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VGTI, OHSU's new vaccine candidate may fight against HIV

Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute has developed a vaccine candidate in non-human primates that may eventually lead to a vaccine against Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

12 May 2011

New research sheds light on common pathogenic mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease

New research sheds light on common pathogenic mechanisms shared by Huntington's disease (HD) and HD-like disorders. The study, published by Cell Press in the May 12, 2011, issue of the journal Neuron, uses a new transgenic mouse model for an HD-like disorder to unravel complex molecular events that drive disease pathology.

12 May 2011

New genome-wide study identifies causes of serious childhood immune disorder

A new genomics study, led by the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, sets the stage for the first predictive diagnostic test in a serious immunodeficiency disease in children. If the disorder, common variable immunodeficiency disease, can be diagnosed early, children may receive life-saving treatments before the disease can progress.

12 May 2011

Researchers look for surrogate endpoints to predict early benefit of cancer drugs

Great hopes are always placed in new cancer therapies. However, whether new surgical techniques, drugs or radiation therapies actually prolong the life of cancer patients, or even cure them, can often only be reliably assessed after several years' of testing. Researchers are therefore looking for proxy markers that after initiation of cancer therapy can reliably predict as quickly as possible whether the treatment has a benefit.

12 May 2011

Two new research studies on schizophrenia

Two new research studies published in Biological Psychiatry point to progressive abnormalities in brain development that emerge as vulnerable individuals develop schizophrenia.

12 May 2011

BWH Karp Laboratory acquires BioFlux 1000 system for stem cell homing research

Fluxion Biosciences announced today that the Karp Laboratory at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has purchased the BioFlux 1000 system, which will be applied in their stem cell homing research.

From Fluxion Biosciences 12 May 2011

Healthy alternatives to vitamin D

The recent increase in recommended vitamin D intake from the Food and Nutrition Board may prompt some to seek more summer sun. But, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center say there's no safe amount of time people can stay in the sun without increasing skin cancer risks.

12 May 2011

iPSC-derived liver cells hold potential as alternative to liver transplants

Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated that human liver cells derived from adult cells coaxed into an embryonic state can engraft and begin regenerating liver tissue in mice with chronic liver damage.

12 May 2011

Reprogrammed herpes virus can improve early cancer diagnosis

Scientists have used a genetically re-engineered herpes virus that selectively hunts down and infects cancerous tumors and then delivers genetic material that prompts cancers to secrete a biomarker and reveal their presence.

12 May 2011

Neuroscientists document deliberate control of touch sensations in human working memory

Neuroscientists of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now been able for the first time to document deliberate control of touch sensations in human working memory. It has been shown that the human brain can remember several touch sensations at the same time and consciously retrieve the touch if concentration is focused on these touches.

12 May 2011

Liquid rice hull smoke could help fight diseases

Liquid smoke flavoring made from hickory and other wood - a mainstay flavoring and anti-bacterial agent for the prepared food industry and home kitchens - may get a competitor that seems to be packed with antioxidant, antiallergenic and anti-inflammatory substances, according to a new study in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. It is the first analysis of liquid smoke produced from rice hulls, the hard, inedible coverings of rice grains.

12 May 2011

Visual perception and attention can be changed by passive stimulation

What was previously known from animal studies has thus for the first time been demonstrated for human individuals too. "The findings open new perspectives in the intervention and treatment of visual perceptual disorders, because the changes can be induced quite simply" said Dr. Christian Beste of the RUB Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.

12 May 2011

Identigene announces availability of DNA paternity test kit in New York drug stores

Identigene today announced that the Identigene DNA Paternity Test Kit is now available in chain drug stores and independent pharmacies throughout the state of New York, expanding sales from 260 retail locations in the New York City area to more than 1,600 stores across the state.

11 May 2011

Common tiny tropical fish plays a key role in new model for Cushing disease

A common, tiny tropical fish plays a key role in a new model for Cushing disease, giving researchers a powerful tool to conduct extensive searches for effective treatments for this serious hormonal disorder, testing up to 300 drugs weekly.

11 May 2011

Research provides insight into brain reorganization following sensory loss

The part of the brain that uses hearing to determine sound location is reorganized in deaf animals to locate visual targets, according to a new study by a team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

11 May 2011

Insight into probiotic bacteria can help improve intestinal disease treatments

The gut may need bacteria to provide a little bit of oxidative stress to stay healthy, new research suggests. Probiotic bacteria promote healing of the intestinal lining in mice by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown.

11 May 2011

Study evaluates link between thyroid autoantibodies, miscarriage and preterm birth

GW Researcher Dr. Alex Stagnaro-Green, and colleagues, have contributed an editorial featured in the May 14 issue of the British Medical Journal reviewing a study that evaluated the relationship between thyroid autoantibodies and both miscarriage and preterm birth.

11 May 2011

Women with invasive breast cancer can benefit from new genomic test

A new genomic test combining multiple signatures - a patient's estrogen receptor status, endocrine therapy response, chemotherapy resistance and sensitivity - shows promise as a predictor of chemotherapy response and survival benefit in women with invasive breast cancer, according to research led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 May 2011

Novel ultrasound-targeted microbubble-destruction technology advances cure for prostate cancer

Cancer researchers are a step closer to finding a cure for advanced prostate cancer after effectively combining an anti-cancer drug with a viral gene therapy in vivo using novel ultrasound-targeted microbubble-destruction (UTMD) technology.

11 May 2011

Shanghai Zhabei Health Bureau, CWRU sign 10-year research deal to study Chinese lifestyle

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has signed an unprecedented 10-year research agreement with the Shanghai Zhabei District Health Bureau to study how an increasingly westernized diet and a less active lifestyle are affecting the health of China's residents.

11 May 2011