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CBD News: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has published a detailed assessment of the implications of using climate geoengineering to limit global warming.




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CBD News: Forests and the products they provide have a key role in securing sustainable energy globally, while at the same time being essential for biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, and climate change mitigation.




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CBD News: Statement by Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, UN Assistant Secretary General, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the 47th Cairo Climate Talks, Cairo, Egypt, 2 May 2017




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CBD News: The Executive Secretaries of the Biological Diversity, Climate Change, and Desertification Conventions are calling for the establishment of a Facility to secure finance for large projects that will help to address common issues.




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CBD News: Message of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, on the occasion of International Mountain Day 11 December 2017: "Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger and migration"




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CBD News: The science body under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meets this week to discuss a wide array of biodiversity-related issues critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and tackling climate change. These dis




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CBD News: Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary, said: "These assessments are sobering. They show that the pressures on biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services from human activities, including climate change, are increasing.




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CBD News: The world has two years to secure a deal for nature to halt a 'silent killer' as dangerous as climate change, says biodiversity chief




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CBD News: African Ministers of Environment together with partner organizations committed to an ambitious action agenda taking a coherent approach to addressing the interlinked challenges of biodiversity loss, land degradation and climate change.




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CBD News: The inaugural Nature Champions Summit closed Thursday with a call to put nature at the centre of the global discourse together with climate action and sustainable development.




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CBD News: Young people from around the world are encouraged to submit videos for the 2019 Global Youth Video Competition showcasing positive solutions on three themes: Nature-based Solutions for Food and Human Health; Cities and Local Action to Combat Cli




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CBD News: Following a summer of dramatic heat waves and forest fires, and close on the heels of a landmark scientific report charting an unprecedented decline in nature, the global community came together from 27-30 August in Nairobi to deliberate over an




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CBD News: Two major pieces of research reveal the clear and present danger biodiversity loss and climate change pose to the health, security and well-being of humanity.




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CBD News: The film highlights the importance of nature in tackling climate change, calling for the need to protect, restore and fund nature and mobilizing attention to scale nature-based solutions.




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CBD News: Rural women are an indisputable force behind efforts to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity all over the world, and as such they are critical players in building climate resilience.




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CBD News: In the "Beijing Call for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change", French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping on 6 November reaffirmed their commitments to enhance international cooperation on climate change




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CBD Notification SCBD/OES/DC/AC/88568 (2019-115): Submission of views on possible targets and indicators for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework related to the interlinkages and interdependencies between biodiversity and climate change






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Glycation-mediated inter-protein cross-linking is promoted by chaperone-client complexes of {alpha}-crystallin: Implications for lens aging and presbyopia [Glycobiology and Extracellular Matrices]

Lens proteins become increasingly cross-linked through nondisulfide linkages during aging and cataract formation. One mechanism that has been implicated in this cross-linking is glycation through formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Here, we found an age-associated increase in stiffness in human lenses that was directly correlated with levels of protein–cross-linking AGEs. α-Crystallin in the lens binds to other proteins and prevents their denaturation and aggregation through its chaperone-like activity. Using a FRET-based assay, we examined the stability of the αA-crystallin–γD-crystallin complex for up to 12 days and observed that this complex is stable in PBS and upon incubation with human lens–epithelial cell lysate or lens homogenate. Addition of 2 mm ATP to the lysate or homogenate did not decrease the stability of the complex. We also generated complexes of human αA-crystallin or αB-crystallin with alcohol dehydrogenase or citrate synthase by applying thermal stress. Upon glycation under physiological conditions, the chaperone–client complexes underwent greater extents of cross-linking than did uncomplexed protein mixtures. LC-MS/MS analyses revealed that the levels of cross-linking AGEs were significantly higher in the glycated chaperone–client complexes than in glycated but uncomplexed protein mixtures. Mouse lenses subjected to thermal stress followed by glycation lost resilience more extensively than lenses subjected to thermal stress or glycation alone, and this loss was accompanied by higher protein cross-linking and higher cross-linking AGE levels. These results uncover a protein cross-linking mechanism in the lens and suggest that AGE-mediated cross-linking of α-crystallin–client complexes could contribute to lens aging and presbyopia.




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Long noncoding RNA pncRNA-D reduces cyclin D1 gene expression and arrests cell cycle through RNA m6A modification [RNA]

pncRNA-D is an irradiation-induced 602-nt long noncoding RNA transcribed from the promoter region of the cyclin D1 (CCND1) gene. CCND1 expression is predicted to be inhibited through an interplay between pncRNA-D and RNA-binding protein TLS/FUS. Because the pncRNA-D–TLS interaction is essential for pncRNA-D–stimulated CCND1 inhibition, here we studied the possible role of RNA modification in this interaction in HeLa cells. We found that osmotic stress induces pncRNA-D by recruiting RNA polymerase II to its promoter. pncRNA-D was highly m6A-methylated in control cells, but osmotic stress reduced the methylation and also arginine methylation of TLS in the nucleus. Knockdown of the m6A modification enzyme methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) prolonged the half-life of pncRNA-D, and among the known m6A recognition proteins, YTH domain-containing 1 (YTHDC1) was responsible for binding m6A of pncRNA-D. Knockdown of METTL3 or YTHDC1 also enhanced the interaction of pncRNA-D with TLS, and results from RNA pulldown assays implicated YTHDC1 in the inhibitory effect on the TLS–pncRNA-D interaction. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of candidate m6A site decreased the m6A level in pncRNA-D and altered its interaction with the RNA-binding proteins. Of note, a reduction in the m6A modification arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, and pncRNA-D knockdown partially reversed this arrest. Moreover, pncRNA-D induction in HeLa cells significantly suppressed cell growth. Collectively, these findings suggest that m6A modification of the long noncoding RNA pncRNA-D plays a role in the regulation of CCND1 gene expression and cell cycle progression.




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The hibernating 100S complex is a target of ribosome-recycling factor and elongation factor G in Staphylococcus aureus [Protein Synthesis and Degradation]

The formation of translationally inactive 70S dimers (called 100S ribosomes) by hibernation-promoting factor is a widespread survival strategy among bacteria. Ribosome dimerization is thought to be reversible, with the dissociation of the 100S complexes enabling ribosome recycling for participation in new rounds of translation. The precise pathway of 100S ribosome recycling has been unclear. We previously found that the heat-shock GTPase HflX in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is a minor disassembly factor. Cells lacking hflX do not accumulate 100S ribosomes unless they are subjected to heat exposure, suggesting the existence of an alternative pathway during nonstressed conditions. Here, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence that two essential translation factors, ribosome-recycling factor (RRF) and GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G), synergistically split 100S ribosomes in a GTP-dependent but tRNA translocation-independent manner. We found that although HflX and the RRF/EF-G pair are functionally interchangeable, HflX is expressed at low levels and is dispensable under normal growth conditions. The bacterial RRF/EF-G pair was previously known to target only the post-termination 70S complexes; our results reveal a new role in the reversal of ribosome hibernation that is intimately linked to bacterial pathogenesis, persister formation, stress responses, and ribosome integrity.




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Recycling scheme launches

The Advisory Committee on Recycling Fund today announced the launch of the One-off Recycling Industry Anti-epidemic Scheme.

 

The scheme aims to help the recycling industry cope with the current economic situation and operational difficulties brought by the COVID-19 epidemic.

 

Around $100 million has been earmarked for implementing the scheme under Enterprise Support Programme, providing financial support for the operational costs of recyclers for six months.

 

The maximum funding limit for each recycler is $20,000 per month.

 

The funding period will cover from January 1 to June 30, making a total maximum subsidy of $120,000.

 

The scheme opens for application from today until June 30. Recyclers with operations on or before January 1 can apply.

 

The first instalment related to the subsidy for the first three months will be available from April onwards and the rest of the subsidy will be disbursed in the middle of this year.

 

The committee also decided to extend the earlier launched One-off Rental Support Scheme for another six months.

 

The scheme, which has been accepting applications for six months of rental support starting from October 2019, will now be extended to September 2020.

 

Upon the extension, the maximum funding limit for each recycler will be 50% of the rental or $25,000 per month, whichever is lower.

 

The maximum rental funding limit will be raised to $300,000.

 

Application eligibility and requirements remain unchanged while the deadline has been extended to September 30.

 

Call 2788 5658 or email enquiry@recyclingfund.hk for more information.




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SAS Notes for SAS®9 - 65925: Clicking a URL for a stored process in Excel brings up the SAS Stored Process Web Application Welcome page

After you submit a stored process from the SAS Stored Process Web Application, the generated URL is placed into a cell in a Microsoft Excel worksheet. When you click this URL, you expect that the stored process is sub




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Clinical implications of chromatin accessibility in human cancers

(Impact Journals LLC) Volume 11, Issue 18 of @Oncotarget Clinical implications of chromatin accessibility assessed by ATAC-seq profiling in human cancers especially in a large patient cohort is largely unknown.




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Cool Met Stuff, composition of air, main gases, climate change, global warming, carbon dioxide concentration, fraction, atmosphere

Do you know which main gases are contained in the composition of air? Under climate change and global warming, carbon dioxide ...




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Public health training in climate change: What are prospective employers thinking?

(Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health) Researchers found that 92 percent of employers who responded to a survey on climate change and public health reported need for public health professionals with training in climate change will very likely increase in the next 5 to 10 years. While graduates of public health programs who focus on climate change are in demand in the current job market, these positions appear to be just a small proportion of the total number of jobs available in public health.




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Simulations forecast nationwide increase in human exposure to extreme climate events

(DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Using ORNL's now-decommissioned Titan supercomputer, a team of researchers estimated the combined consequences of many different extreme climate events at the county level, a unique approach that provided unprecedented regional and national climate projections that identified the areas most likely to face climate-related challenges.




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NIH clinical trial tests remdesivir plus anti-inflammatory drug baricitinib for COVID-19

(NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) A randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of a treatment regimen of the investigational antiviral remdesivir plus the anti-inflammatory drug baricitinib for COVID-19 has begun. The trial is now enrolling hospitalized adults with COVID-19 in the United States. The trial is expected to open at approximately 100 US and international sites. Investigators currently anticipate enrolling more than 1,000 participants. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is sponsoring the trial.




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International scientific conference to debate new lifestyles to mitigate climate change

(Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona) More than 500 researchers from all around the world will gather virtually tomorrow Wednesday May 6 at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) to discuss and propose how society should adopt more sustainable and low-carbon forms of lifestyle that contribute to mitigating climate change.




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Cold air rises -- what that means for Earth's climate

(University of California - Davis) In the tropical atmosphere, cold air rises due to an overlooked effect -- the lightness of water vapor. This effect helps to stabilize tropical climates, and the impacts of a warming climate would be much worse without it.




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Diverse livelihoods helped resilient Levänluhta people survive a climate disaster

(University of Helsinki) A multidisciplinary research group coordinated by the University of Helsinki dated the bones of dozens of Iron Age residents of the Levänluhta site in Finland, and studied the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios. The results provide an overview of the dietary habits based on terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems, as well as of sources of livelihoods throughout the Levänluhta era.




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Global trade in soy has major implications for the climate

(University of Bonn) The extent to which Brazilian soy production and trade contribute to climate change depends largely on the location where soybeans are grown. This is shown by a recent study conducted by the University of Bonn together with partners from Spain, Belgium and Sweden. In some municipalities, CO2 emissions resulting from the export of soybean and derivatives are more than 200 times higher than in others.




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Arctic 'shorefast' sea ice threatened by climate change, study finds

(Brown University) A new study shows that coastal sea ice used by Arctic residents for hunting and fishing will be reduced as the planet warms.




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Study: Climate change has been influencing where tropical cyclones rage

(NOAA Headquarters) While the global average number of tropical cyclones each year has not budged from 86 over the last four decades, climate change has been influencing the locations of where these deadly storms occur, according to new NOAA-led research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.




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URI professor: Climate change increases risk of fisheries conflict

(University of Rhode Island) A team of experts, led by a University of Rhode Island researcher, examined how climate change is affecting the ocean environment and found that the changing conditions will likely result in increased fisheries-related conflicts and create new challenges in the management of global fisheries.




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Oceans should have a place in climate 'green new deal' policies, scientists suggest

(Oregon State University) The world's oceans play a critical role in climate regulation, mitigation and adaptation and should be integrated into comprehensive 'green new deal' proposals being promoted by elected officials and agency policymakers.




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LECOM's Dr. James Lin named AGS Geriatrics Clinician of the Year

(American Geriatrics Society) The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today named James Lin, DO, MS, MHSA, president of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Institute for Successful Aging in Erie, Pa., its 2020 Clinician of the Year. Lin will be honored at the AGS 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21), May 13-15, 2021, in Chicago, Ill., following the cancellation of the AGS 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting due to COVID-19.




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Climate change could reawaken Indian Ocean El Niño

(University of Texas at Austin) Global warming is approaching a tipping point that during this century could reawaken an ancient climate pattern similar to El Niño in the Indian Ocean, new research led by scientists from the University of Texas at Austin has found.




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Study shows wetter climate is likely to intensify global warming

(Virginia Institute of Marine Science) New study indicates the increase in rainfall forecast by global climate models is likely to hasten the release of carbon dioxide from tropical soils, further intensifying global warming by adding to human emissions of this greenhouse gas into Earth's atmosphere.




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Planting trees is no panacea for climate change, ecologist writes in Science commentary

(University of California - Santa Cruz) Restoration ecologist Karen Holl has a simple message for anyone who thinks planting 1 trillion trees will reverse the damage of climate change: 'We can't plant our way out of climate change.'




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Clinical Management of Food-Insecure Individuals With Diabetes

Andrea López
Feb 1, 2012; 25:14-18
From Research to Practice




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A Novel Approach to Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: The Team Clinic Model

Jennifer K. Raymond
Feb 1, 2015; 28:68-71
Care Innovations




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Associations Between Self-Management Education and Comprehensive Diabetes Clinical Care

Tammie M. Johnson
Jan 1, 2010; 23:41-46
Feature Articles




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Overview of Peer Support Models to Improve Diabetes Self-Management and Clinical Outcomes

Michele Heisler
Oct 1, 2007; 20:214-221
Articles




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Family Conflict and Diabetes Management in Youth: Clinical Lessons From Child Development and Diabetes Research

Barbara J. Anderson
Jan 1, 2004; 17:
Articles




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Impossible Foods: Fighting Climate Change with Plant-Based Meat

Can Impossible Foods change the way meat is produced on a large enough scale to make a serious inroad in the battle against climate change?




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SUV25 and {micro}PERCIST: Precision Imaging of Response to Therapy in Co-Clinical FDG-PET Imaging of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Patient-Derived Tumor Xenografts (PDX)

Numerous recent works highlight the limited utility of established tumor cell lines in recapitulating the heterogeneity of tumors in patients. More realistic preclinical cancer models are thought to be provided by transplantable, patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDX). Inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity of PDX, however, present several challenges in developing optimal quantitative pipelines to assess response to therapy. The objective of this work was to develop and optimize image metrics of FDG-PET to assess response to combination docetaxel/carboplatin therapy in a co-clinical trial involving triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) PDX. We characterize the reproducibility of SUV metrics to assess response to therapy and optimize a preclinical PERCIST (µPERCIST) paradigm to complement clinical standards. Considerations in this effort included variability in tumor growth rate and tumor size; solid tumor vs. tumor heterogeneity and necrotic phenotype; and optimal selection of tumor slice versus whole tumor. A test-retest protocol was implemented to optimize the reproducibility of FDG-PET SUV thresholds, SUVpeak metrics, and µPERCIST parameters. In assessing response to therapy, FDG-PET imaging was performed at baseline and +4 days following therapy. The reproducibility, accuracy, variability, and performance of imaging metrics to assess response to therapy were determined. We defined an index—"Quantitative Response Assessment Score (QRAS)"—to integrate parameters of prediction and precision, and thus aid in selecting optimal image metrics of response to therapy. Our data suggests that a threshold value of 25% (SUV25) of SUVmax was highly reproducible (<9% variability). Concordance and reproducibility of µPERCIST were maximized at α=0.7 and β=2.8 and exhibited high correlation to SUV25 measures of tumor uptake. QRAS scores favor SUV25 followed by SUVP14 as optimal metrics of response to therapy. Additional studies are warranted to fully characterize the utility of SUV25 and µPERCIST SUVP14 as image metrics of response to therapy across a wide range of therapeutic regiments and PDX models.




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177Lu-NM600 targeted radionuclide therapy extends survival in syngeneic murine models of triple-negative breast cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer leading to the worst prognosis. Because current therapeutic approaches lack efficacy, there is a clinically unmet need for effective treatment alternatives. Herein, we demonstrate a promising strategy utilizing a tumor-targeting alkylphosphocholine (NM600) radiolabeled with 177Lu for targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) of TNBC. In two murine syngeneic models of TNBC, we confirmed excellent tumor targeting and rapid normal tissue clearance of the PET imaging analog 86Y-NM600. Based on longitudinal PET/CT data acquired with 86Y-NM600, we estimated the dosimetry of therapeutic 177Lu-NM600, which showed larger absorbed doses in the tumor compared to normal tissues. Administration of 177Lu-NM600 resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition and prolonged overall survival in mice bearing syngeneic 4T07 and 4T1 tumors. Complete response was attained in 60% of 4T07 bearing mice, but animals carrying aggressive 4T1 tumor grafts succumbed to metastatic progression. The injected activities used for treatment (9.25 and 18.5 MBq) were well tolerated, and only mild transient cytopenia was noted. Overall, our results suggest that 177Lu-NM600 TRT has potential for treatment of TNBC and merits further exploration in a clinical setting.




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212Pb Alpha-Radioimmunotherapy targeting CD38 in Multiple Myeloma: a preclinical study.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell cancer and represents the second most frequent hematological malignancy. Despite new treatments and protocols including high doses chemotherapy associated with autologous stem cell transplantation, the prognosis of MM patients is still poor. Alpha-radioimmunotherapy (alpha-RIT) represents an attractive treatment strategy due to the high linear energy transfer and short path length of alpha-radiation in tissues, resulting in high tumor cell killing and low toxicity to surrounding tissues. In this study, we investigated the potential of alpha-RIT with 212Pb-Daratumumab (anti-CD38), in both in vitro and in vivo models, as well as an anti-mouse CD38 antibody using in vivo models. Methods: Inhibition of cell proliferation after incubation of RPMI8226 cell line with increasing activities (0.185-3.7 kBq/ml) of 212Pb-isotypic control or 212Pb-Daratumumab was evaluated. Biodistribution was performed in vivo by SPECT-CT imaging and post-mortem. Dose range finding (DRF) and acute toxicity studies were conducted. As Daratumumab does not bind the murine CD38, biodistribution and DRF were also determined using an anti-murine CD38 antibody. To evaluate in vivo efficacy of 212Pb-Daratumumab, mice were engrafted subcutaneously with 5.106 RPMI8226 cells. Mice were treated 13 days post-engraftment with an intravenous injection of 212Pb-Daratumumab or control solutions. Therapeutic efficacy was monitored by tumor volume measurements and overall survival. Results: Significant inhibition of proliferation of the human myeloma RPMI8226 cell line was observed after three days of incubation with 212Pb-Daratumumab compared to 212Pb-Isotypic Control or cold antibodies. Biodistribution studies showed a specific tumoral accumulation of Daratumumab. No toxicity was observed with 212Pb-Daratumumab up to 370 kBq due to the lack of cross-reactivity. Nevertheless, acute toxicity experiments with 212Pb-anti-mCD38 established a toxic activity of 277.5 kBq. To remain within realistically safe treatment activities for efficacy studies, mice were treated with 185 kBq or 277.5 kBq of 212Pb-Daratumumab. Marked tumor growth inhibition compared to controls was observed, with a median survival of 55 days for 277.5 kBq of 212Pb-Daratumumab instead of 11 for PBS control groups. Conclusion: These results showed 212Pb-Daratumumab efficacy on xenografted mice with significant tumor regression and increased survival. This study highlights alpha-RIT potency in MM treatment.