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Study sheds light on how vitamin A contributes to immune responses in gastrointestinal tract

Although it has been known for some time that vitamin A deficiency is linked with an impaired ability to resist infections, exactly how vitamin A and its metabolites contribute to the immune response is not well understood.

18 Mar 2011

BUSM scientists identify new biomarker and melanoma treatment target

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, have identified a potential new biomarker and therapeutic target for melanoma.

18 Mar 2011

New drug can aid in smoking reduction therapy

Researchers working in a research project within the Academy of Finland's Research Programme on Substance Use and Addictions have been developing a targeted drug that could aid in smoking reduction therapy. The new drug slows down the metabolism of nicotine, which would help smokers to cut down their smoking.

18 Mar 2011

Low calorie diet may delay or prevent aging and neurodegenerative diseases

Cells, which employ a process called autophagy to clean up and reuse protein debris leftover from biological processes, were the original recyclers. A team of scientists from Paul Greengard's Rockefeller University laboratory have linked a molecule that stimulates autophagy with the reduction of one of Alzheimer's disease's major hallmarks, amyloid peptide.

17 Mar 2011

How brain processes facial identity

It is no surprise to scientists that the largest social network on the web is called Facebook. Identifying people by their face is fundamental to our social interactions, one of the primary reasons vision researchers are trying to find out how our brain processes facial identity.

17 Mar 2011

Major breakthrough in thrombosis

Scientists from the University of Reading have announced a major breakthrough in understanding how to control blood clotting which could lead to the development of new treatments and save the lives of thousands of people each year.

17 Mar 2011

pIMAGO nanopolymer can test cancer drug efficacy against biochemical processes

A Purdue University scientist's nanopolymer would make it easier and cheaper for drug developers to test the effectiveness of a widely used class of cancer inhibitors.

17 Mar 2011

Beike, ThermoGenesis enter agreement to employ new technology for stem cell therapies

Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd., China's leading stem cell research and regenerative medicine company, announced an agreement with USA-based ThermoGenesis Corp. to employ new, cutting edge stem cell processing and storage technology across its adult stem cell collection, processing, and archive platform.

17 Mar 2011

Scientist suggests breaking tangled mucus barrier can help treat cancer

Measuring the mechanical strength of cancer cell mucus layers provides clues about better ways to treat cancer, and also suggests why some cancer cells are more resistant to drugs than others, according to Kai-tak Wan, associate professor of engineering at Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.

17 Mar 2011

Researchers update 'Hallmarks of Cancer' seminal review

Renowned cancer researchers Robert Weinberg, a Founding Member of Whitehead Institute, and Douglas Hanahan, Director of the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research have updated their seminal review, "Hallmarks of Cancer," which has influenced the study of cancer and the development of therapeutics for more than a decade.

17 Mar 2011

New video content about fungal cell biology

A recent special edition of the journal Fungal Biology Reviews, published by Elsevier, on behalf of the British Mycological Society, features a total of 76 videos which together comprise the most comprehensive collection of fungal cell biology movies ever published.

17 Mar 2011

Laser light can kill cancer cells by pumping drugs into them

Shining a laser light on cells and then clicking off the light makes the cells "breathe in" surrounding water, providing a potentially powerful delivery system for chemotherapy drugs, as well as a non-invasive way to target anti-Alzheimer's medicines to the brain. That's the conclusion of a report in ACS's The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

17 Mar 2011

Next-generation sequencing can improve infant microbiota

Sequencing technology has advanced significantly since the race to sequence the human genome first began. As part of the Teagasc Vision Programme a 'next generation sequencer', the only one of its kind in Ireland, was installed at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark.

17 Mar 2011

New lozenge clinical trial for dry mouth treatment

A clinical trial using an all-natural lozenge to treat dry mouth, a condition that impacts 40 percent of American adults, is under way at Georgia Health Sciences University College of Dental Medicine.

17 Mar 2011

Blind people's brains rewire part of mind associated with sight to process sound

Dr. Olivier Collignon of the University of Montreal's Saint-Justine Hospital Research Centre compared the brain activity of people who can see and people who were born blind, and discovered that the part of the brain that normally works with our eyes to process vision and space perception can actually rewire itself to process sound information instead.

17 Mar 2011

New study: Positive outcomes from gene therapy trial in patients with Parkinson's

A multi-center gene therapy trial for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease demonstrated reduced symptoms of the progressive movement disorder, according to a new study published in Lancet Neurology.

17 Mar 2011

Gene therapy holds promise for Parkinson's treatment

A first-of-its-kind study of gene therapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease determined that half of all patients who received the treatment had "clinically meaningful improvements" of their symptoms within six months of surgery.

17 Mar 2011

Personalized dendritic cell vaccine may increase median survival in mesenchymal glioblastoma patients

A dendritic cell vaccine personalized for each individual based on the patient's own tumor may increase median survival time in those with a deadly form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, an early phase study at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

17 Mar 2011

Bacteria more likely to adopt 'loner' genes

A new study of more than three dozen bacteria species - including the microbes responsible for pneumonia, meningitis, stomach ulcers and plague - settles a longstanding debate about why bacteria are more likely to steal some genes than others.

17 Mar 2011

Skyline Diagnostics launches unique test to detect patients with AML

Each year over eight million people die of cancer worldwide. Patients' chances of survival vary widely: depending on the type of cancer involved, the stage at which it is diagnosed and the speed with which appropriate treatment is launched.

17 Mar 2011