Peptidomics for cancer diagnosis: present and future

Analysis of peptides in biological fluids by mass spectrometry holds promise of providing diagnostic and prognostic information for cancer and other diseases. Before this technology is used clinically, it is important to understand its advantages and limitations. These are summarized, along with proposals, on how to proceed in the future.     

Malaria control: present situation and need for historical research

A rapid review is made of the history of malaria control, calling attention to differences between the evolution of the technical concepts, the formulated strategies and their implementation. Particular emphasis is placed on the discussion of the present situation of the world malaria problem and the difficulties faced by many endemic countries in adopting a malaria control strategy, based on primary health care, while their services are vertically organized for the performance of routines, which are irrelevant for disease control. The present malaria control strategy recognizes local variability, but it is possible to identify a limited number of types of situations, likely to respond to similar approaches. The definition not only of the control approaches but also of their conditions of applicability will become more precise as experiences are accumulated and adequately documented from different types of epidemiological situations. It is postulated that historical research on the malaria control and public health approaches, with proper attention being given to their socioeconomic and political context, in the countries which succeeded in controlling endemic malaria, will make an important contribution to such a definition.     

Antibiotic use: present and future

Antibiotics were initially viewed as "wonder drugs" primarily because they were introduced at a time when only surgical drainage or spontaneous cures were available to treat serious bacterial infections. During the five or six decades since their introduction, several classes of these drugs became available including sulfonamides and trimethoprim, penicillins, cephalosporins, chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, colimycins, macrolides, lincosamides, streptogramins, rifamycins, glycopeptides, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, oxazolidinones, glycylglycines, lipoglycopeptides, and variations on these themes. Unfortunately, through a variety of mechanisms and perhaps as a result of their profligate use, many bacterial groups are exhibiting resistance to these antibiotics. At present, most bacterial infections can still be treated with available antibiotics used alone or in combination, but increasing numbers of clinical failures with the current armamentarium can be expected. Optimizing drug dosing and duration might help minimize the emergence of resistance in some situations. However, the future could look dim, as there are relatively few new agents on the horizon. A bold new look for antibacterial targets is needed. Surely our scientific abilities are up to this challenge. New approaches to antimicrobial chemotherapy are needed if we are to survive the increasing rates of antibiotic resistance predicted for the future.     

Hemoglobinopathies worldwide: present and future

The genetic disorders of hemoglobin, the commonest monogenic diseases, occur at some of their highest frequencies in the developing countries, particularly those of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Although progress towards their control and management continues to be made, the prospects for curing them, apart from marrow transplantation, remain uncertain. In many countries expertise and facilities for their control are extremely limited. Although a great deal can be done to help the situation by developing further North/South and South/South partnerships for disseminating better practice, the major problem for the future lies in the unwillingness of governments and international health agencies to accept that the hemoglobinopathies represent a health burden comparative to that of communicable and other major diseases. However, preliminary analyses suggest that, at least in the case of Asia, this may not be true. Further work of this type, together with more detailed frequency and economic data, is required to provide solid evidence for the health burden posed by the hemoglobin disorders, particularly in the developing world. Unless this is done, the increasingly large populations of patients with these diseases will continue to be neglected.     

Single photon detectors for biology: present and future

A summary of the status of present technology for the detection of single photons is presented with a view towards applications in biophotonics. Included are careful discussions of the numerous problems that can be encountered and how to get around them with the hope that this will be of help to biologists interested in doing work in the field of biophotonics. Emphasis is placed on traditional devices, but the field is one which is continuously developing and we review the status of new and very interesting technologies which are becoming available. The paper is meant to be fairly self-contained and assumes no extensive knowledge of the physics of photodetection.     

DNA sequencing: present limitations and prospects for the future

As the human genome program gets under way, we examine the progress made since the first human genome meeting in Santa Cruz in 1985. The lessons of the last 5 years demonstrate that progress has been much slower than anticipated. The new technology being developed in 1985 was fluorescent sequencing and multiplexing. These techniques are now established, but they still have to produce a substantial sequence to rival those determined by conventional technology. Inspection of the EMBL and GenBank databases shows few large sequences have been determined and that there is a large discrepancy between what is theoretically possible and what has been achieved so far.     

Immunotherapy for liver tumors: present status and future prospects

Increasing evidence suggests that immune responses are involved in the control of cancer and that the immune system can be manipulated in different ways to recognize and attack tumors. Progress in immune-based strategies has opened new therapeutic avenues using a number of techniques destined to eliminate malignant cells. In the present review, we overview current knowledge on the importance, successes and difficulties of immunotherapy in liver tumors, including preclinical data available in animal models and information from clinical trials carried out during the lasts years. This review shows that new options for the treatment of advanced liver tumors are urgently needed and that there is a ground for future advances in the field.     

Ranavirus: past, present and future

Emerging infectious diseases are a significant threat to global biodiversity. While historically overlooked, a group of iridoviruses in the genus Ranavirus has been responsible for die-offs in captive and wild amphibian, reptile and fish populations around the globe over the past two decades. In order to share contemporary information on ranaviruses and identify critical research directions, the First International Symposium on Ranaviruses was held in July 2011 in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Twenty-three scientists and veterinarians from nine countries examined the ecology and evolution of ranavirus-host interactions, potential reservoirs, transmission dynamics, as well as immunological and histopathological responses to infection. In addition, speakers discussed possible mechanisms for die-offs, and conservation strategies to control outbreaks.     

Clinical proteomics: present and future prospects

Advances in proteomics technology offer great promise in the understanding and treatment of the molecular basis of disease. The past decade of proteomics research, the study of dynamic protein expression, post-translational modifications, cellular and sub-cellular protein distribution, and protein-protein interactions, has culminated in the identification of many disease-related biomarkers and potential new drug targets. While proteomics remains the tool of choice for discovery research, new innovations in proteomic technology now offer the potential for proteomic profiling to become standard practice in the clinical laboratory. Indeed, protein profiles can serve as powerful diagnostic markers, and can predict treatment outcome in many diseases, in particular cancer. A number of technical obstacles remain before routine proteomic analysis can be achieved in the clinic; however the standardisation of methodologies and dissemination of proteomic data into publicly available databases is starting to overcome these hurdles. At present the most promising application for proteomics is in the screening of specific subsets of protein biomarkers for certain diseases, rather than large scale full protein profiling. Armed with these technologies the impending era of individualised patient-tailored therapy is imminent. This review summarises the advances in proteomics that has propelled us to this exciting age of clinical proteomics, and highlights the future work that is required for this to become a reality.     

Chemotherapy of schistosomiasis: present and future

Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease in tropical and subtropical regions and is associated with a variety of clinical syndromes that may lead to severe morbidity. Over the past 25 years, therapy and control of schistosomiasis has come to rely heavily on one drug, praziquantel (PZQ). This reliance is of concern should widespread treatment failure arise, particularly as measures are being undertaken to increase PZQ's availability. This review summarizes the use, possible modes of action and limitations of PZQ, and recent attempts to derive synthetic analogs. Alternative artemisinin-based chemotherapies that have shown applicability in certain disease settings are also similarly examined. Looking forward, the review highlights some of the more experimental anti-schistosomals being evaluated (e.g. the trioxolanes), including those where knowledge of the parasite target (e.g. cysteine proteases and hemozoin formation) is more defined.     

Percutaneous valve procedures: present and future

Percutaneous mitral commissurotomy and aortic valvuloplasty have been being performed since the mid-1980s. Balloon commissurotomy has been used in thousands of cases worldwide and it provides good short- and long-term results in a wide range of patients. It has virtually replaced surgical commissurotomy in the treatment of mitral stenosis. In contrast, percutaneous aortic valvuloplasty is almost abandoned worldwide due to its lack of efficacy and the risks involved. The new techniques of percutaneous valve intervention: aortic valve replacement and mitral valve repair are at an early stage: the first in-man applications of these fledgling techniques started in 2002. Preliminary series show that they are feasible; however, they need to be further evaluated in comparison with contemporary treatment to assess accurately how efficient they are and the risks involved. Currently potential applications concern high-risk patients, however, in the future, after thorough evaluation, this may be extended to others. Thus, percutaneous interventions already play an important role in treatment of valvular heart disease, a role that seems set for future expansion.     

Biodiversity: past, present and future

On 12-15 May 2011, a diverse group of students, researchers and practitioners from across Canada and around the world met in Banff, Alberta, to discuss the many facets of biodiversity science at the 6th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution.     

Glycoproteomics: Past, present and future

This invited paper reviews the study of protein glycosylation, commonly known as glycoproteomics, beginning with the origins of the subject area in the early 1970s shortly after mass spectrometry was first applied to protein sequencing. We go on to describe current analytical approaches to glycoproteomic analyses, with exemplar projects presented in the form of the complex story of human glycodelin and the characterisation of blood group H eptitopes on the O-glycans of gp273 from Unio elongatulus. Finally, we present an update on the latest progress in the field of automated and semi-automated interpretation and annotation of these data in the form of GlycoWorkBench, a powerful informatics tool that provides valuable assistance in unravelling the complexities of glycoproteomic studies.