A total of five poster presentations on belinostat (PXD101) and one poster presentation on velafermin will be made during the conference.

Belinostat (PXD101), HDAC inhibitor for the treatment of cancer: -- "Activity of PXD101, an HDAC inhibitor, used alone or in combination with 5-FU in preclinical gastroesophageal studies," (Abstract #691) during the conference's HDAC Inhibitors I poster session on Sunday, April 15th in the Exhibit Hall, Poster Section 28 on Poster Board #14 -- "Gene expression screen in cell panel selected for varying sensitivity towards the Histone Deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) PXD101 reveals potential predictors of HDACi sensitivity," (Abstract #687) during the conference's HDAC Inhibitors I poster session on Sunday, April 15th in the Exhibit Hall, Poster Section 28 on Poster Board #10 -- "The effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) PXD101 on cell growth and expression of viral and host genes in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-carrying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines," (Abstract #696) during the conference's HDAC Inhibitors I poster session on Sunday, April 15th in the Exhibit Hall, Poster Section 28 on Poster Board #19 -- "The histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor PXD101 suppresses bladder cancer cell growth both in-vitro and in-vivo," (Abstract #2211) during the conference's Mouse Models of Cancer 2: Therapeutic Approaches poster session on Monday, April 16th in the Exhibit Hall, Poster Section 23 on Poster Board #9 -- "The HDAC inhibitors romidepsin and PXD101 interact synergistically with Bortezomib in human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells in association with NF-.B inactivation," (Abstract #1835) during the conference's Targeted Agents and Other Novel Therapies poster session on Monday, April 16th in the Exhibit Hall, Poster Section 7 on Poster Board #21 Velafermin, protein for the prevention of severe oral mucositis: -- "Velafermin (rhFGF-20) reduces fractionated radiation- induced oral mucositis in hamsters," (Abstract #3758) during the conference's Cytosolic Signaling 2 poster session on Tuesday, April 17th in the Exhibit Hall, Poster Section 16 on Poster Board #15. About CuraGen

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"In the future, we hope to develop DNA microarrays or gene chips specific to the macaque, which will enable us to pinpoint the level of gene expression in various studies such as those that look at the virulence and pathogenicity of pandemic strains of the influenza virus," said Dr. George Weinstock, co-director of the BCM Center.

"For example, a complete description of all the different macaque immune function components will enable an even more thoughtful use of rhesus macaques in areas such as AIDS research and for vaccine production," the authors wrote.

An important part of the study was a survey of DNA sequence differences between macaque individuals. This established that macaques show a similar overall genetic conservation to humans but that the Indian subpopulation was affected by a recent bottleneck in size. This work will speed future genetic studies of macaques, both in the laboratory and in the wild.

"A comparison of different individuals at the DNA sequence level is key to the understanding of the role of genetic variation in governing individual disease response," said Dr. Kim Worley, a senior HGSC scientist working on the project.

The information will also enable researchers to explore the basic biology of these animals, who live healthily across a broad geographic area. Finally, the researchers noted, the variations in genetic material, rearrangements, duplications, expansions in genes and measurements of the impact of natural selection reveal the rich and heterogeneous genomic changes that have occurred during the evolution of the human, chimpanzee and macaque.

"The analysis of this important primate is another milestone of the achievements of the College and marks its ongoing contributions to basic research", said Dr. Peter G, Traber, president of BCM.

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