First International

OPT: Oligonucleotides & Peptides as Therapeutics -2009-Meeting
on
Oligonucleotides, Peptides: From Synthesis to Validation and Drug Development
April 1 - 2, 2009
Venue: Hilton Garden Inn, 420 Totten Pond Road, Waltham, MA, 02451 USA

The Unique Theme Meeting in RNA Biology Field!

This Year OPT Meeting Will Be held in Conjunction with RNAi, MicroRNAs-Boston-2009- Meeting. Two Tracks, One Venue

AGENDA/SPEAKERS

Click Here to Download Brochure

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
7:00 – 8:30 A.M: Registration Open
7:30 – 8:45 A.M: Continental breakfast
8:00 - 10:00 A.M: Technology Session I
10.00 AM – 6.00 PM Scientific Sessions

Thursday April 2, 2009
7:00 – 8:30 A.M: Registration Open
7:30 – 8:45 AM: Continental breakfast

8:00 - 10:00 A.M: Technology Session II
10.00 AM – 6.00 PM Scientific Sessions

Agenda will be listed later, please visit again.

Scientific Committee:

	Krishnarao Appasani, PhD., MBA (Chair) Founder & CEO GeneExpression Systems, Inc Waltham, MA USA
	Dmitry Samarsky, PhD. VP, Technology Development RXi Pharmaceuticals 60 Prescott Street Worcester, MA 01605

	Paul C. Zamecnik, MD. Inaugural Speaker on April 1 1996 Albert Lasker Award Winner Emeritus Professor, Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA, USA Title: TBA
	Norbert Perrimon, PhD. Keynote Speaker on April 1 Professor of Genetics & HHMI investigator Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA Title: High-throughput, genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screens
	H. Robert Horvitz, PhD. Keynote Lecture on April 2 Nobel Laureate 2002 (Physiology or Medicine) David H. Koch Professor of Biology & Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, USA Title: TBA

Other Speakers: More Speakers will be Listed Soon!!!

	Seong-Wook Lee, Ph.D. Professor of Molecular Biology & Director Institute of Nanosensor and Biotechnology Dankook University Gyeonggi-do, Korea Title: RNA aptamer as an inhibitor against hepatic metastasis of colon cancer
	Puja Sapra Enzon Pharmaceuticals Piscataway, NJ, USA Title: TBA
	Jeremy Kenseth, Ph.D. Director Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc. Ames, IA, USA Title: TBA
	Akira Komoriya, PhD. CEO OncoImmunin, Inc. Gaithersburg, MD, USA Title: TBA
	Daren S. Levin, Ph.D. GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Early Inhaled Development Title: TBA
	Sean M. McCarthy Senior Research Scientist Waters, Inc., Milford, MA, USA Title: Ion-pair reverse-phase chromatography of oligonucleotides

Key Sessions:

Chemical synthesis of oligonucleotides and peptides
Large scale manufacturing and process development
Analytical characterization
Development of Oligos and Peptide as Therapeutics
Novel delivery systems
Clinical Application of Oligos and Peptides
Regulatory issues and safety assessment
Innovative strategies to develop anti-viral, ocular and cancer therapeutics

Exhibitors are welcome to reserve their booth space early!

Please contact if you are interested in speaking in the scientific or Technology workshops of this meeting.

GeneExpression Systems, Inc.
P.O. Box 540170
Waltham, MA 02454 USA
Tel: (781) 891-8181
Fax: (781) 891-8234
E-mail: Genexpsys@expressgenes.com
www.expressgenes.com

Poster Abstract Submission by February 1, 2009

All ABSTRACTS

Ion-pair reverse-phase chromatography of oligonucleotides: A New and unique LC MS methods for analysis of therapeutic oligonucleotides
Sean M. McCarthy, Senior Research Scientist, Waters, Inc., Milford, MA, USA

Oligonucleotides are used broadly as diagnostic probes and primers (PCR), as research tools such as silencing RNA, and more recently as therapeutic drugs. Oligonucleotides are typically synthesized via a stepwise process characterized by variable yields. As a result separation technologies are widely employed for purification and characterization of oligonucleotides.

The Waters ACQUITY UPLC® System combined with Oligonucleotide Separation Technology columns were used for LC and LC-MS analysis of single stranded and duplex oligonucleotides using ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography. This seminar will review the principles of ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography for separation of oligonucleotides and novel ion-paring systems for single stranded and duplex oligonucleotide separations and their MS compatibility.

RNA aptamer as an inhibitor against hepatic metastasis of colon cancer
Seong-Wook Lee, Ph.D., Professor of Dept. of Molecular Biology & Director of Institute of Nanosensor and Biotechnology, Dankook University, Yongin, Republic of Korea

Overexpression of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in cancer is well correlated with cell adhesion, anoikis resistance and promotion of hepatic metastasis. Particularly the “PELPK” sequence in the region between N and AI domain of CEA has been considered as the critical amino acid residues for initiating signal for hepatic metastasis of colon cancer. Here, we identified RNA aptamers specific to the metastasis-inducing domain of CEA with high affinity and specificity. Minimal domain and critical sequence of the aptamers for CEA binding was identified. Moreover, the aptamers were specific and efficient inhibitors against cellular CEA functions related with metastasis. Most importantly, the aptamers efficiently inhibited intrahepatic metastasis of colon cancers in mice model with liver metastasis established by intrasplenic inoculation of colon cancers. These indicate the CEA aptamers as therapeutic leads as well as diagnostic ligands for CEA-inducing hepatic metastasis.

High Throughput Characterization of Oligonucleotide and RNAi Duplex Purity by Parallel Capillary Electrophoresis
Jeremy Kenseth, Ph.D., Director, Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc., Ames, IA, USA

DNA and RNA-based research requires production of large numbers of customized, specific oligonucleotide sequences. Varying amounts of n-1, n-2, etc. size impurities can often be present which can adversely affect final product performance. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been established as a key tool for high resolution separation and quantification of oligonucleotides, and more recently for assessing RNA duplexes. However, the long run times needed to achieve n-1 resolution typically limit throughput to 1-2 samples/h. This presentation will discuss the benefits of parallel CE to characterize oligonucleotide and RNAi duplex purity with a throughput as high as 96 samples/h.

LNA oligonucleotides as RNA antagonists for the control of cancer
Puja Sapra, Senior Scientist, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Piscataway, NJ, USA

Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) antisense oligonucleotides (LNA-ONs) are composed of LNA monomers surrounding the gapmer. This enables LNA-ONs to have much higher affinity, specificity, and resistance against degradation compared with other oligonucleotide technologies. The utility of LNA-ONs directed against hypoxia inducible factor 1a (HIF-1a) and epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (ErbB3) as cancer therapeutics will be described. Preclinical and clinical data will be presented. Application of LNA-ON as cancer therapeutics may allow down regulation of critical targets that control tumor growth and have previously been considered “undruggable”.