Abstract

Skeletal muscle constitutes approximately 40% of total body mass, serving as both a primary organ for voluntary movement and a critical regulator of systemic metabolism, thereby making the maintenance of its function essential for overall health. The decline in skeletal muscle functionality is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to the rising global population in need of long-term care. The balance between muscle regeneration and degradation is vital for sustaining muscular health. However, the capacity for muscle regeneration declines with age, directly impairing skeletal muscle function and consequently shortening healthy lifespan. Therefore, elucidating the fundamental molecular mechanisms that govern muscle regeneration is deemed critically important for developing effective interventions.

In this study, We sought to identify previously unexplored regulatory factors with dynamic expression changes during muscle regeneration. Leveraging a muscle regeneration model in mice, we identified a significant upregulation in both mRNA and protein levels of key target genes associated with the Liver X receptor (LXR). As a nuclear receptor responsive to intracellular cholesterol accumulation, LXR also serves as a critical oxysterol sensor, orchestrating lipid homeostasis and gene expression regulation. Recent studies highlight the key role of cholesterol metabolism in skeletal muscle physiology, though its precise functions and regulatory networks remain unclear. To address this gap, we examined the roles of LXR and its representative target gene, ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), in muscle differentiation and regeneration. Our results could provide valuable insights for developing strategies aimed at enhancing muscle functionality and promoting an extension of healthy lifespan.

Abstract

Recent advances in liquid biopsy technologies have transformed our ability to noninvasively monitor molecular alterations in patients, paving the way for truly personalized medicine.

We have developed a pioneering approach for the detection of fusion genes in circulating cell-free nucleic acids, providing a sensitive and specific tool for early cancer diagnosis and disease monitoring. By integrating deep sequencing, bioinformatics pipelines, and machine learning–based fusion discovery, this method enables the identification of tumour-derived fusion transcripts from a simple blood sample—without the need for invasive tissue biopsies.

This approach offers unprecedented potential for real-time tracking of tumour evolution, treatment response, and minimal residual disease, allowing clinicians to tailor therapies according to each patient’s molecular profile. Beyond oncology, fusion gene detection in liquid biopsy holds promise for a wide range of disorders involving genomic rearrangements, setting a new standard for precision diagnostics and personalized therapeutic strategies.

Recent results in glioblastoma (2022): We found that in patients with glioblastoma, gene– gene fusions such as KDR–PDGFRA, NCDN–PDGFRA, BCR–ABL1, COL1A1–PDGFB, NIN–

PDGFRB, FGFR1–BCR, and ROS1 fusions were detected in cfDNA with substantial frequency; these fusions corresponded to known druggable targets. These findings demonstrate that fusion detection via liquid biopsy in glioblastoma can reveal druggable alterations and track tumour evolution (1).

Recent results in oral cavity cancers (2025): In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), we identified a novel fusion gene TRMO-TRNT1 in cfDNA from high-grade tumours, alongside copy number variations and other gene alterations, with the concentration of cfDNA correlating with tumour stage, malignancy, and patient survival (2).

This combined evidence underscores the promise of fusion gene detection via liquid biopsy for real-time molecular monitoring, precision diagnostics, and early therapeutic intervention—especially in cancers (such as glioblastoma and OSCC), where tumour tissue is difficult to access or heterogeneously distributed.

1. Palande, , Siegal, T., Detroja, R., Gorohovski, A., Glass, R., Flueh, C., Kanner, A.A., Laviv, Y., Har-Nof, S., Levy-Barda, A. et al. (2022) Detection of gene mutations and gene-gene fusions in circulating cell-free DNA of glioblastoma patients: an avenue for clinically relevant diagnostic analysis. Mol Oncol, 16, 2098-2114.
2. Bhattacharya, M., Yaniv, D., D’Souza, D.P., Yosefof, E., Tzelnick, S., Detroja, R., Wax, T., Levy-Barda, A., Baum, G., Mizrachi, A. et al. (2025) Applications for Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Non- Invasive Approach for Detecting Structural Variants, Fusions, and Oncoviruses. Cancers (Basel), 17.

   Biography
   Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern is a Senior Lecturer at the Scojen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Reichman University, specializing in genomics, cell cycle regulation, evolutionary biology, chimeric proteins, and gene-gene fusions. Her research integrates computational and experimental approaches, utilizing cutting-edge sequencing technologies and AI-driven big data analysis to uncover novel biological insights.
   

Abstract

Over the past two decades, plant molecular farming—the use of plants as platforms for producing vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and other therapeutic agents—has been steadily advancing. This interdisciplinary field brings together expertise from plant science, medicine, and pharmaceutical research across academic, governmental, and industrial sectors. Plants have long been recognized as a source of pharmaceuticals, and with the rise of synthetic biology, they can now be engineered to produce a wide range of biologics. Vaccines manufactured in plants are not only effective and cost-efficient but also capable of post-translational modifications that many microbial systems lack. Additionally, unlike mammalian cell-based production systems, plant-derived vaccines do not carry the risk of contamination with human pathogens. Plants also offer advantages such as scalability, protein stability at ambient temperatures, and accessibility, making them particularly suitable for use in low- to middle-income countries.

Plant virus expression vectors have been extensively studied as a platform for vaccine development. They offer a cost-effective, efficient, and safe method for production. Recently, plant viruses have gained significance as a delivery system for nucleic acids into plant tissues, enabling gene expression regulation. Plant virus-based nanoparticles have emerged as a promising tool in cancer immunotherapy. This presentation delves into the design and implementation of plant virus nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy, concluding with an outlook on the future potential of plant viruses in medicine and beyond.

Abstract

In this investigation, density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were used to explore the interactions of 2-pentanone, limonene, and methanol molecules, considering as a biomarker volatile for liver cirrhosis, with virgin C60 and heterofullerene M – C59 (M = B, Si, Al). The Geometric and electronic parameters such as adsorption configuration, adsorption energy, border molecular orbitals, and charge density difference are performed to explore the nature of these intermolecular interactions. The results show that after doping, the absorption spectrum of undoped material (C60) were affected and the interactions at the HOMO–LUMO energy gap were altered depending on the introduced atom, B,Si and Al. Examination of the response and the recovery time of the heterofullerene M – C59 where M = B, Si and Al, materials suggest that, these materials can be exploited as biosensor for liver cirrhosis.