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Sigma 1 receptor appears to play vital role in supporting the retina

A receptor that is already a target for treating neurodegenerative disease also appears to play a key role in supporting the retina, scientists report.

11 Aug 2015

New technology advances genome engineering

In his mind, Basil Hubbard can already picture a new world of therapeutic treatments for millions of patients just over the horizon. It's a future in which diseases like muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and many others are treated permanently through the science of genome engineering.

11 Aug 2015

UBC researchers identify gene that could be important cause of obesity

Scientists at the University of British Columbia have discovered a gene that could be an important cause of obesity.

11 Aug 2015

CSN6 protein linked to poor survival among patients with colorectal cancer

A protein called CSN6 has been found to be correlated with poor survival among patients with colorectal cancer, according to a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Aug 2015

Researchers report role of two gene-regulating molecules in Parkinson's disease

As Parkinson's disease progresses in patients, a puzzling dichotomy plays out in their brains. One set of neurons degenerates, while a similar population nearby is spared the same degree of damage. Why the difference? An answer to this question could clear the way for preventions and treatments for this disease, which impairs movement.

11 Aug 2015

Researchers create new cell screening method for immunotherapy cancer treatments

Researchers have created a new method for screening cells used in immunotherapy cancer treatments, allowing high-performing immune system cells to be studied in isolation and potentially expanding the number of patients for whom the breakthrough treatment proves successful.

11 Aug 2015

PrediXcan method improves detection of genes linked to complex diseases, biological traits of interest

A new computational method developed by scientists from the University of Chicago improves the detection of genes that are likely to be causal for complex diseases and biological traits. The method, PrediXcan, estimates gene expression levels across the whole genome - a better measure of biological action than single mutations - and integrates it with genome-wide association study (GWAS) data.

11 Aug 2015

Study reveals that miR-7 suppresses gastric cancer by inhibiting key signaling pathway

A study in The Journal of Cell Biology reveals that the microRNA miR-7 suppresses gastric (stomach) cancer by inhibiting a key signaling pathway, and that this protective mechanism is compromised by the cancer-causing bacterium H. pylori. Finding drugs capable of inducing miR-7 could therefore prove to be an effective treatment against the progression of gastric cancer.

11 Aug 2015

Researchers identify first gene that causes common form of mitral valve prolapse

An international research collaboration led by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has identified the first gene in which mutations cause the common form of mitral valve prolapse (MVP), a heart valve disorder that affects almost 2.5 percent of the population.

11 Aug 2015

CRI to honor three scientists for contributions to immunology and cancer immunotherapy research

The Cancer Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fueling the discovery and development of immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, will bestow its highest honors on three scientists who have made fundamental contributions to the fields of immunology and cancer immunotherapy.

10 Aug 2015

TSRI study explores bacterial enzyme that may help people to quit smoking

A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute explores a bacterial enzyme that might be used as a drug candidate to help people quit smoking.

7 Aug 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers discover role of TDP-43 protein in autopsy brain cells of patients with ALS

Autopsies of nearly every patient with the lethal neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and many with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), show pathologists telltale clumps of a protein called TDP-43. Now, working with mouse and human cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have discovered the normal role of TDP-43 in cells and why its abnormal accumulation may cause disease.

7 Aug 2015

Study: Dietary carbohydrate essential for evolution of modern big-brained humans

Understanding how and why we evolved such large brains is one of the most puzzling issues in the study of human evolution. It is widely accepted that brain size increase is partly linked to changes in diet over the last 3 million years, and increases in meat consumption and the development of cooking have received particular attention from the scientific community.

7 Aug 2015

Scientists publish new important clues about marrow fat

While most of us worry about the fat cells building up on the fleshy parts of our bodies, scientists have started to pay serious attention to another kind of fat cell deep inside our bones, in what's called the marrow.

7 Aug 2015

Researchers identify genome-organizing mechanism that transmits vital genetic materials during mitosis

Chromosomes are responsible for carrying our genes and essentially protecting the information that helps ensure normal, healthy growth, with vital instructions being passed on from cell to cell by a process known as mitosis. While this copying mechanism has been well understood for decades, scientists have been unable to describe exactly how genetic information is protected and properly segregated as mitosis is happening.

7 Aug 2015

Researcher reveals link between inflammatory response of neutrophils and spread of oral cancer

An abnormal immune response or "feedback loop" could very well be the underlying cause of metastases in oral cancers, according to Dr. Marco Magalhaes, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry and lead researcher in a study published in the journal Cancer Immunology Research.

7 Aug 2015

Study may lead to effective antimicrobial treatment strategies for people with uncontrolled diabetes

Case Western Reserve scientists may have uncovered a molecular mechanism that sets into motion dangerous infection in the feet and hands often occurring with uncontrolled diabetes. It appears that high blood sugar unleashes destructive molecules that interfere with the body's natural infection-control defenses.

7 Aug 2015

UNC researchers show how a genetic mutation disables molecular switch and causes autism

Last December, researchers identified more than 1,000 gene mutations in individuals with autism, but how these mutations increased risk for autism was unclear. Now, UNC School of Medicine researchers are the first to show how one of these mutations disables a molecular switch in one of these genes and causes autism.

7 Aug 2015

BIDMC scientists discover new vitamin B3 pathway that regulates liver metabolism

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have identified a new vitamin B3 pathway that regulates liver metabolism. The discovery provides an opportunity to pursue the development of novel drug therapies to address obesity, type 2 diabetes and related metabolic diseases.

7 Aug 2015

Experimental Ebola virus vaccine protects cynomolgus macaques against current EBOV outbreak strain

National Institutes of Health scientists report that a single dose of an experimental Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine completely protects cynomolgus macaques against the current EBOV outbreak strain, EBOV-Makona, when given at least seven days before exposure, and partially protects them if given three days prior.

7 Aug 2015

Medical Science News

Sigma 1 receptor appears to play vital role in supporting the retina

New technology advances genome engineering

UBC researchers identify gene that could be important cause of obesity

CSN6 protein linked to poor survival among patients with colorectal cancer

Researchers report role of two gene-regulating molecules in Parkinson's disease

Researchers create new cell screening method for immunotherapy cancer treatments

PrediXcan method improves detection of genes linked to complex diseases, biological traits of interest

Study reveals that miR-7 suppresses gastric cancer by inhibiting key signaling pathway

Researchers identify first gene that causes common form of mitral valve prolapse

CRI to honor three scientists for contributions to immunology and cancer immunotherapy research

TSRI study explores bacterial enzyme that may help people to quit smoking

Johns Hopkins researchers discover role of TDP-43 protein in autopsy brain cells of patients with ALS

Study: Dietary carbohydrate essential for evolution of modern big-brained humans

Scientists publish new important clues about marrow fat

Researchers identify genome-organizing mechanism that transmits vital genetic materials during mitosis

Researcher reveals link between inflammatory response of neutrophils and spread of oral cancer

Study may lead to effective antimicrobial treatment strategies for people with uncontrolled diabetes

UNC researchers show how a genetic mutation disables molecular switch and causes autism

BIDMC scientists discover new vitamin B3 pathway that regulates liver metabolism

Experimental Ebola virus vaccine protects cynomolgus macaques against current EBOV outbreak strain

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

The evolution of OCT for retinal imaging and disease intervention

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