Webinars and Customer Testimonials

June | 2014

• Presenters: John Abrams, Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX and William G. Telford, Ph.D., National Institutes of Health.Bethesda, MD
• Abstract

  Cell death is, ironically, an essential part of life. In recent years, the study and understanding of cell death pathways has been dramatically transformed by the insights gained into non-apoptotic pathways, including necro-apoptosis and autophagy, together with a deeper understanding of the mechanism of the apoptotic cascade. New discoveries have been enabled by cutting-edge technologies, particularly in the realm of cytometry and cell-death–specific markers. In this webinar, the latest insights into cell death pathways will be discussed, including the molecular markers and cellular changes that characterize each pathway. Viewers will also learn practical cytometry-based strategies for dissecting cell death pathways, and how to use the data to better understand the pathophysiology of diseases such as cancer as well as to uncover new targets for drug discovery and development.
  
  During this webinar, the speakers will:

  • Review the latest insights into the different cell death pathways
  • Present their own recent data and research on cell death mechanisms and impacts
  • Describe techniques to detect and dissect cell death pathways
  • Answer your questions live and in real time!

Oct | 2013

• Presenters: Ben C. Valdez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The University of Texas and Mark Santos, R&D Manager, Merck
• Abstract

  Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is used for treatment of hematologic malignancies. The success of HSCT largely depends on the efficacy of pre-transplant/conditioning therapy. Dr. Ben Valdez’s laboratory aims to design efficacious and safe conditioning regimens by identifying HSCT drugs that provide synergistic cytotoxicity when combined. Most recently, his team reported the synergism of two nucleoside analogs, gemcitabine (Gem) and clofarabine (Clo), in killing multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines and cells derived from MM patients. Drug cytotoxicity was monitored by Annexin V assay using the Muse® Cell Analyzer and synergism was determined by the Chou and Talalay method. The mechanism of cytotoxicity was determined by Western blot analysis, PCR and flow cytometry. The synergistic cytotoxicity of Gem and Clo could be attributed to at least five interrelated mechanisms: (1) Gem-mediated activation/phosphorylation of deoxycytidine kinase, which initially phosphorylates nucleoside analogs, (2) inhibition of DNA synthesis and repair, (3) nucleolar stress through inhibition of rRNA production, (4) decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, and (5) induction of apoptosis. The preclinical results provide a rationale for clinical trials incorporating [Gem+Clo] combinations as part of conditioning therapy for high-risk patients with MM undergoing HSCT. Dr. Valdez will be covering the key aspects of his study during the first part of the talk. Following Dr. Valdez’s talk, Mark Santos will provide a brief overview of the underlying technology and capabilities of the Muse® Cell Analyzer.

Oct | 2015

• Presenter: Dr. Anthony J. Berdis, Cleveland State University
• Abstract

  According to the American Cancer Society, there will be more than 1.7 million new cases of cancers diagnosed in 2015. More than 50% of these patients will be treated with DNA damaging agents as part of their therapy. Unfortunately, many will not respond favorably to these treatments for several reasons that include ineffective DNA repair and the subsequent misreplication of unrepaired DNA lesions.
  
  The Berdis lab has taken an innovative approach to combat the latter complication by developing a series of non-natural nucleoside analogs that selectively and potently inhibit the ability of specialized DNA polymerases to replicate certain DNA lesions. Dr. Anthony Berdis will discuss a specific nucleoside analog designated 5-Endosine which shows unprecedented specificity for targeting terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) and pol eta, two specialized DNA polymerases involved in replicating DNA lesions in cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
  
  He will discuss how 5-Endosine can be used as a “theranostic agent” – compounds that possess both therapeutic and diagnostic activities. Combining these properties provides a way to accurately measure the therapeutic activity of the drug in real time and ultimately represents a new area in personalized medicine that may lead to more effective treatments and patient responses to chemotherapy.

July | 2013

• Presenter: Dr. Kamala Tyagarajan, Merck
• Abstract

  The Muse® Cell Analyzer is an innovative, small footprint, affordable cell analyzer that can rapidly provide quantitative cellular data using a guided touchscreen interface along with simple, easy-to-use protocols. This webinar will feature Muse® Cell Analyzer assays designed for immunology research applications, including those assays developed for the identification and enumeration of CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells or B cells in whole blood or PBMC samples. Join us to learn how easy it can be to monitor lymphocyte activation and count CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells or B cells in whole blood or PBMC samples.