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Zebrafish-yeast approach for studying copper deficiency, complex multifactorial diseases

Copper deficiency diseases can be devastating. Symptoms can range from crippling neurological degeneration in Menkes disease ,a classic copper deficiency disease to brittle bones, anaemia and defective skin pigmentation in gastric bypass patients. Unfortunately, very little is known about how the body uses this essential nutrient. Knowing that melanocytes (the cells that give rise to hair, skin and eye pigmentation) are dramatically affected by the effects of copper deficiency, Elizabeth Patton from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and other colleagues from UK and US based labs decided to find out how melanocytes metabolise copper.

17 Aug 2010

Ancient discovery holds key to joint tissue regeneration

Osteoarthritis is a crippling disease worldwide, with an estimated eight million sufferers in the UK alone. It has been described as like "wearing a suit of rusty armour," with unrelenting, razor-like pain.

17 Aug 2010

Human induced pluripotent stem cells help to treat Parkinson’s disease: Research

Researchers at the Buck Institute for Age Research have successfully used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat rodents afflicted with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The research, which validates a scalable protocol that the same group had previously developed, can be used to manufacture the type of neurons needed to treat the disease and paves the way for the use of iPSC's in various biomedical applications. Results of the research, from the laboratory of Buck faculty Xianmin Zeng, Ph.D., are published August 16, 2010 in the on-line edition of the journal Stem Cells.

17 Aug 2010

Scientists create nanoscale coating to eradicate methicillin resistant bacteria

Building on an enzyme found in nature, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created a nanoscale coating for surgical equipment, hospital walls, and other surfaces which safely eradicates methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the bacteria responsible for antibiotic resistant infections.

17 Aug 2010

Key scientific work in Cardio3 BioSciences' C-Cure stem cell heart failure treatment published in JACC

Cardio3 BioSciences, a leading Belgian biotechnology company specialising in regenerative therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, today announces that the key scientific work underlying its lead pharmaceutical product C-Cure(R), a revolutionary stem cell treatment for heart failure, has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). The findings were described as "landmark work" in the accompanying editorial in today's publication.

17 Aug 2010

New DNA sequencing method can lead to effective individualized medicine

In experiments with potentially broad health care implications, a research team led by a University of Washington physicist has devised a method that works at a very small scale to sequence DNA quickly and relatively inexpensively.That could open the door for more effective individualized medicine, for example providing blueprints of genetic predispositions for specific conditions and diseases such as cancer, diabetes or addiction.

17 Aug 2010

JDRF announces key step on road to artificial pancreas

JDRF announced today another important step on the road to the development of an artificial pancreas - an automated system to better manage the blood sugar of people with type 1 diabetes - with the establishment of a research program to speed the development of faster-acting insulin.

17 Aug 2010

BAC, Octapharma enter licence agreement for G-CSF CaptureSelect custom affinity ligand

BAC BV, the leading provider of antibody-based affinity purification technology, today announced that it has entered into a licence agreement with Octapharma (Lachen, Switzerland), an independent, global provider of human proteins for life-threatening diseases.

17 Aug 2010

Scientists experiment with three proteins that impact preadipocytes contribute to fat cell determination

Just what causes the birth of a human fat cell is a mystery, but scientists using mathematics to tackle the question have come up with a few predictions about the proteins that influence this process.The research is intended to increase understanding of how and why preadipocytes, or pre-fat cells, either lie dormant, copy themselves or turn into fat. But the findings eventually could lead to a way to freeze these early cells in their current state before they can ever become the basis of fat tissue, according to Ohio State University researchers.

17 Aug 2010

Psychological stress in middle age increases risk of dementia later in life

Psychological stress in middle age could lead to the development of dementia later in life, especially Alzheimer's disease, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Based on data from a study which followed women for 35 years, this is the first research in Sweden to indicate a link between stress and dementia.

17 Aug 2010

Human adult stem cells can regenerate damaged heart tissue: Research

Mayo Clinic investigators, with Belgian collaborators, have demonstrated that rationally "guided" human adult stem cells can effectively heal, repair and regenerate damaged heart tissue. The findings called "landmark work" in an accompanying editorial appear in today's Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

17 Aug 2010

Experimental drug benefits women with advanced ovarian or breast tumours caused by BRCA gene faults

An experimental drug called olaparib has been shown to shrink tumours in women whose advanced cancers were caused by faults in their BRCA genes.

17 Aug 2010

Scientists identify possible therapeutic strategy for reducing leukemia risk from chemotherapy

A UCSF-led team has discovered at least one key reason why blood stem cells are susceptible to developing the genetic mutations that can lead to adult leukemia. Their finding also may explain, they say, why some other age-related hematological disorders develop.The study, reported in "Cell Stem Cell" and reviewed in Cell Stem Cell and Cell, opens a new frontier for studying the molecular underpinnings of adult leukemia.

17 Aug 2010

Researchers visualize ruptures of atherosclerotic plaques with multi-color CT and gold nanoparticles

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time developed a way to visualize coronary artery plaques vulnerable to rupture using multi-color computed tomography (CT), an innovation that will lead to better and earlier diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. The data are published in the September issue of Radiology.

17 Aug 2010

Study finds abnormal expression of miRNAs can contribute to human diseases

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center have identified an RNA sequence that promotes increased numbers of specific microRNAs (miRNAs), molecules that regulate cell growth, development, and stress response. The discovery helps researchers understand the links between miRNA expression and disease, including heart disease and cancer. The findings are published in the August 13 issue of Molecular Cell.

17 Aug 2010

Scientists find epigenetic landscape map for tissue differentiation

Having charted the occurrence of a common chemical change that takes place while stem cells decide their fates and progress from precursor to progeny, a Johns Hopkins-led team of scientists has produced the first-ever epigenetic landscape map for tissue differentiation.The details of this collaborative study between Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Harvard appear August 15 in the early online publication of Nature.

17 Aug 2010

High exposure to estrogens may cause gall bladder cancer: Research

A very aggressive disease with a poor prognosis, gallbladder cancer may be connected to higher exposure to estrogens, according to a group of researchers at the University of Houston (UH). Dr. Jan--ke Gustafsson, Robert A. Welch Professor in UH's biology and biochemistry department, described his team's findings in a paper titled "Estrogen-dependent gallbladder carcinogenesis in LXRβ-/- female mice" appearing in a recent issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific serials.

17 Aug 2010

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls.

17 Aug 2010

SIK2 impacts cell division cycle, regulates ovarian cancer response to chemotherapy: Research

For the first time, Salt Inducible Kinase 2 (SIK2) has been found to play a critical role in cell division and to regulate the response of some ovarian cancers to chemotherapy.Findings were reported by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the August issue of Cancer Cell. The study adds to growing evidence that combination therapies targeting different phases of the cell division cycle are vital for optimal cancer treatment.

17 Aug 2010

Researchers find link between chronic inflammation and cancer

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers have uncovered a new link between chronic inflammation and cancer. Although cancers do not always cause inflammation, chronic inflammation is known to help tumor cells grow.

17 Aug 2010

Medical Science News

Zebrafish-yeast approach for studying copper deficiency, complex multifactorial diseases

Ancient discovery holds key to joint tissue regeneration

Human induced pluripotent stem cells help to treat Parkinson’s disease: Research

Scientists create nanoscale coating to eradicate methicillin resistant bacteria

Key scientific work in Cardio3 BioSciences' C-Cure stem cell heart failure treatment published in JACC

New DNA sequencing method can lead to effective individualized medicine

JDRF announces key step on road to artificial pancreas

BAC, Octapharma enter licence agreement for G-CSF CaptureSelect custom affinity ligand

Scientists experiment with three proteins that impact preadipocytes contribute to fat cell determination

Psychological stress in middle age increases risk of dementia later in life

Human adult stem cells can regenerate damaged heart tissue: Research

Experimental drug benefits women with advanced ovarian or breast tumours caused by BRCA gene faults

Scientists identify possible therapeutic strategy for reducing leukemia risk from chemotherapy

Researchers visualize ruptures of atherosclerotic plaques with multi-color CT and gold nanoparticles

Study finds abnormal expression of miRNAs can contribute to human diseases

Scientists find epigenetic landscape map for tissue differentiation

High exposure to estrogens may cause gall bladder cancer: Research

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

SIK2 impacts cell division cycle, regulates ovarian cancer response to chemotherapy: Research

Researchers find link between chronic inflammation and cancer

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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