Preclinical research articles within Nature Communications

Featured

• Article
  08 June 2017 | Open Access

  Pentavalent HIV-1 vaccine protects against simian-human immunodeficiency virus challenge

  A previous human HIV-1 vaccine clinical trial, boosting with HIV envelope protein from two strains, demonstrated moderate vaccine efficacy. Here, Bradleyet al. show that a pentavalent HIV envelope protein boost improves protection from viral challenge in non-human primates and they identify immune correlates of protection.

  • Todd Bradley
  • , Justin Pollara
  •  & Barton F. Haynes

• Article
  16 May 2017 | Open Access

  A bioprosthetic ovary created using 3D printed microporous scaffolds restores ovarian function in sterilized mice

  There is a clinical need to develop a bioengineering system to support ovary transplantation. Here, the authors generate a bioprosthetic ovary using 3D printed scaffolds of varying pore architectures to support follicle survival and ovarian function in sterilized mice.

  • Monica M. Laronda
  • , Alexandra L. Rutz
  •  & Ramille N. Shah

• Article
  23 February 2017 | Open Access

  Cellular senescence mediates fibrotic pulmonary disease

  Removal of senescent cells rejuvenates lungs of aged mice. Here the authors show that elimination of senescent cells using either genetic or pharmacological means improves lung function and physical health in a mouse model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), suggesting potential therapy for treatment of human IPF.

  • Marissa J. Schafer
  • , Thomas A. White
  •  & Nathan K. LeBrasseur

• Article
  09 January 2017 | Open Access

  Mutant U2AF1-expressing cells are sensitive to pharmacological modulation of the spliceosome

  Spliceosome mutations occur in approximately 50% of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. Here, the authors show that tumour cells harbouring theS34F mutation in the U2AFspliceosome gene is sensitive to compounds that further perturb the spliceosome.

  • Cara Lunn Shirai
  • , Brian S. White
  •  & Matthew J. Walter

• Article
  14 December 2016 | Open Access

  Targeting LOXL2 for cardiac interstitial fibrosis and heart failure treatment

  Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) is an enzyme that promotes scaffolding of extracellular matrix proteins. Here the authors show that LOXL2 is crucial for pressure-overload induced cardiac fibrosis, and that antibody-mediated inhibition or genetic disruption ofLoxl2in mice shows therapeutic potential for treatment of cardiac fibrosis.

  • Jin Yang
  • , Konstantinos Savvatis
  •  & Ching-Pin Chang

• Article
  30 November 2016 | Open Access

  Additives for vaccine storage to improve thermal stability of adenoviruses from hours to months

  Keeping viral vaccines cold from the manufacturers to patients is problematic and costly. Here, Krol and others show additives that can significantly improve at very low concentrations the storage of adenovirus type 5 at ambient and elevated temperature.

  • Maria Pelliccia
  • , Patrizia Andreozzi
  •  & Silke Krol

• Article
  27 October 2016 | Open Access

  Induced sensorimotor brain plasticity controls pain in phantom limb patients

  Pain in a phantom limb after limb deafferentation may be due to maladaptive sensorimotor representation. Here the authors find that sensorimotor plasticity induced by BMI training with the phantom hand, contrary to expectation, increased pain while dissociating prosthetic movements from the phantom arm relieved the pain.

  • Takufumi Yanagisawa
  • , Ryohei Fukuma
  •  & Youichi Saitoh

• Article
  21 October 2016 | Open Access

  Accelerated oral nanomedicine discovery from miniaturized screening to clinical production exemplified by paediatric HIV nanotherapies

  Nanomedicine efficacy in a clinical setting depends on the pharmacological properties of the therapeutic nanoparticles. Here, the authors exemplify an accelerated translational strategy from small-scale screening to clinical scale-up for an orally-dosed aqueous paediatric HIV nanomedicine.

  • Marco Giardiello
  • , Neill J. Liptrott
  •  & Andrew Owen

• Article
  30 August 2016 | Open Access

  A substrate-driven allosteric switch that enhances PDI catalytic activity

  Protein Disulfide Isomerase (PDI) is a prothrombotic, multidomain enzyme with separate substrate binding and catalytic domains. Here, the authors identify a new class of compounds that target the PDI substrate binding site, inducing a conformational change in the catalytic domains and inhibiting thrombosis.

  • Roelof H. Bekendam
  • , Pavan K. Bendapudi
  •  & Robert Flaumenhaft

• Article
  14 October 2015 | Open Access

  Topological data analysis for discovery in preclinical spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury

  Data-driven discovery in complex neurological disorders has potential to extract meaningful knowledge from large, heterogeneous datasets. Here the authors apply topological data analysis to assess therapeutic effects in preclinical traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury research studies.

  • Jessica L. Nielson
  • , Jesse Paquette
  •  & Adam R. Ferguson

• Article
  12 January 2015 | Open Access

  A subcutaneous adipose tissue–liver signalling axis controls hepatic gluconeogenesis

  The drug amlexanox is known to improve obesity-related metabolic dysfunction in mice. Here the authors show that this effect is mediated by interleukin-6 secreted from subcutaneous adipocytes, which then inhibits gluconeogenesis in the liver by phosphorylating the hepatic transcription factor Stat3.

  • Shannon M. Reilly
  • , Maryam Ahmadian
  •  & Alan R. Saltiel