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Research on human disease origins to predict, prevent next outbreak

Most infectious diseases infect multiple host species, but to date, efforts to quantify the frequency and outcome of cross-species transmission (CST) of these diseases have been severely limited.This lack of information represents a major gap in knowledge of how diseases emerge, and from which species they will emerge.A paper published this week in the journal Science by a team of researchers led by Daniel Streicker of the University of Georgia has begun to close that gap.

6 Aug 2010

New laboratory to speed up research for melanoma treatment set up at University of Bristol

A new Skin Cancer Research Fund Laboratory has been set up in Bristol to study cancer cells collected from skin cancer patients attending Frenchay Hospital. It is hoped the new facility will speed up research into treatments for malignant melanoma - the most deadly form of skin cancer. The new laboratory at the Microvascular Research Laboratories at the University of Bristol will be officially opened today (Tuesday August 22nd) by the director of the Skin Cancer Research Fund, Mr Paul Townsend.

6 Aug 2010

German Virtual Liver Network aims to grasp whole organ and functions in computer model

The aim of this unique research consortium is to grasp the whole organ and its functions in a computer model

5 Aug 2010

Jagged2 gene essential for healthy development of teeth: Study

No healthy teeth without this gene: if during tooth formation (odontogenesis) the so-called Jagged2 gene is inactivated, and hence the Notch signalling pathway interrupted, tooth crowns will be malformed and enamel will be lacking. As this signalling pathway is involved in the formation of all tissues and organs, the new insights from the University of Zurich research team have wider implications.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists discover gene linked to eight-fold risk of breast cancer recurrence

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that a gene called POLQ is linked to an eight-fold risk of breast cancer returning. Developing drugs to block POLQ could increase survival and stop the cancer coming back, according to research published in OncoTarget.

5 Aug 2010

New volume on Growth hormone therapy

Growth hormone (GH) has been used therapeutically for over 50 years. Since the development of a nearly unlimited supply of recombinant human GH in the mid-1980s, children with less severe GH deficiency can also profit from GH replacement therapy.

5 Aug 2010

Gene associated with susceptibility to chronic pain caused by nerve injury identified

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and elsewhere have succeeded in identifying for the first time a gene associated with susceptibility to chronic pain caused by nerve injury in humans, signalling a significant step toward better understanding and treating of the condition.

5 Aug 2010

Genomic sequence of living marine sponge reveals some basic information about cancer: Scientists

This week's publication of the complete genomic sequence of a living marine sponge reveals genes dating back hundreds of millions of years -- a result far exceeding the expectations of the scientific world.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists to develop new antibiotics to tackle infection-causing bacteria

Detailed pictures published today reveal how a new type of experimental antibiotic can kill bacteria that are already resistant to existing treatments. The findings could ultimately help scientists to develop new antibiotics to tackle the bacteria responsible for many hospital and community-acquired infections.

5 Aug 2010

New insights into development and applications of pharmacogenomics in psychiatry

In recent years, there have been major developments in the fields of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics, with the potential to make drug treatments in psychiatric medicine more effective. However, improvements in drug efficacy and tolerability, as well as finding the optimal dosage, can only be realized if in vivo mechanisms of drug action and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) processes (pharmacokinetics) of psychopharmacological agents are better understood.

5 Aug 2010

TCA Cellular Therapy enrolls first patient for adult stem cell clinical trial

TCA Cellular Therapy, LLC has enrolled its first patient to participate in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first adult stem cell clinical trial to treat spinal cord injuries. Enrollee and Marine Veteran, Matt Cole was paralyzed from the chest down in a 2005 insurgent attack in Iraq.

5 Aug 2010

Posterior parietal cortex brain activity linked with subjects’ performance perceptions

Our belief as to whether we will likely succeed or fail at a given task-and the consequences of winning or losing-directly affects the levels of neural effort put forth in movement-planning circuits in the human cortex, according to a new brain-imaging study by neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology.

5 Aug 2010

Neurobiologists discover potential cure for degenerative vision diseases

Neurobiologists funded by the Office of Naval Research have discovered a potential cure for degenerative vision diseases leading to terminal blindness.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists develop revolutionary approach for reconstructing intricate bone tissue

Every year nearly 6.2 million bone fractures occur in the United States as a result of trauma and disease. Current standards for bone repair can lead to rapid bone fusion but with limited mechanical strength often due to the lack of cortical bone tissue which is difficult to harvest without pain and severe morbidity. Funded by the National Science Foundation, Dr. Hongjun Wang, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Biomedical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology and his collaborators have developed a revolutionary "bottom-up" approach for reconstructing intricate bone tissue with the potential to form hierarchical cortical bone.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists analyze new technique to quickly identify particular asthma subtypes

For many people afflicted by asthma, treatment can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. After their initial diagnosis, asthmatics find themselves caught in a trial and error process that can last for months, as doctors gradually escalate their medications to treat their condition effectively with minimal side effects. And until the right medicine and dosage are found, patients continue to suffer attacks that strike without warning and can leave them struggling for breath for hours or even days.

5 Aug 2010

Certain proteins, genes play key role in regenerating lost body parts: Research

Another option may be on the horizon for patients who lose limbs due to war, accident, or disease. Instead of using artificial legs or arms, patients actually may regrow their own missing limbs. An article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine, focuses on research efforts to turn the long-standing dream of human limb regeneration into reality.

5 Aug 2010

Injecting PAP may reduce chronic pain: Research

A study published in the Aug. 4, 2010 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience introduces an enzyme that could pack a big punch in the battle against chronic pain. Its name is prostatic acid phosphatase or PAP for short. According to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, PAP blocks pain in animal models by siphoning off a molecule called PIP2—a critical component of the chemical cascade behind chronic pain.

5 Aug 2010

Scientists identify tiny RNA molecule that increases blood stem cells

Investigators have identified a new mechanism that controls the number of hematopoietic stem cells - cells that give rise to all blood and immune system cells. In a report in the online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute identify a tiny RNA molecule that increases the number of these blood stem cells, an advance that may improve treatment of blood system cancers.

5 Aug 2010

Life Technologies launches AutoMate Express Forensic DNA Extraction System

Life Technologies Corporation today announced the commercial availability of the Applied Biosystems AutoMate Express™ Forensic DNA Extraction System, which is designed to streamline sample preparation and improve downstream DNA profile quality. The system, designed and validated as part of the complete Applied Biosystems human identification workflow to provide optimal efficiency and data quality, has already been adopted by all 48 government forensic laboratories in Japan.

5 Aug 2010

Foldit players to focus on designing novel proteins

Computer scientists and biochemists at the University of Washington two years ago launched an ambitious project harnessing the brainpower of computer gamers to solve medical problems. The game, Foldit, turns one of the hardest problems in molecular biology into a game a bit reminiscent of Tetris. Thousands of people have now played a game that asks them to fold a protein rather than stack colored blocks or rescue a princess.

5 Aug 2010