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SUMMARY:HONORARY FELLOWS LECTURE - Molecules against cancer or for long-te
 rm memory storage - Professor Roger Y Tsien ForMemRS\, Department of Pharm
 acology\, Chemistry & Biochemistry and  HHMI\, University of California\, 
 San Diego
DTSTART:20151111T180000Z
DTEND:20151111T190000Z
UID:TALK59592@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Beverley Larner
DESCRIPTION:For cancer diagnosis and therapy\, we are developing activatab
 le cell penetrating peptides (ACPPs)\, synthetic molecules with a novel am
 plifying mechanism for homing to diseased tissues. ACPPs are polycationic 
 cell penetrating peptides whose cellular uptake is minimized by a polyanio
 nic inhibitory domain and restored if the peptide linker connecting the tw
 o domains is cleaved. Local activity of specific proteases cuts the linker
  and causes amplified adhesion and uptake in tumors. ACPPs sensitive to ma
 trix metalloproteinases 2 and -9 enable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)\,
  fluorescence-guided surgery\, delivery of chemotherapy\, and radiosensiti
 zation. We have also developed fluorescent peptides that light up peripher
 al nerves to show surgeons where not to cut. \n\nWe are testing the hypoth
 esis that life-long memories are stored as the pattern of holes in the per
 ineuronal net (PNN)\, a specialized form of extracellular matrix deposited
  around neurons during critical periods of brain development. The PNN cont
 ains long-lived molecules\, can be modified enzymatically and is interrupt
 ed by holes where synapses occur. We postulate that new memories are recor
 ded by carving new holes to form novel synapses or by expanding existing h
 oles to strengthen old synapses. Experimental tests are underway.\n\nCrisp
 \, J.L.\, et al. 2014. Dual targeting of integrin αvβ3 and matrix metall
 oproteinase-2 for optical imaging of tumors and chemotherapeutic delivery.
  Mol. Cancer Ther. 13: 1514-25.\nTsien\, R.Y. 2013. Very long-term memorie
 s may be stored in the pattern of holes in the perineuronal net. Proc. Nat
 l. Acad. Sci. USA. 110: 12456-61.\n
LOCATION:Bristol-Myers-Squibb Lecture theatre\, Department of Chemistry
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