the treatment of RA.

Ruminations of a geriatric Emeritus Regius Professor of Medicine

The potential for the holder of a senior academic post to influence the medical world is usually enshrined in their job description. Even though Oxford University failed to provide one, this account of 25 years of undirected activity suggests that such posts can influence events, albeit to a limited extent and not always in the expected direction.

Interview with Sydney Brenner by Soraya de Chadarevian

The following text is an edited version of a recent interview with Sydney Brenner who has been at the forefront of many developments in molecular biology since the 1950s. It provides a participant's view on current issues in the history and epistemology of molecular biology. The main issue raised by Brenner regards the relation of molecular biology to the new field of systems biology. Brenner defends the original programme of molecular biology-the molecular explanation of living processes-that in his view has yet to be completed. The programme of systems biology in contrast he views as either trivial or as not achievable since it purports to deal with inverse problems that are impossible to solve in complex living systems. Other issues covered in the conversation concern the impact of the human genome sequencing project, the commercial turn in molecular biology and the contested disciplinary status of the science.

Molecular genetics of human myopia: an update

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the most common human eye disorder in the world, and is a significant global public health concern. Along with cataract, macular degeneration, infectious disease, and vitamin A deficiency, myopia is one of the most important causes of visual impairment worldwide. Severe or high-grade myopia is a leading cause of blindness because of its associated ocular morbidities of retinal detachment, macular choroidal degeneration, premature cataract, and glaucoma. Ample evidence documents the heritability of the non-syndromic forms of this condition, especially for high-grade myopia, commonly referred to as myopic spherical refractive power of 5 to 6 diopters or higher. Multiple high-grade myopia genetic loci have been identified, and confirmatory studies identifying high-grade and moderate myopia loci have also occurred. In general, myopia susceptibility genes are unknown with few association studies performed, and without confirmation in other research laboratories or testing of separate patient cohorts.

Why is modern medicine stuck in a rut?

There is a growing perception that modern medicine is approaching a state of crisis characterized by creative inertia, non-innovation, and non-productivity. Compared to the remarkable progress during the first 30 years after World War II, the last 30 years have been characterized by a self-congratulatory illusion of progress, the fruits of which have failed to reach our patients. The problem may lie with the fact that the (often lone) clinical innovator of the past who made all the difference to the spectacular progress of medicine during the golden age has been marginalized to the extent that he is now an endangered species. The two definable forces that have led to his alienation are the hegemony of molecular science and the primacy accorded to the randomized clinical trial in biomedical research. Both these stifle creative originality-the former by an overdependence on complex and technology-driven "big science" and a flawed founding philosophy, and the latter by putting limits on our intellectual expectations and a bureaucratic approach to scientific research.

Biomolecular simulation and modelling: status, progress and prospects

Molecular simulation is increasingly demonstrating its practical value in the investigation of biological systems. Computational modelling of biomolecular systems is an exciting and rapidly developing area, which is expanding significantly in scope. A range of simulation methods has been developed that can be applied to study a wide variety of problems in structural biology and at the interfaces between physics, chemistry and biology. Here, we give an overview of methods and some recent developments in atomistic biomolecular simulation. Some recent applications and theoretical developments are highlighted.

The Future of Cancer Diagnostics: Next Generation Molecular Technologies - Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Inaugural Conference

Cambridge Health Tech Institute's first conference on 'The Future of Cancer Diagnostics: Next Generation Molecular Technologies' covered the following areas: regulatory requirements regarding the validation of new cancer diagnostics; how such validation processes might be suitably implemented from laboratory to clinical pipeline to the bedside; translational strategies, such as proteomics or methylation patterns; and novel biomarkers in oncology. Overall in this golden age of cancer research, the aims and objectives of the meeting were to explore how the implementation of new diagnostic strategies could be facilitated. This meeting examined various topics, including 'Early cancer detection', 'Differential diagnosis', 'Prognostic markers and therapy selection' and 'Circulating tumor cells'. The talks and sessions of the meeting are summarized in this report, with particular focus on preclinical and clinical therapies.

Gene concepts and genethics: beyond exceptionalism

The discursive explosion that was provoked by the new genetics could support the impression that the ethical and social problems posed by the new genetics are somehow exceptional in their very nature. According to this view we are faced with special ethical and social problems that create a challenge so fundamental that the special label of genethics is needless to justify. The historical account regarding the evolution of the gene concepts could serve us to highlight the limits of what we know about genes and what we can do with genes. The widespread notion about the exceptionality of genetic knowledge and its applicative possibilities is hardly justifiable and leads to misunderstandings regarding the conceptualization of the ethical and social problems we might face. Following a more realistic interpretation of the role of genes in human life we might avoid a whole set of fictive dilemmas and counterproductive regulatory efforts in bioethics. Bioethical discourse should move from the gene-centered scientific discourse toward the more sophisticated and complex discourses where human development represented as a matter of complex interactions between genomes and environments, between genes, educational factors, nutritional regimes, and other different developmental resources. If a gene is seen as one among the different developmental resources that are shaping a given human trait then both genethics and genetic exceptionalism could hardly be represented as a justified approach in discussing the ethical and social problems of genetics.