Fig 1: Structure of HA

Hyaluronic acid (Hyaluronan) belongs to the group of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), but unlike other GAGs like Heparan sulfate, Chondroitin sulfate or Keratan sulfate, it cannot be found as a proteoglycan. It represents a non-sulfated polysaccharide consisting of alternating residues of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine (Fig 1). In the human umbilical cord and synovial fluid, the size of HA is reported to be about 3,000,000 Da (a flexible chain of 4000 disaccharide units).

HA is one of the major components of the extracellular matrix and it absorbs high amounts of water thus giving tissues the ability to resist compression. Furthermore, Hyaluronan contributes significantly to cell proliferation and cell migration. As HA levels often correlate with malignancy and poor prognosis of certain cancers, it can be used as a tumor marker. As Hyaluronan plays a role in skin healing, it’s a widely used ingredient of skin-care products.

Accurate monitoring of genome transcription activities is of crucial interest for deciphering gene expression and for a better understanding of RNA biology. Over the past years, various experimental methods for RNA Pol II mapping density across the whole genome have been designed. Here, I’d like to offer a brief introduction to the human Native Elongating Transcript-Sequencing (NET-Seq) method.

A publication by Órpez-Zafra et al. presents the development of a new sandwich ELISA method to check sIFNAR2 levels in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients.

Donor-derived lymphocytes attack a patient’s cancer — but may attack the patient as well. Donor chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, on the other hand, brought remissions without this troubling complication.

CAR T cells continue to make waves: At the latest annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, it was announced that CAR T cells, in which T cells from a patient are genetically reprogrammed to target cancer cells, removed all traces of cancer in the bone marrow of 27 out of 29 acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. Nineteen of 30 individuals with non-Hodgkin lymphoma also responded in the form of partial or complete responses. The cumulative successes found in CAR T cell studies have labeled them “extraordinary.”[1]