The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is a growing non-profit research center affiliated with the North Shore-LIJ Health System in Long Island, NY. Investigators at the Institute received approximately 46.7 million in the last fiscal year in NIH funding, making it among one of the major research facilities in the New York metropolitan area. Much of the research at the Feinstein is highly focused on clinical disease and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies and novel therapeutics in autoimmune, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative disease. The Biacore T200 surface plasmon resonance biosensor would be an especially important addition for the Institute which has a clear focus on translational studies and novel therapeutics. The Institute boasts a Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, run by Dr. Yousef Al-Abed. The Medicinal Chemistry laboratory works with several investigators to identify small molecules with diagnostic or agonist/antagonist properties directed to highly specific targets in pathways of importance in human disease. Currently, proposed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) projects include searching for lead compounds to targets in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Alzheimer's disease, sepsis and cancer. Analysis of binding affinities and kinetics (KD's and Kd's) during compound screening will allow optimization of these drug discovery efforts. Other investigators hope to use the instrument to study antibody affinity to DNA or protein, and protein/protein interactions. This technology allows for highly quantitative analysis of binding along with the possibility to recover novel binding proteins for subsequent identification and characterization, extending techniques such as ELISA, fluorescence polarization, and yeast two-hybrid systems. The micro-scale and automated set-up of the system also makes it extremely versatile. We are confident that acquisition of this technology will facilitate the research of numerous scientists at the Institute and allow them to work in a more proficient manner in terms of assay development and troubleshooting, time management, and cost- effectiveness. Public Health Relevance: A major focus of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is to translate discoveries in the basic sciences into new therapies for human disease. The Biacore T200 biosensor is an instrument that will serve to advance the understanding of molecular interactions important in human disease and also to screen therapeutic compounds which may agonize or antagonize those interactions. The Institute prides itself in the discovery of novel disease targets, originating either on the bench or from clinical research, and the development of innovative diagnostics, treatments and therapies which may one day help to alleviate human disease.
| Qiang, Xiaoling; Yang, Weng-Lang; Wu, Rongqian et al. (2013) Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) triggers inflammatory responses in hemorrhagic shock and sepsis. Nat Med 19:1489-1495 |
