Birth Defects News and Research

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FSU researchers make major breakthrough in Zika virus research

Florida State University researchers have made a major breakthrough in the quest to learn whether the Zika virus is linked to birth defects with the discovery that the virus is directly targeting brain development cells and stunting their growth.

7 Mar 2016

MSU scientists identify new kind of stem cell that could advance regenerative medicine

Scientists at Michigan State University have discovered a new kind of stem cell, one that could lead to advances in regenerative medicine as well as offer new ways to study birth defects and other reproductive problems.

4 Mar 2016

New MyGene2 web tool may help find genes influencing Mendelian disorders

A new web tool, MyGene2, will enable patients and their families to join clinicians and scientists in the search for genes underlying rare disorders. The sharing of health information also will improve knowledge about how gene variants influence symptoms and other clinical features of Mendelian disorders.

3 Mar 2016

Stemina developing new screening method to diagnose autism

A University of Wisconsin-Madison spinoff is screening blood samples in an effort to develop a biologically based method to diagnose autism.

2 Mar 2016

MD Biosciences launches rapid assay to detect Zika virus

MD Biosciences, Inc. Clinical and Diagnostic Services Laboratory announces the release of its rapid assay to detect the virus in human blood and urine samples. The nucleic acid test can be performed in a few hours in blood, plasma, serum or urine samples.

1 Mar 2016

Researchers develop effective technique for studying high-arched palate using mouse model

Researchers from the laboratory of Paul Trainor, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute of Medical Research have developed an effective and reliable technique for studying high-arched palate using a mouse model. The methodology could expand research into the genetic aspects of this craniofacial abnormality.

27 Feb 2016

Luminex collaborates with University of São Paulo to validate multi-analyte Zika virus assay

Luminex Corporation today announced it is collaborating with the Laboratory of Molecular Evolution & Bioinformatics, Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of São Paulo, Brazil to validate a multi-analyte Zika virus assay developed by Luminex partner, GenArraytion, Inc.

26 Feb 2016

Helpful tips to protect yourself and family from Zika virus

Cases of the Zika virus, a mosquito-transmitted infection that may be linked to birth defects, are on the rise. Currently the majority of cases have been reported in the Americas, with Brazil reporting the highest numbers of cases. Although no local mosquito-borne cases have been reported in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported there have been travel-associated cases.

25 Feb 2016

Researchers describe three kinds of behavioural problems in children with FASD

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are affected by a range of problems, including anxiety, depression, aggression, delinquency and diminished learning capacity a new review of evidence reveals.

24 Feb 2016

Researchers examine socio-ecology, climate responses of Zika virus transmission

Zika: The virus has emerged as a major public health threat that's rapidly spreading through South and Central America and the Caribbean.

22 Feb 2016

NAU researcher calls for greater public awareness of cytomegalovirus

As the Zika virus continues to spread across the globe, and gain worldwide attention for its' potential birth defects, an NAU researcher is calling for greater public awareness of cytomegalovirus—the most common viral cause of birth defects in the United States.

16 Feb 2016

Nine researchers win EPSRC Healthcare Technologies Challenge Awards

Nine researchers, working on innovative projects that promise to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment, across a wide spread of issues, were today announced as the first recipients of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's (EPSRC) Healthcare Technologies Challenge Awards.

15 Feb 2016

Zika: an update

Since the Zika outbreak in Brazil early last year, the virus has spread to 20 countries across the Americas. As of February 3rd, 35 cases of Zika have been reported in the U.S., all of which have been associated with international travel.

11 Feb 2016

UW-Madison research team starts work on Zika virus infection

In October, when David O'Connor last visited Brazil as part of a decade-long research program studying drug-resistant strains of HIV, one of his Brazilian collaborators had a request.

11 Feb 2016

Study sheds light on mechanisms linked to formation of healthy egg cells in humans

Congenital disorders such as Down's syndrome could be better understood, following new insights into how healthy cells are formed.

3 Feb 2016

Researchers demonstrate new way to reduce preterm birth using nanoparticles

Using nanoparticles to engineer a special drug, a team of researchers has demonstrated in mice a new way to both reduce preterm birth and avoid the risks of medication in pregnancy to unborn babies.

2 Feb 2016

New NYUCD study explores how gene expression initiated in notochord

A new study by basic science researchers in the Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology at New York University College of Dentistry sought to understand how gene expression is initiated in the notochord, the evolutionary and developmental precursor of the backbone.

29 Jan 2016

Zika virus expected to spread across the U.S., says WHO

On Monday (Jan. 25, 2016), the World Health Organization announced that Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that in the past year has swept quickly throughout equatorial countries, is expected to spread across the Americas and into the United States.

27 Jan 2016

Facts associated with Zika virus

As the Zika virus captures headlines across the United States, with its possible link to birth defects and the first cases reported in the U.S. (all traced back to overseas travel), it's an opportune time to review the facts associated with this disease.

22 Jan 2016

A Thai man with Zika virus has been hospitalized in Taiwan

A man from Thailand has been hospitalized in Taiwan after having arrived there infected with Zika virus, an agent thought to be associated with brain-damaging birth defects in infants.

21 Jan 2016