• Polymer Science and Technology
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.27-33
• /
• 2011

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.42 no.10
• /
• pp.685-690
• /
• 2009

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) plays a key role in this process. Conversely, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a biologically active sphingolipid known to play a key role in cancer progression by regulating endothelial cell proliferation and migration. In this study, the authors found that S1P increases the level of VEGF mRNA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and immortalized HUVECs (iHUVECs). Additionally, S1P was found to increase VEGF promoter activity in MS-1 mouse pancreatic islet endothelial cells. Furthermore, a pharmacological inhibitory study revealed that $G_{\alpha i/o}$-mediated phospholipase C, Akt, Erk, and p38 MAPK signaling are involved in this S1P-induced expression of VEGF. A component of AP1 transcription factor is important for S1P-induced VEGF expression. Taken together, these findings suggest that S1P enhances endothelial cell proliferation and migrat ion by upregulating the expression of VEGF mRNA.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.115-122
• /
• 2000

The development of molecular biology has brought many changes in psychiatry. Molecular biology makes us possible to know the cause of mental disorders that provide the way to prevent the disorders, and to develop various accurate diagnostic and treatment methods for mental disorders. The author discusses the concept, cause, and treatment of mental disorders in the aspect of molecular biology. Importing the methods of molecular biology into psychiatry, we can anticipate to get a number of the goals of psychiatric genetics, including identification of specific susceptibility genes, clarification of the pathophysiological processes whereby these genes lead to symptoms, establishment of epigenetic factors that interact with these genes to produce disease, validation of nosological boundaries that more closely reflect the actions of these genes, and development of effective preventive and therapeutic interventions based on genetic counseling, gene therapy, and modification of permissive or protective environmental influences. In addition to their capacity to accelerate the discovery of new molecules participating in the nervous system's response to disease or to self-administered drugs, molecular biological strategies can also be used to determine how critical a particular gene product may be in mediating a cellular event with behavioral importance. Molecular biology probably enables us discover the environmental factors of mental disorders and allow rational drug design and gene therapies for mental disorders, by isolation of gene products that facilitate a basic understanding of the pathogenesis of these disorders. A specific genetic linkage may suggest a novel class of drugs that has not yet been tried. With respect to gene therapy, the hypothetical method would use a gene delivery system, most likely a modified virus, to insert a functional copy of a mutant gene into those brain cells that require the gene for normal function.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.229-239
• /
• 2009

Molecular imaging strives to visualize processes in living subjects at the molecular level. Monitoring biochemical processes at this level will allow us to directly track biological processes and signaling events that lead to pathophysiological abnormalities, and help make personalized medicine a reality by allowing evaluation of therapeutic efficacies on an individual basis. Although most molecular imaging techniques emerged from the field of oncology, they have now gradually gained acceptance by the cardiovascular community. Hence, the availability of dedicated high-resolution small animal imaging systems and specific targeting imaging probes is now enhancing our understanding of cardiovascular diseases and expediting the development of newer therapies. Examples include imaging approaches to evaluate and track the progress of recent genetic and cellular therapies for treatment of myocardial ischemia. Other areas include in vivo monitoring of such key molecular processes as angiogenesis and apoptosis, Cardiovascular molecular imaging is already an important research tool in preclinical experiments. The challenge that lies ahead is to implement these techniques into the clinics so that they may help fulfill the promise of molecular therapies and personalized medicine, as well as to resolve disappointments and controversies surrounding the field.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.427-436
• /
• 2021

Background: Pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies have been used to treat patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). However, the effect of therapies in cancer patients has yet to be investigated comprehensively. We hypothesized that cyclic thermal therapy would improve blood flow and microcirculation and improve the symptoms driven by CIPN. Methods: The criteria of assessment were blood volume in region of interest (ROI) in the images, and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Quality of Life Questionnaire-Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy 20 questionnaire scores. The blood volume was quantified by using red blood cell (RBC) scintigraphy. All patients were treated 10 times during 10 days. The thermal stimulations, between 15° and 41°, were repeatedly delivered to the patient's hands. Results: The total score of the questionnaires, the score of questions related to the upper limbs, the score of questions closely related to the upper limbs, and the score excluding the upper limbs questions was decreased. The blood volume was decreased, and the variance of blood volume was decreased. During cooling stimulation, the blood volume was decreased, and its variance was decreased. During warming stimulation, the blood volume was decreased, and its variance was decreased. Conclusions: We suggest that cyclic thermal therapy is useful to alleviate CIPN symptoms by blood circulation improvement. RBC scintigraphy can provide the quantitative information on blood volume under certain conditions such as stress, as well as rest, in peripheral tissue.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.113-118
• /
• 2022

Gadolinium neutron capture therapy (Gd-NCT) is a precision radiation therapy that kills cancer cells using the neutron capture reaction that occurs when ¹⁵⁷Gd hits thermal neutrons. ¹⁵⁷Gd has the highest thermal neutron capture cross section of 254,000 barns among stable isotopes in the periodic table. Another stable isotope, ¹⁵⁵Gd, also has a high thermal neutron trapping area (~ 60,700 barns), so gadolinium that exists in nature can be used as a Gd-NCT drug. Gd-NCT is a mixed kinetic energy of low-energy and high-energy ionizing particles, which can be uniformly distributed throughout the tumor tissue, thereby solving the disadvantage of heterogeneous dose distribution in tumor tissue. The Gd complexes of small-sized molecule are widely used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in clinical practice. Therefore, these compounds can be used not only for diagnosis but also therapy when considering the concept of Gd-NCT. This multifunctional trial can look forward to new medical advance into NCT clinical practices. In this review, we introduce gadolinium compounds suitable for Gd-NCT and describe the necessity of image guided Gd-NCT.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2008

PET allows non-invasive, quantitative and repetitive imaging of biological function in living animals. Small animal PET imaging with $[^{18}F]$FDG has been successfully applied to investigation of metabolism, receptor-ligand interactions, gene expression, adoptive cell therapy and somatic gene therapy. Experimental condition of animal handling impacts on the biodistribution of $[^{18}F]$FDG in small animal study. The small animal PET and CT images were registered using the hardware fiducial markers and small animal contour point. Tumor imaging in small animal with small animal $[^{18}F]$FDG PET should be considered fasting, warming, and isoflurane anesthesia level. Registered imaging with small animal PET and CT image could be useful for the detection of tumor. Small animal experimental condition of animal handling and registration method will be of most importance for small lesion detection of metastases tumor model.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.61 no.3
• /
• pp.292-301
• /
• 2018

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood and remains a major cause of cancer related mortality in children. Significant scientific advancements have transformed the understanding of medulloblastoma, leading to the recognition of four distinct clinical and molecular subgroups, namely wingless (WNT), sonic hedgehog, group 3, and group 4. Subgroup classification combined with the recognition of subgroup specific molecular alterations has also led to major changes in risk stratification of medulloblastoma patients and these changes have begun to alter clinical trial design, in which the newly recognized subgroups are being incorporated as individualized treatment arms. Despite these recent advancements, identification of effective targeted therapies remains a challenge for several reasons. First, significant molecular heterogeneity exists within the four subgroups, meaning this classification system alone may not be sufficient to predict response to a particular therapy. Second, the majority of novel agents are currently tested at the time of recurrence, after which significant selective pressures have been exerted by radiation and chemotherapy. Recent studies demonstrate selection of tumor sub-clones that exhibit genetic divergence from the primary tumor, exist within metastatic and recurrent tumor populations. Therefore, tumor resampling at the time of recurrence may become necessary to accurately select patients for personalized therapy.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.103-107
• /
• 2016

Solid phase extraction (SPE) purification method is the efficient and well-known tool for automated [$^{11}C$]acetate synthesis. A fully automated homemade module adopting the SPE method and 'pinch' valves was developed very economically with a universal interface board, a relay card and an open source programmable logic controller. The radiochemical yield of the optimized [$^{11}C$]acetate synthesis by this system was $58.8{\pm}2.1%$ (n=10, decay-corrected) from $15.5{\pm}0.19GBq$ of $[^{11}C]CO_2$ as starting activity, and total synthetic time was 15 minutes. HPLC analysis showed its high radiochemical purity as $97.4{\pm}1.1%$ without possible by-products.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.53-58
• /
• 2020

Pretargeting is a two-component strategy often used for tumor targeting to enhance the tumor-to-background ratio in cancer diagnosis as well as therapy. In the multistep strategy, the highly specific unlabeled monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with the reactive site is allowed to get localized at tumor site first, and then small and fastclearing radiolabeled chelator with counter reactive site is administered which covalently attaches to mAbs via inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction (IEDDA). The catalyst-free IEDDA cycloaddition reaction between 1,2,4,5-tetrazines and strained alkene dienophiles aid with properties like selective bioconjugation, swift and high yielding bioorthogonal reactions are emergent in the development of radiopharmaceutical. Due to its fast pharmacokinetics, the in vivo formed radioimmunoconjugates can be imaged at earlier time points by short-lived radionuclides like ¹⁸F and ⁶⁸Ga; it can also reduce radiation damage to the normal cells. Ultimately, this review elucidates the updated status of pretargeting based on antibodies and IEDDA for tumor diagnosis (PET and SPECT) and therapy.