(Raleigh, N.C.) NagoyaUniversity (NU) and its North Carolina technology transfer office, Technology Partnership of Nagoya University (NU Tech), announced that Atsushi Enomoto, Ph.D., will make the opening technology presentation at the Diagnostics / Molecular Therapeutics Roundtable at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center on October 4, 2012. Dr.  Enomoto will present his latest research findings on Girdin, a novel actin-binding protein that has the potential for use as a new therapeutic drug and diagnostic compound for cancer, diabetic retinopathy and other diseases. Girdin is a regulator for cell migration that is essential for postnatal angiogenesis, neurogenesis and cancer progression. Among other things, Dr. Enomoto’s research has shown that inhibition of Girdin decreases the malignancy and transformation of breast cancer in mice, and may also suppress retinal angiogenesis in mice. Dr. Enomoto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine.  His presentation on Girdin will be the first of five presentations to be made at the Diagnostics and Molecular Therapeutics Roundtable, an event being organized by NU Tech in cooperation with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Wake Forest University (WFU).

The Roundtable features speakers from NU, UNC, NCSU and WFU presenting some of their latest research innovations in diagnostics and molecular therapeutics. The Roundtable is free to attend and is open to all business professionals and researchers interested in learning more about new developments in these fields and strengthening connections with others having similar interests.  For more information and registration for the Roundtable, please see http://www.nutechtransfer.org/content/roundtable+2012/100295

The Technology Roundtable Series is a joint effort by NU and NU Tech, in cooperation with local universities in the RTP area, to promote some of their more commercially promising research to the North Carolina life sciences industry.  The first Roundtable was held in October 2010 in cooperation with NCSU and focused on plant and agricultural technology.  The second Roundtable was held in October 2011 in cooperation with UNC and WFU and focused on regenerative medicine.

About Nagoya University:
Nagoya University (NU), home to four Nobel Peace Prize laureates and development of the Blue LED, is an elite educational hub in central Japan.  Originally established as a temporary hospital and medical school in 1871, NU has long been a leader in higher education and research in Japan.  Currently, NU has 13 Graduate Schools, 9 Schools, 3 Research Institutions and 18 Research Centers. 16,000 full time students study and work with 2,000 full time faculty members and 2,000 support staff.  Each year, NU enrolls 1600 international students from all over the world.

About Technology Partnership of Nagoya University, Inc.:
Technology Partnership of Nagoya University, Inc. (NU Tech) is 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization founded by Nagoya University in 2007.  Headquartered just outside Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, NU Tech functions as a technology transfer office to commercialize Nagoya University’s technologies in the United States.  NU Tech promotes technology transfer and research collaboration between US partners and Nagoya University, mainly focusing on the Life Science and Biotechnology fields.  For more information about NU-Tech and its available technologies, please visit our web page at www.NUTechTransfer.org