Towards a better understanding of fire performance assessment of façade systems: Current situation and a proposed new assessment framework

This manuscript presents tools and data that serve to enable an evaluation of the risk associated with vertical fire spread on buildings. A highly detailed context to cladding fires is described to unveil the complexity and magnitude of the problem and to identify gaps of information. An engineering framework is then developed which delivers required information that fills some of those gaps and that needs to be used towards achieving quantified fire performance. The data itself has been published as a publicly available database, entitled the Cladding Materials Library (www.claddingmaterialslibrary.com.au). This data can be used to support building fire risk assessments or as the basis for more in-depth research into façade fires. This paper presents the context of the data together with the competency framework necessary for upskilling building professionals to have the capacity to implement the engineering framework

Targeting Melanoma Metastasis and Immunosuppression with a New Mode of Melanoma Inhibitory Activity (MIA) Protein Inhibition

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, with fast progression and early dissemination mediated by the melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA) protein. Here, we discovered that dimerization of MIA is required for functional activity through mutagenesis of MIA which showed the correlation between dimerization and functional activity. We subsequently identified the dodecapeptide AR71, which prevents MIA dimerization and thereby acts as a MIA inhibitor. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy demonstrated the binding of AR71 to the MIA dimerization domain, in agreement with in vitro and in vivo data revealing reduced cell migration, reduced formation of metastases and increased immune response after AR71 treatment. We believe AR71 is a lead structure for MIA inhibitors. More generally, inhibiting MIA dimerization is a novel therapeutic concept in melanoma therapy

The emerging roles of inflammasome-dependent cytokines in cancer development

In addition to the genomic alterations that occur in malignant cells, the immune system is increasingly appreciated as a critical axis that regulates the rise of neoplasms and the development of primary tumours and metastases. The interaction between inflammatory cell infiltrates and stromal cells in the tumour microenvironment is complex, with inflammation playing both pro- and anti-tumorigenic roles. Inflammasomes are intracellular multi-protein complexes that act as key signalling hubs of the innate immune system. They respond to cellular stress and trauma by promoting activation of caspase-1, a protease that induces a pro-inflammatory cell death mode termed pyroptosis along with the maturation and secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-18. Here, we will briefly introduce inflammasome biology with a focus on the dual roles of inflammasome-produced cytokines in cancer development. Despite emerging insight that inflammasomes may promote and suppress cancer development according to the tumour stage and the tumour microenvironment, much remains to be uncovered. Further exploration of inflammasome biology in tumorigenesis should enable the development of novel immunotherapies for cancer patients