Biology subjects

Pauley, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Pauley, M..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Humanized Monoclonal Antibody Rescues Rhesus macaques from Aerosolized Ricin Toxin Exposure

Ricin toxin (RT) ranks at the top of the list of potential bioweapons of concern to civilian and military personnel alike due to its high potential for morbidity and mortality after inhalation. In non-human primates, aerosolized ricin triggers a severe acute respiratory distress characterized by perivascular and alveolar edema, neutrophilic infiltration, and severe necrotizing bronchiolitis and alveolitis. There are currently no approved countermeasures for ricin intoxication. In this report, we demonstrate the therapeutic potential of huPB10, a toxin-neutralizing humanized monoclonal antibody (MAb) against an immunodominant epitope on ricins enzymatic A chain (RTA). Five rhesus macaques that received intravenous huPB10 (10 mg/kg) four hours after lethal dose ricin aerosol exposure all survived the toxin challenge, as compared to control animals, which succumbed to ricin intoxication within 30 h. Antibody treatment at 12 h after ricin exposure resulted in the survival of only one of five monkeys, indicating that, in the majority of animals, ricin intoxication and local tissue damage had progressed beyond the point where huPB10 intervention was beneficial. Change in pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokines levels in bronchial alveolar lavage fluids before and after toxin challenge successfully clustered monkeys based on survival, as well as treatment group. IL-6 was the most apparent marker of ricin intoxication. This study represents the first demonstration in nonhuman primates that the lethal effects of inhalational ricin exposure can be negated by a drug candidate and opens up a path forward for product development.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2017

Barriers to Integration of Bioinformatics into Undergraduate Life Sciences Education

Bioinformatics, a discipline that combines aspects of biology, statistics, and computer science, is increasingly important for biological research. However, bioinformatics instruction is rarely integrated into life sciences curricula at the undergraduate level. To understand why, the Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education (NIBLSE, \"nibbles\") recently undertook an extensive survey of life sciences faculty in the United States. The survey responses to open-ended questions about barriers to integration were subjected to keyword analysis. The barrier most frequently reported by the ~1,260 respondents was lack of faculty training. Faculty at associates-granting institutions report the least training in bioinformatics and the least integration of bioinformatics into their teaching. Faculty from underrepresented minority groups (URMs) in STEM reported training barriers at a higher rate than others, although the number of URM respondents was small. Interestingly, the cohort of faculty with the most recently awarded PhD degrees reported the most training but were teaching bioinformatics at a lower rate than faculty who earned their degrees in previous decades. Other barriers reported included lack of student interest in bioinformatics; lack of student preparation in mathematics, statistics, and computer science; already overly full curricula; and limited access to resources, including hardware, software, and vetted teaching materials. The results of the survey, the largest to date on bioinformatics education, will guide efforts to further integrate bioinformatics instruction into undergraduate life sciences education.

scientific communication and education↗