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New algebraic model of DNA hybridization to measure cellular behavior

Researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences have developed a novel algebraic model of DNA "hybridization," a process central to most biotechnology devices that monitor changes in cell's gene expression or characterize a cell's genome.

2 Nov 2010

New wiring diagram shows how brain organizes information

University of Utah (U of U) medical researchers have uncovered a wiring diagram that shows how the brain pays attention to visual, cognitive, sensory, and motor cues. The research provides a critical foundation for the study of abnormalities in attention that can be seen in many brain disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder.

2 Nov 2010

Researchers explain how adiponectin prevents stress-induced damage in heart

One of the many advantages of maintaining a normal body weight is having healthy fat, which in turn supports a healthy heart. Fat tissue is increasingly seen as more than just a storage depot - it's also an active secretory organ that normally produces high levels of a cardioprotective hormone called adiponectin. How adiponectin protects the hearts of healthy people has long been a mystery, and now a team led by Barbara Ranscht, Ph.D. and Pilar Ruiz-Lozano, Ph.D. at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) reveals that the protein T-cadherin is the receptor that anchors adiponectin to heart cells.

2 Nov 2010

New targeted therapy shows positive results in patients with lung cancer

A UC Irvine oncologist's work with a targeted therapy is showing great promise in patients with a deadly form of lung cancer. The results were published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Nov 2010

Eye transformer impacts JAK/STAT-signaling pathway response with microbial challenge

Scientists are keeping their eye on a new discovery published in the November 2011 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) that explains what causes some genes to go out of control. Scientists have identified a "cellular switch," called eye transformer, that controls the flow of information from chemical signals outside of the cell to genes in the cell nucleus.

2 Nov 2010

Effective treatment for brain cancer in daffodils

When looking for new ways to treat aggressive brain cancers, an international team of scientists turned a new leaf and "discovered" the lowly daffodil. A new research study published in the November 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) offers hope that a natural compound found in daffodil bulbs, called narciclasine, may be a powerful therapeutic against biologically aggressive forms of human brain cancers.

2 Nov 2010

SRA receives five-year contract to support NTP, NIEHS programmatic initiatives

SRA International, Inc., a leading provider of technology, research, and strategic consulting services and solutions to government organizations and commercial clients, today announced that the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded the company a contract for up to five years to provide statistical, mathematical, bioinformatic, and computational expertise and support for the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and other NIEHS programmatic initiatives. The contract has a potential total dollar value of $15.5 million.

2 Nov 2010

NSAIDs drugs prevent colon cancer: Research

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) prevent colon cancer by triggering diseased stem cells to self-destruct, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

2 Nov 2010

PITs compounds induce cell death and limit tumor growth

A class of compounds that interferes with cell signaling pathways may provide a new approach to cancer treatment, according to a study published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Early Edition. The compounds, called PITs (non-phosphoinositide PIP3 inhibitors), limited tumor growth in mice by inducing cell death.

2 Nov 2010

Einstein College's new website features latest information on aging research

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has launched SuperAgers.com, a new website that features the latest information on more than a decade of aging research at Einstein.

2 Nov 2010

Research on AID enzyme could improve therapy for lymphoma, leukemia

A recent scientific discovery made by researchers at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM) led by Dr. Javier Marcelo Di Noia, Director of the Mechanisms and Genetic Diversity research unit, was published online today by The Journal of Experimental Medicine. The team identified a mechanism regulating activation-induced deaminase (AID), which could be important for the therapy of some types of lymphoma and leukemia.

2 Nov 2010

BioCancell's Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BC-819 shows positive result for pancreatic cancer

BioCancell, a developer of anti-cancer drugs, announced success in attaining the goals of its Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BC-819 as a treatment for pancreatic cancer, which demonstrated an excellent safety profile and preliminary efficacy.

2 Nov 2010

Arrayit sells third advanced microarray manufacturing system to UT Southwestern

Arrayit Corporation announced today that it has sold a third advanced microarray manufacturing system to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. The NanoPrint LM60 Microarrayer equipped with Arrayit's Patented Microarray Manufacturing Technology (US Patent 6,101,946) is a computer-driven robotic microarray manufacturing system that enables the screening of 1.5 million lead therapeutic compounds per run, and the NanoPrint LM210 enables more than 5 million.

2 Nov 2010

Novel technology using quantum dots increases drug uptake in lung injury

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a novel technology using quantum dots that is expected to have major implications for research and treatment of tuberculosis, as well as other inflammatory lung diseases.

2 Nov 2010

New microfluidic in vitro kinase radioassay improves efficiency to detect cancer growth

Inappropriate growth and survival signaling, which leads to the aberrant growth of cancer cells, is a driving force behind tumors. Much of current cancer research focuses on the kinase enzymes whose mutations are responsible for such disregulated signaling, and many successful molecularly targeted anti-cancer therapeutics are directed at inhibiting kinase activity.

2 Nov 2010

Study finds increasing dosage of blood thinners can help cardiovascular disease patients with genetic defect

Cardiovascular disease patients who have a genetic defect that makes them less responsive to blood thinners may be helped with an increased dosage, according to results of an innovative pilot study led by a cardiologist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

2 Nov 2010

Arthritis drugs also prevent post-operative cognitive decline: Study

Anti-inflammatory drugs currently used to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis may also help prevent cognitive problems after surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Imperial College London and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

2 Nov 2010

Researchers investigate Human-cl rhFVIII factor for severe hemophilia A treatment

Octapharma AG, one of the largest human protein products manufacturers in the world, and Octapharma USA today announced that patients diagnosed with severe hemophilia A have started treatment in a multi-center study that is researching the use of the first recombinant Factor VIII (rFVIII) derived from a human cell line (Human-cl rhFVIII).

2 Nov 2010

Rubicon's PicoPlex kits provide DNA methylation profiling using next-generation sequencing

Rubicon Genomics today reported data demonstrating that its PicoPlex kits currently marketed for the analysis of single cells for research and diagnostic applications also provide important advantages for genetic and epigenetic profiling using next-generation sequencing (NGS).

2 Nov 2010

X-BODY receives research grant for therapeutic project against metastatic tumor stem cells

X-BODY BioSciences, a developer of human monoclonal antibody therapeutics, today announced it has been awarded a research grant under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 for its human monoclonal antibody therapeutic project targeting metastatic tumor stem cells.

2 Nov 2010