Surprising findings from the research labs of OCI’s Dr. Hitoshi Okada and from York University and Tohoku University have determined that a well-known cancer protein may be a possible molecular target in the battle against male infertility.

J Cell Biol. 2008 Aug 11;182(3):449-58. Epub 2008 Aug 4. [Pubmed abstract]. Research supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/National Institutes of Health (Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and infertility Research).

Dr. Okada notes that this work acknowledges Dr. Peter B Moens and his outstanding contributions in the field of reproductive cell biology. This work could not have been completed without his help and encouragement.

Antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA) are well recognized to be the hallmark of a chronic autoimmune biliary disease called Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) formally considered disease specific. However, findings from a Krembil-led study are providing evidence that AMA detection may not, in fact, mean the patient has PBC at that time or later.

“Patients diagnosed with PBC show the presence of AMAs in their blood, but whether all individuals with AMAs in their blood will develop PBC is less clear,” comments study lead Dr. Jenny Heathcote.

The Krembil, US and German team evaluated 15 patients given a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis over a follow-up period of 1 to 27 years, a unique feature in this study. Reviewing their findings, the team has determined that although all patients had detectable AMA throughout follow up, none subsequently developed PBC.

Notes Dr. Heathcote, “Early treatment of their AIH with prednisone may have prevented the development of PBC but there are also many other possibilities to explain the finding. What we do know is that these patients can be managed with only medication for their autoimmune hepatitis if they do not develop PBC over the long term.”

Hepatology. 2008 Aug;48(2):550-6. [Pubmed abstract].

OCI investigators have creatively designed a glowing 'reporter' mouse that is used to study the CD83 promoter, a region of an immune gene responsible for the development of immune cells in the lymphoid organs.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Aug 19;105(33):11887-92. Epub 2008 Aug 13. [Pubmed abstract]. Research supported by the German Science Foundation Grant.

The response of patients to the new non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drug erlotinib that targets epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is now becoming clearer thanks to a research partnership between PMH, OCI, National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group and Queen’s University clinical investigators and scientists.

UHN researchers Drs. Ming-Sound Tsao, Frances Shepherd and Suzanne Kamel-Reid, analyzed tumors from over 200 patients participating in a clinical trial that evaluated the clinical benefit of erlotinib and looked at mutations in the KRAS and EGFR genes—shown to play a role in NSCLC—using highly sensitive techniques to detect abnormalities.

Patients with tumors containing mutations or increased copy number of the EGFR gene experienced a higher response to erlotinib treatment, while patients with KRAS gene mutations are unlikely to benefit from the drug.

“With continued research, we will be able to use these markers in the selection of patients for EGFR therapy,” says Dr. Tsao. “Our hope is that we can use these markers to determine which patients will most likely benefit from anti-EGFR drugs, thus increasing treatment efficacy and cost-effectiveness in this type of cancer.”

J Clin Oncol. 2008 Jul 14. [Epub ahead of print]. [Pubmed abstract]. Research supported by the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research and the Canadian Cancer Society

Teenage girls and young women with type 1 diabetes have increased risks of developing clinical eating disorders because of disturbed eating behavior (DEB) that can worsen over time; new research findings from TGRI investigators show that nearly half of their sample of young teenage girls developed DEB between the ages of 11 and 17.

"Attention to planning and control of dietary intake is critical in managing diabetes and this can amplify the focus on eating, body weight and body image in young women with diabetes," says study lead Dr. Marion Olmsted.

In the prospective clinical study, the team interviewed and gathered self-reports of over 100 teenage girls with diabetes who had not yet developed DEB and followed them for a period of 5 years. In comparing girls who developed DEB to those that did not, predictors of DEB onset included higher BMI (body mass index) percentile; higherdepression and weight and shape concerns; and lower global and physical appearance-based self-worth.

Mean scores on the measures of psychological functioning did not reach the levels seen in clinical samples, indicating that modest elevations of these measures suggest the development of problems over the next few years.

"We need to lower the threshold for identifying girls with diabetes who are at risk for DEB," notes Dr. Olmsted. "Early interventions need to focus on helping girls develop positive feelings about themselves and their weight to protect them from DEB and encourage a healthy lifestyle."

Diabetes Care. 2008 Jul 15. [Epub ahead of print]. [Pubmed abstract] Research supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International and the Medical Research Council of Canada/Canadian Institutes of Health Research.