Molecular Medicine Issues 20th Anniversary Edition
Manhasset, NY, Dec. 16, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Molecular Medicine, the peer-reviewed open access journal published by Feinstein Institute Press, today released its 20th anniversary edition. This special commemorative issue highlights the career and scientific impact of Anthony Cerami, PhD. It includes reviews by renowned leaders in the fields of parasitology, hematology, immunology, metabolism, therapeutics and molecular medicine about the influence Dr. Cerami's research on their scientific careers. Dr. Cerami, CEO of Araim Pharmaceuticals, is best known for developing the HbA1c (A1C) diagnostic test, the current gold standard for diagnosing diabetes.
Dr. Cerami's interest in the underlying conditions of diseases developed at an early age, when his mother developed diabetes. He witnessed first-hand the complications and suffering caused by the disease. This inspired Dr. Cerami to study the cause and consequences of diabetes to best explore viable treatments.
"As I look back over the course of my work, it is easy to see how ideas, observations and discoveries are connected," said Dr. Cerami, editor emeritus of Molecular Medicine. "The basic biological questions I asked as a youth have been the framework for most of my scientific work. My perseverance was encouraged enormously by mentors, students, collaborative colleagues, and the desire to understand and develop therapies that might help patients has obsessed me my entire life. There is no map for the unknown, but that is the fun of it."
The issue includes an introduction by Kevin Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and editor emeritus of Molecular Medicine.
"Students in molecular medicine and active investigators pursuing basic science in the hopes of improving human health will find inspiration in these accounts," said Dr. Tracey. "Dr. Cerami's persistence and passion fed his ability to move beyond observations of the natural world to perform experiments that continue to produce new diagnostics and therapeutics. Future generations of molecular medicine researchers can learn from his approach."
Another major focus of Dr. Cerami's research has been the identification of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) as a key inflammatory mediator of tissue damage caused by a wide variety of diseases. The current success of anti-TNF therapy as a disease modifying treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and psoriasis, is based on this discovery. This work has also culminated most recently in the engineering of a peptide, ARA 290, as a general antagonist of inflammation and an activator of tissue repair. The issue can be read in its entirety on molmed.org.
About Araim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Araim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biotech company founded in 2006 engaged in developing novel treatments for devastating injuries and chronic diseases underserved by current therapies. Their lead compound, ARA 290, is a novel 11 amino acid peptide engineered to specifically activate the body's natural repair system via the innate repair receptor that is present only following injury. ARA 290 activates anti-inflammatory, tissue protective, and reparative signaling pathways. The short half-life of ARA 290 coupled with the restricted expression of the innate repair receptor functions as a dual safety system to avoid potential side effects. Clinical trials evaluating ARA 290 for treatment of neuropathic symptoms associated with diabetes and the orphan disease sarcoidosis are currently ongoing in the US and Europe. ARA 290 has received orphan drug designation in the US and in Europe, as well as Fast Track designation in the US for treatment of small fiber neuropathy in sarcoidosis. www.araimpharma.com
About Molecular Medicine
Molecular Medicine is an open access, international, peer-reviewed biomedical journal published by the Feinstein Institute Press. Molecular Medicine strives to understand normal body functioning and disease pathogenesis at the molecular level, which may allow researchers and physician-scientists to use that knowledge in the design of specific molecular tools for disease diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention. To learn more, visit www.molmed.org .
About The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Headquartered in Manhasset, NY, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is home to international scientific leaders in many areas including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, psychiatric disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sepsis, human genetics, pulmonary hypertension, leukemia, neuroimmunology, and medicinal chemistry. The Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, ranks in the top 6th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research centers. For more information, visit www.FeinsteinInstitute.org .
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