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They hypothesize that FAIM might play a role in neuron protection, making it a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Eventually, the Singapore scientists hope to conduct drug screens on FAIM to determine how it can be used to prolong or delay cell survival, and provide solutions to a wide variety of human diseases.

Drs. Huo and Xu's interest in FAIM was sparked by the work of their colleagues in BTI's animal cell technology group, which since 2007 has been using FAIM to enhance the longevity of biologics-producing cells to increase their yield in bioreactors, which are vessels in which organisms are cultured, and biochemically active substances derived from them.

Biologics are medicinal products such as vaccines, allergenics, tissues and recombinant proteins that can be extracted from natural sources (human, animal, or microorganism) and produced by biotechnology methods.

Curious about FAIM's role in immune cells, particularly its increased expression in activated B cells, key effectors of the human immune system responsible for fighting viruses and other pathogens that invade the body, the two scientists began developing the first in vivo knockout mouse model to closely examine FAIM's role in preventing programmed cell death.

BTI Executive Director Miranda Yap, Ph.D., said, "The Immunology Group's venturing beyond the traditional boundaries of applied science has paid off with their discovery of a second role for FAIM in the seemingly unrelated field of immunology. Their work is indeed a fine example of how our scientists are constantly pushing the envelope to keep at the forefront of biomedical research."

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