Deakin University View Institution's Website 5 articles published in JoVE Cancer Research A Flow Cytometry-Based Cell Surface Protein Binding Assay for Assessing Selectivity and Specificity of an Anticancer Aptamer Maryam Nakhjavani1,2, Breanna Giles1,2, Mia Strom1,2, Chris Vi1,2, Sahara Attenborough1,2, Sarah Shigdar1,2 1School of Medicine, Deakin University, 2Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University A necessary step in anticancer aptamer development is to test its binding to the target. We demonstrate a flow cytometric-based assay to study this binding, emphasizing the importance of including a negative control aptamer and cancer cells that are positive or negative for that particular protein. Medicine Non-invasive Assessment of Dorsiflexor Muscle Function in Mice Frederico Gerlinger-Romero1, Alex B. Addinsall2, Richard M. Lovering3, Victoria C. Foletta4, Chris van der Poel5, Paul A. Della-Gatta4, Aaron P. Russell4 1School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 2Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, School of Medicine, Deakin University, 3Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, 4Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, 5Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University Measurement of rodent skeletal muscle contractile function is a useful tool that can be used to track disease progression as well as efficacy of therapeutic intervention. We describe here the non-invasive, in vivo assessment of the dorsiflexor muscles that can be repeated over time in the same mouse. Genetics Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry Sarah E. Ashley1,2, Braydon A. Meyer2,3, Justine A. Ellis2,3,4, David J. Martino2,3,5 1Molecular Genetics of Chronic Inflammation and Allergic Disease, Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 2 Identification of genetic variants contributing to complex human disease allows us to identify novel mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate a multiplex genotyping approach to candidate genes or gene pathway analysis that maximizes the coverage at low cost and is amenable to cohort-based studies. Neuroscience Measuring Oral Fatty Acid Thresholds, Fat Perception, Fatty Food Liking, and Papillae Density in Humans Rivkeh Y. Haryono1, Madeline A. Sprajcer1, Russell S. J. Keast1 1School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University Oral chemoreception of fatty acids and the association with diet and fatty food preferences may enable the identification of mechanisms involved with the development of obesity and why dietary changes may be difficult for many individuals. Biology Metabolic Profile Analysis of Zebrafish Embryos Yann Gibert1, Sean L. McGee1, Alister C. Ward1 1Metabolic Research Unit & Molecular & Medical Research SRC, Geelong, Australia, School of Medicine, Deakin University Zebrafish represent a powerful vertebrate model that has been under-utilised for metabolic studies. Here we describe a rapid way to measure the in vivo metabolic profile of developing zebrafish that allows the comparison of different mitochondrial function parameters between genetically or pharmacologically manipulated embryos, thereby increasing the applicability of this organism.