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Researchers discover new way to force cancer cells to self-destruct

Researchers at The Wistar Institute have found a new way to force cancer cells to self-destruct. Low doses of one anti-cancer drug currently in development, called Gamitrinib, sensitize tumor cells to a second drug, called TRAIL, also currently in clinical development as part of an anticancer regimen.

20 Apr 2011

New method allows single microchip to screen tens of thousands of genes simultaneously

RNA interference technology, which is used in cell biology, has revolutionised functional research of the gene products in the last ten years. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a method which allows a single microchip to be used to screen the functions of tens of thousands of genes simultaneously by means of RNA interference.

20 Apr 2011

Squamous cell cancers can originate from hair follicle stem cells, finds study

Squamous cell cancers, which can occur in multiple organs in the body, can originate from hair follicle stem cells, a finding that could result in new strategies to treat and potentially prevent the disease, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.

20 Apr 2011

RCSI conducts study to examine psychiatric disorders in people with epilepsy

Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, have conducted the first study of its kind to examine in detail, the basis of psychiatric disorders which occur in people with epilepsy.

20 Apr 2011

Swinburne University of Technology acquires Elekta's Neuromag TRIUX MEG system

Certain brain processes happen in the blink of an eye – and even faster – which has made pinpointing these events virtually impossible. The advent of magnetoencephalography (MEG) changed all that, enabling researchers to capture brain electrical activity measured in milliseconds, and offering the potential to reveal the nature of innumerable brain disorders and diseases.

From Elekta 20 Apr 2011

Hypothalamus plays a key role in obesity and type 2 diabetes

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20 Apr 2011

Combination therapy restores skilled use of limb in rodent model

After the acute treatment window closes, the only effective treatment for stroke is physical/occupational therapy. Now scientists from Children's Hospital Boston report a two-pronged molecular therapy that leads to significant recovery of skilled motor function in a rat model of stroke.

20 Apr 2011

Alnylam, Precision NanoSystems enter collaboration for discovery of novel small lipid nanoparticles

Precision NanoSystems, Inc. and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the two companies have formed an exclusive collaboration focused on the discovery and development of novel lipid nanoparticles, known as small lipid nanoparticles ("sLNPs"), using microfluidics technology.

From Precision NanoSystems Inc. 20 Apr 2011

Researchers deploy new tool in study of tubulin tyrosine ligase in tumor growth

Many of the newest weapons in the war on cancer come in the form of personalized therapies that can target specific changes in an individual's tumor. By disrupting molecular processes in tumor cells, these drugs can keep the tumor from growing and spreading. At the forefront of this work are Binghamton University researchers, Susan Bane, and Susannah Gal, who are deploying a new tool in their study of an enzyme called tubulin tyrosine ligase, or TTL.

20 Apr 2011

Flexibility of the brain can predict learning capability

An international team of scientists has developed a way to predict how much a person can learn, based on studies at UC Santa Barbara's Brain Imaging Center.

20 Apr 2011

Why we 'lust for blood'

We are fascinated with the lurid details of sensational murder trials. Horror fiction and slasher movies thrill us-the gorier the better. When we drive by the scene of an accident, we're compelled to slow down. And it's no secret that brutal video games are solid moneymakers. Why do we thirst for the frighteningly grotesque? In The "LUST FOR BLOOD: WHY WE ARE FASCINATED BY DEATH, MURDER, HORROR, AND VIOLENCE" veteran psychologist Jeffrey A. Kottler explains our dark desire for guts, gore, and the gruesome.

20 Apr 2011

Chronic inflammation due to infection may lead to cancer

A new study shows how inflammation can help cause cancer. Chronic inflammation due to infection or to conditions such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease is associated with up to 25 percent of all cancers.

20 Apr 2011

Antibodies to non-human sugar molecule may be useful for early detection of cancer

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say antibodies to a non-human sugar molecule commonly found in people may be useful as a future biomarker for predicting cancer risk, for diagnosing cancer cases early and, in sufficient concentration, used as a treatment for suppressing tumor growth.

20 Apr 2011

Tissue Genesis commences PVD clinical trials with adipose-derived adult stem cell-coated vascular grafts

Tissue Genesis, Inc., an emerging leader in adult stem cell and regenerative medicine, announced today that it has begun clinical trials for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) with adipose (fat) derived adult stem cell-coated vascular grafts at the University of Louisville Hospital. Tissue Genesis is the first to initiate a FDA-approved trial using the patient's own adipose-derived adult stem cells (ASCs) prepared at the point-of-care.

20 Apr 2011

OSU biophysicist leverages computer cluster to develop drug to block small protein molecule IL-6

An Ohio State biophysicist used a supercomputer to search thousands of molecular combinations for the best configuration to block a protein that can cause breast or prostate cancer.

20 Apr 2011

Plant hormone auxin acts as a signalling molecule in embryo development

During the development of organisms, a particular event repeatedly occurs: a signal appears temporarily, but the processes it triggers must be maintained - for example, when the fate of cells in the embryo is established.

20 Apr 2011

Breakdown products of thalidomide cause birth defects: New study

Thalidomide may have been withdrawn in the early 1960s for use by pregnant women, but its dramatic effects remain memorable half a century later. Now, researchers have taken a major step toward understanding exactly how thalidomide causes the birth defects.

20 Apr 2011

Cord blood units treated with signaling molecule show favorable safety profile in long-term animal studies

An innovative experimental treatment for boosting the effectiveness of stem-cell transplants with umbilical cord blood has a favorable safety profile in long-term animal studies, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Children's Hospital Boston.

20 Apr 2011

A cluttered brain doesn't remember

Lapses in memory occur more frequently with age, yet the reasons for this increasing forgetfulness have not always been clear. According to new research from Concordia University, older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks.

20 Apr 2011

Study finds abnormal fetal circulation as a risk factor for fetal thrombotic vasculopathy

Examination of the placenta can offer answers to the questions that arise following an adverse perinatal outcome, such as stillbirth or intrauterine growth restriction. A placental lesion known as fetal thrombotic vasculopathy (FTV) has been associated with a number of adverse outcomes. By studying placentas with this lesion, researchers hope to determine the risks of such serious complications that affect fetuses and newborns.

19 Apr 2011