Taibung Mipanlangi Wamgmada [Beyond the Web of the Material World]: A Poem by Irom Sharmila

This journal has been published at different time periods under the following titles: Explorations: A Graduate Student Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Explorations in Southeast Asian Studies, and The Journal of the Southeast Asian Studies Association.The Student Activities Program Fee Boar

Oncolytic virus-based suicide gene therapy for cancer treatment: a perspective of the clinical trials conducted at Henry Ford Health

Gene therapy manipulates or modifies a gene that provides a new cellular function to treat or correct a pathological condition, such as cancer. The approach of using gene manipulation to modify patient\u27s cells to improve cancer therapy and potentially find a cure is gaining popularity. Currently, there are 12 gene therapy products approved by US-FDA, EMA and CFDA for cancer management, these include Rexin-G, Gendicine, Oncorine, Provange among other. The Radiation Biology Research group at Henry Ford Health has been actively developing gene therapy approaches for improving clinical outcome in cancer patients. The team was the first to test a replication-competent oncolytic virus armed with a therapeutic gene in humans, to combine this approach with radiation in humans, and to image replication-competent adenoviral gene expression/activity in humans. The adenoviral gene therapy products developed at Henry Ford Health have been evaluated in more than 6 preclinical studies and evaluated in 9 investigator initiated clinical trials treating more than100 patients. Two phase I clinical trials are currently following patients long term and a phase I trial for recurrent glioma was initiated in November 2022. This systematic review provides an overview of gene therapy approaches and products employed for treating cancer patients including the products developed at Henry Ford Health

Oil Red O based method for exosome labelling and detection

With the realization of the role of exosomes in diseases, especially cancer, exosome research is gaining popularity in biomedical sciences. To understand exosome biology, their labelling and tracking studies are important. New and improved methods of exosome labelling for detection and tracking of exosomes need to be developed to harness their therapeutic and diagnostic potential. In this paper, we report a novel, simple and effective method of labelling and detecting exosomes using Oil Red O (ORO), a dye commonly used for lipid staining. Using ORO is a cost effective and easy approach with an intense red coloration of exosomes. Further, the issues faced with commonly used lipophilic dyes for exosome labelling like long-term persistence of dyes, aggregation and micelle formation of dyes, difficulty in distinguishing dye particles from labelled exosomes, and detection of large aggregates of dye or dye-exosome, are also resolved with ORO dye. This method shows good labelling efficacy with very sensitive detection and real-time tracking of the cellular uptake of exosomes

Not Available

Not AvailableKaryotypic characteristics of Barilius bendelisis from Manipur, northeast India reported here revealed diploid count of 50 chromosomes having a karyotype of 16 metacentric, 14 submetacentric and 20 acrocentric chromosomes with fundamental arm numbers, NF = 80. The results were correlated to the available cytogenetic data and analyses the karyotype variations and chromosomal evolution that occurs in the same species of different geographical locations. No sex chromosomes were observed in the species and the comparative study corroborates the hypothesis of chromosomal evolutionary process like centric inversions were responsible for variation in the karyotypic structure in the species. The present study shows that basic information of chromosome number and morphology analysis, are no longer obsolete and can be used to compare the degree of chromosomal diversity over their geographical range, providing important tools for phylogeographic, evolutionary and taxonomic status besides increasing the existing cytogenetic data of the region.Department of Biotechnology, Government of Indi

Not Available

DBT- Research Associateship Program in Biotechnology and Life SciencesKaryotypic characteristics of Barilius ngawa described from Manipur, northeast India reported here for the first time revealed diploid complements of 50 chromosomes. The karyotype consisted of 12 metacentric, 10 submetacentric, and 28 acrocentric chromosomes (Fundamental arm numbers, NF = 72). No heteromorphic sex chromosomes were observed in the species. The present study reports the karyotypic and cytogenetic data of bariline cyprinid fishes of northeast India thereby, enhances the existing cytotaxonomic information and chromosome evolution of Cyprinidae family in particular the genus Barilius.Government of Indi

Not Available

Not AvailableKaryotypic characteristics of Barilius bendelisis from Manipur, northeast India reported here revealed diploid count of 50 chromosomes having a karyotype of 16 metacentric, 14 submetacentric and 20 acrocentric chromosomes with fundamental arm numbers, NF = 80. The results were correlated to the available cytogenetic data and analyses the karyotype variations and chromosomal evolution that occurs in the same species of different geographical locations. No sex chromosomes were observed in the species and the comparative study corroborates the hypothesis of chromosomal evolutionary process like centric inversions were responsible for variation in the karyotypic structure in the species. The present study shows that basic information of chromosome number and morphology analysis, are no longer obsolete and can be used to compare the degree of chromosomal diversity over their geographical range, providing important tools for phylogeographic, evolutionary and taxonomic status besides increasing the existing cytogenetic data of the region.Department of Biotechnology, Government of Indi

Not Available

Not AvailableThe Glossogobius giuris (Gobiidae), tank goby a species of goby fish, is native mainly to freshwater and estuaries and has importance in the aquarium trade. It is classified as least concern under IUCN Red List. Live individuals of this species were collected from Loktak Lake in Manipur for cytogenetic investigation to reveal the nucleolar organizer region (NOR) through silver nitrate (AgNO3) and chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining as well as DAPI staining and single-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using 18S rDNA sequence as probe. Analysis of more than 50 metaphase chromosome complement (obtained from colchicine–potassium chloride–Carnoy’s fixation–Giemsa staining procedures) showed the presence of 46 diploid chromosome numbers with all telocentric having fundamental arm number as 46 without any heteromorphic pair. One pairs of silver-stained NORs, situated terminally on the telocentric chromosome, were observed. Similarly, one pair of CMA3-positive sites were observed on the chromosome that suggested abundance of GC-rich repetitive DNAs in this region. One pair of 18S rDNA positive sites was observed on the telocentric chromosomes using FISH. These karyological features can be useful markers in cytotaxonomy and conservation of this species.Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, for financial support through Project Sanction No. BT/13/NE/TBP/201

Molecular targets that sensitize cancer to radiation killing: From the bench to the bedside

Radiotherapy is a standard cytotoxic therapy against solid cancers. It uses ionizing radiation to kill tumor cells through damage to DNA, either directly or indirectly. Radioresistance is often associated with dysregulated DNA damage repair processes. Most radiosensitizers enhance radiation-mediated DNA damage and reduce the rate of DNA repair ultimately leading to accumulation of DNA damages, cell-cycle arrest, and cell death. Recently, agents targeting key signals in DNA damage response such as DNA repair pathways and cell-cycle have been developed. This new class of molecularly targeted radiosensitizing agents is being evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies to monitor their activity in potentiating radiation cytotoxicity of tumors and reducing normal tissue toxicity. The molecular pathways of DNA damage response are reviewed with a focus on the repair mechanisms, therapeutic targets under current clinical evaluation including ATM, ATR, CDK1, CDK4/6, CHK1, DNA-PKcs, PARP-1, Wee1, & MPS1/TTK and potential new targets (BUB1, and DNA LIG4) for radiation sensitization