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Narcolepsy bears trademarks of classic autoimmune disorder

Narcoleptics suffer from bouts of sleepiness and sleep attacks, which impair their ability to function in daily life. But the precise cause of narcolepsy has long eluded scientists, and the cure for the devastating neurological disorder afflicting an estimated three million people worldwide -- and one in 3,000 Americans -- remains at bay.

10 Mar 2015

Imperial scientists develop new test that uses human stem cells to predict side effects of drugs

Scientists at Imperial College London have developed a test that uses combinations of cells from a single donor's blood to predict whether a new drug will cause a severe immune reaction in humans.

10 Mar 2015

Naturally-occurring protein in the brain can curb binge alcohol drinking

A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers has found that a naturally-occurring protein in the brain can act to suppress binge alcohol drinking, a major public health problem estimated to cost the U.S. more than $170 billion each year.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers take images of tiny molecular machine that bacteria use to infect host cells

Armed with a microscope capable of zooming in on organisms measured in billionths of a meter, scientists report they are the first to observe one of the tiny molecular machines that bacteria use to infect host cells. Findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers use stem cells from sickle cell disease patients to grow mature red blood cells

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have successfully corrected a genetic error in stem cells from patients with sickle cell disease, and then used those cells to grow mature red blood cells, they report. The study represents an important step toward more effectively treating certain patients with sickle cell disease who need frequent blood transfusions and currently have few options.

10 Mar 2015

Scientists find blood-based genomic biomarkers that could help identify young boys with ASD

In a study published in the current online issue of JAMA Psychiatry, an international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, report finding a highly accurate blood-based measure that could lead to development of a clinical test for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in males as young as one to two years old.

10 Mar 2015

CaptureSeq technology can accurately measure activity of genes

A new gene sequencing technology allows us to explore the human genome at a much higher resolution than ever before, with revolutionary implications for research and cancer diagnosis.

10 Mar 2015

Understanding genetic machinery that drives malignant pediatric adrenocortical tumors

In an advance that could lead to better identification of malignant pediatric adrenocortical tumors, and ultimately to better treatment, researchers have mapped the "genomic landscape" of these rare childhood tumors. Their genomic mapping has revealed unprecedented details, not only of the aberrant genetic and chromosomal changes that drive the cancer, but the sequence of those changes that trigger it.

10 Mar 2015

UC Irvine researchers discover inner mechanisms of jet lag

Long the stuff of science fiction, the disembodied "brain in a jar" is providing science fact for UC Irvine researchers, who by studying the whole brains of fruit flies are discovering the inner mechanisms of jet lag.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers locate, narrow down genes that play role in Type 1 diabetes

The genes that increase the risk of Type 1 diabetes have lost their hiding place.

10 Mar 2015

Blood group O provides protection against severe malaria

It has long been known that people with blood type O are protected from dying of severe malaria. In a study published in Nature Medicine, a team of Scandinavian scientists explains the mechanisms behind the protection that blood type O provides, and suggest that the selective pressure imposed by malaria may contribute to the variable global distribution of ABO blood groups in the human population.

10 Mar 2015

Whole genome sequencing may help identify disease risks

Using a small amount of blood or saliva, a technology called whole genome sequencing makes that possible - and more than half of parents said they'd not only be interested in the technology for themselves but for their children too, a new nationally-representative University of Michigan study shows.

10 Mar 2015

Snai1 protein plays major role in deciding fate of intestinal stem cells

An international group of researchers has shown that a regulatory protein involved in controlling how cancer spreads through the body also influences the fate of stem cells in the intestine of mice. The results, which are published in The EMBO Journal, show that the Snai1 protein plays an important role in deciding the fate of intestinal stem cells and the different functions that these cells can adopt.

10 Mar 2015

Traffic signal labels help consumers resist high-calorie foods

Should food products be labeled with traffic light symbols to make health-related information on ingredients easier to understand? This question has remained a subject of debate. Now researchers at the University of Bonn have reached the conclusion that the traffic light label is more effective in helping consumers resist high-calorie foods than a purely information-based label.

10 Mar 2015

The Brain Prize awarded to four scientists for development of two-photon microscopy

The world's most valuable (€1m) neuroscience prize, The Brain Prize has been awarded, to four scientists, Winfried Denk and Arthur Konnerth (Germany), and Karel Svoboda and David Tank (USA), for the invention and development of two-photon microscopy, a transformative tool in brain research.

9 Mar 2015

Loyola's Genomics Facility uses next generation sequencing to study genetic make-up of organisms

Loyola University Chicago's Genomics Facility is using an advanced technology called next generation sequencing to assist a broad range of researchers studying the genetic make-up of organisms ranging from viruses to humans.

9 Mar 2015

BPA exposure may cause tooth enamel abnormality in children

A tooth enamel abnormality in children, molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH), may result from exposure to the industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA), authors of a new study conclude after finding similar damage to the dental enamel of rats that received BPA.

9 Mar 2015

Testosterone, estrogen raise men's risk of heart disease

Why men have more heart disease than premenopausal women has been unclear, but a new study shows that the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen alter cardiovascular risk factors in a way that raises a man's risk of heart disease.

9 Mar 2015

M-MDSCs may be effective in treating arthritis in humans

Using a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, scientists have discovered that a form of cellular immunotherapy by intravenous administration of monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, or M-MDSCs, might be an effective treatment for the disease in humans.

9 Mar 2015

IUPUI researchers awarded grant to study how brain's reward system is hijacked by alcohol

With the support of a $545,000 three-year grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, researchers from the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis are conducting research on how the brain's reward system -- the circuitry that helps regulate the body's ability to feel pleasure -- is hijacked by alcohol.

9 Mar 2015

Medical Science News

Narcolepsy bears trademarks of classic autoimmune disorder

Imperial scientists develop new test that uses human stem cells to predict side effects of drugs

Naturally-occurring protein in the brain can curb binge alcohol drinking

Researchers take images of tiny molecular machine that bacteria use to infect host cells

Researchers use stem cells from sickle cell disease patients to grow mature red blood cells

Scientists find blood-based genomic biomarkers that could help identify young boys with ASD

CaptureSeq technology can accurately measure activity of genes

Understanding genetic machinery that drives malignant pediatric adrenocortical tumors

UC Irvine researchers discover inner mechanisms of jet lag

Researchers locate, narrow down genes that play role in Type 1 diabetes

Blood group O provides protection against severe malaria

Whole genome sequencing may help identify disease risks

Snai1 protein plays major role in deciding fate of intestinal stem cells

Traffic signal labels help consumers resist high-calorie foods

The Brain Prize awarded to four scientists for development of two-photon microscopy

Loyola's Genomics Facility uses next generation sequencing to study genetic make-up of organisms

BPA exposure may cause tooth enamel abnormality in children

Testosterone, estrogen raise men's risk of heart disease

M-MDSCs may be effective in treating arthritis in humans

IUPUI researchers awarded grant to study how brain's reward system is hijacked by alcohol

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This International Women’s Day, Meet the Scientist Changing Women’s Healthcare

Microphysiological systems in drug discovery

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