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Fraunhofer FIT develops new Zeta software for cell division analysis

At the European Lab Automation Congress, held in Hamburg on June 6 and 7, Fraunhofer FIT demonstrates the new Zeta software for cell division analysis, which we developed for the Bayer Pharma AG. In the quest for new cancer drugs, this software supports the full workflow from cell detection to visualization and exploration.

24 May 2013

Study finds differences in the brains of patients suffering from psychiatric diseases

Studying the networks of connections in the brains of people affected by schizophrenia, bipolar disease or depression has allowed Dr. Peter Williamson, from Western University, to gain a better understanding of the biological basis of these important diseases.

24 May 2013

New technique may help develop genetic thermometer to assess patients’ health

On May 22, JoVE will publish details of a technique to measure the health of human genetic material in relation to a patient-s age. The method is demonstrated by the laboratory of Dr. Gil Atzmon at New York-s Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

24 May 2013

Research findings may offer new hope to stroke victims

A study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital found "substantial evidence" that a regenerative process involving damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord could hold the key to better functional recovery by most stroke victims.

24 May 2013

Study suggests possible way to halt cancer development in premalignant cells

Scientists have uncovered a survival mechanism that occurs in breast cells that have just turned premalignant-cells on the cusp between normalcy and cancers-which may lead to new methods of stopping tumors.

24 May 2013

Scientists develop new device to test the effects of drugs

Scientists from the University of Southampton have developed a device which records the brain activity of worms to help test the effects of drugs.

24 May 2013

TSRI scientists devise new technique to find therapeutic antibodies

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have devised a powerful new technique for finding antibodies that have a desired biological effect. Antibodies, which can bind to billions of distinct targets, are already used in many of the world's best-selling medicines, diagnostics and laboratory reagents.

24 May 2013

Potential new treatment approaches for liver diseases

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

24 May 2013

New research identifies mechanism to make cancer cells respond to chemotherapy

Breast cancer characterized as "triple negative" carries a poor prognosis, with limited treatment options. In some cases, chemotherapy doesn't kill the cancer cells the way it's supposed to. New research from Western University explains why some cancer cells don't respond to chemotherapy, and identifies a mechanism to rectify that.

24 May 2013

Bochum's medics use autologous cord blood to treat infantile cerebral palsy

Bochum's medics have succeeded in treating cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood. Following a cardiac arrest with severe brain damage, a 2.5 year old boy had been in a persistent vegetative state - with minimal chances of survival. Just two months after treatment with the cord blood containing stem cells, the symptoms improved significantly; over the following months, the child learned to speak simple sentences and to move.

24 May 2013

Researchers reveal new insights about the process of axon amputation

As the human body fine-tunes its neurological wiring, nerve cells often must fix a faulty connection by amputating an axon - the "business end" of the neuron that sends electrical impulses to tissues or other neurons. It is a dance with death, however, because the molecular poison the neuron deploys to sever an axon could, if uncontained, kill the entire cell.

24 May 2013

New nano-sized needle can help study the effects of medicines on cells

Nano-sized needles developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim can force medicine into cells, even when the cell membranes offer resistance. The needles will make it easier to study the effects of medicines on cells.

24 May 2013

Findings highlight importance of IL-21 in the development of antiviral vaccines

Scientists at Emory Vaccine Center have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections.

24 May 2013

Researchers recommend that bexarotene should not be tested on Alzheimer's patients

Approximately a year ago, the leading journal Science published an article about bexarotene as a potential Alzheimer's drug. A significant breakthrough and an important starting point for further Alzheimer's research.

24 May 2013

EGFR gums up cell's miRNA-processing machinery under oxygen starvation conditions

Even while being dragged to its destruction inside a cell, a cancer-promoting growth factor receptor fires away, sending signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs before it's dissolved, researchers reported in an early online publication at Nature.

24 May 2013

New approach to genetic engineering reduces time and effort needed to insert genes into bacteria

A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting.

24 May 2013

Promising approach to prevent emergence of drug-resistant forms of cancer

Re-routing anti-cancer drugs to the "power plants" that make energy to keep cells alive is a promising but long-neglected approach to preventing emergence of the drug-resistant forms of cancer - source of a serious medical problem, scientists are reporting.

24 May 2013