Nanobodies as Versatile Tools to Understand, Diagnose, Visualize and Treat Cancer

AbstractSince their discovery, nanobodies have been used extensively in the fields of research, diagnostics and therapy. These antigen binding fragments, originating from Camelid heavy-chain antibodies, possess unusual hallmarks in terms of (small) size, stability, solubility and specificity, hence allowing cost-effective production and sometimes outperforming monoclonal antibodies. In this review, we evaluate the current status of nanobodies to study, diagnose, visualize or inhibit cancer-specific proteins and processes. Nanobodies are highly adaptable tools for cancer research as they enable specific modulation of targets, enzymatic and non-enzymatic proteins alike. Molecular imaging studies benefit from the rapid, homogeneous tumor accumulation of nanobodies and their fast blood clearance, permitting previously unattainable fast tumor visualization. Moreover, they are endowed with considerable therapeutic potential as inhibitors of receptor-ligand pairs and deliverers of drugs or drug-loaded nanoparticles towards tumors. More in vivo and clinical studies are however eagerly awaited to unleash their full potential

A new survivin tracer tracks, delocalizes and captures endogenous survivin at different subcellular locations and in distinct organelles

Survivin, the smallest member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, plays a central role during mitosis and exerts a cytoprotective function. Survivin is highly expressed in most cancer types and contributes to multiple facets of carcinogenesis. The molecular mechanisms underlying its highly diverse functions need to be extensively explored, which is crucial for rational design of future personalized therapeutics. In this study, we have generated an alpaca survivin nanobody (SVVNb8) that binds with low nanomolar affinity to its target. When expressed as an intrabody in HeLa cells, SVVNb8 faithfully tracks survivin during different phases of mitosis without interfering with survivin function. Furthermore, coupling SVVNb8 with a subcellular delocalization tag efficiently redirects endogenous survivin towards the nucleus, the cytoplasm, peroxisomes and even to the intermembrane space of mitochondria where it presumably interacts with resident mitochondrial survivin. Based on our findings, we believe that SVVNb8 is an excellent instrument to further elucidate survivin biology and topography, and can serve as a model system to investigate mitochondrial and peroxisomal (survivin) protein import

The IPS fidelity scale as a guideline to implement Supported Employment

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Media Literacy Policy in Flanders – Belgium: From Parliamentary Discussions to Public Policy

The discussion on media literacy in Flanders starts in the Flemish Parliament in 2006. It will take until 2013 before the Flemish Government will set up the Knowledge Center for Media Literacy—Mediawijs. Flanders is therefore rather late in establishing a dedicated institute for media literacy. The same can be said for developing a formal policy framework in relation to media literacy. This article starts with a theoretical discussion of three major trends in the current media literacy debate. The article moves on to describe and analyze Flanders media literacy policy debates and policy formulation. It highlights the development and remit of the Knowledge Center for Media Literacy and discusses the innovative role of the public service broadcaster in relation to media literacy. It ends with a reflection of how Flanders media literacy policy can be situated within the theoretical discussion

Data literacy on the road: Setting up a large-scale data literacy initiative in the DataBuzz project

This paper presents the DataBuzz Project. DataBuzz is a high-tech, mobile educational lab, which is housed in a 13-meter electric bus. Its specific goal is to increase the data literacy of different segments of society in the Brussels region through inclusive and participatory games and workshops. In this paper, we will explore how to carry out practical data literacy initiatives geared to the general public. We discuss the different interactive workshops, which have been specifically developed for DataBuzz. We highlight the background, design choices, and execution of this large-scale data literacy initiative. We describe the factors that need to be taken into account to reach successful execution for such an ambitious project and the actions undertaken to become a long-term, sustainable solution. Throughout the article, we use the Data Literacy Competence Model as an analytical lens to analyse individual projects on data literacy and DataBuzz as an integrated project