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Inefficient suppression of DUX4 gene causes facioscapulohumeral dystrophy: Study

An international team of researchers led by an investigator from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has made a second critical advance in determining the cause of a common form of muscular dystrophy known as facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, or FSHD.

29 Oct 2010

New noninvasive stool DNA test to predict colorectal cancer

An investigational DNA methylation test could alter the screening landscape for colorectal cancer, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research special conference on Colorectal Cancer: Biology to Therapy, held here Oct. 27-30, 2010.

29 Oct 2010

Researchers depict new statistical algorithm to identify genetic variations for common diseases

A group of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute and the Scripps Translational Science Institute has published a paper that reviews new strategies for identifying collections of rare genetic variations that reveal whether people are predisposed to developing common conditions like diabetes and cancer.

29 Oct 2010

Researchers find link between telomere length and colorectal cancer risk

For the first time, researchers have found a link between long telomeres and an increased risk for colorectal cancer, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research special conference on Colorectal Cancer Biology to Therapy, held here Oct. 27-30, 2010.

29 Oct 2010

New computer program shows how brain's complex fiber tracks mature as we grow up

The brain's inner network becomes increasingly more efficient as humans mature. Now, for the first time without invasive measures, a joint study from the Ecole Polytechnique F-d-rale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL), in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, has verified these gains with a powerful new computer program. Reported in the PNAS early online edition last week, the soon-to-be-released software allows for individualized maps of vital brain connectivity that could aide in epilepsy and schizophrenia research.

28 Oct 2010

New nationwide initiative to conduct research on human immune system

A new nationwide research initiative has been launched to define changes in the human immune system's response to infection and vaccination using human rather than animal models, which could lead to better vaccines and other treatments. Baylor Research Institute (BRI), along with five other U.S.-based Human Immune Phenotyping Centers, will receive a total of $100 million over five years to conduct the research.

28 Oct 2010

Researchers explore knowledge of palliative care oncologists with respect to genetic testing

If you were dying from cancer, would you consider genetic testing. A recent study conducted by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center showed that most terminally ill cancer patients who were eligible for genetic testing never received it despite that it could potentially save a relative's life.

28 Oct 2010

Pancreatic cancer develops and spreads more slowly than thought before

Pancreatic cancer develops and spreads much more slowly than scientists have thought, according to new research from Johns Hopkins investigators. The finding indicates that there is a potentially broad window for diagnosis and prevention of the disease.

28 Oct 2010

Researchers investigate relation between cortical thickness and nicotine dependence

Is there a relation between the structure of specific regions of the brain and nicotine dependence? This is the question researchers of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the German National Metrology Institute, have been investigating lately. The results of these investigations extend and specify those of preceding studies: A specific region of the cerebral cortex of smokers is thinner than that of people who have never smoked in their lives.

28 Oct 2010

World's largest research initiative to mutate all mouse genes

The world's largest research initiative to mutate all mouse genes is now able to reach the summit because the ambitious EUCOMMTOOLS project started on October 1, 2010. This project is being coordinated by Helmholtz Zentrum München and will finalize the groundwork for the analysis of all mouse gene functions. The findings will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of widespread diseases such as Alzheimer's, depression, diabetes, chronic lung diseases or cancer.

28 Oct 2010

Max Planck Innovation licenses new software for metabolite analysis

Max Planck Innovation licenses analysis-technology for metabolites . Max Planck Innovation GmbH, the technology transfer organization of the Max Planck Society, has awarded an exclusive license for the analysis software TagFinder to Metabolomic Discoveries GmbH, a service provider in biochemical research.

28 Oct 2010

UNC awards Doctorate degree to Premier Research biostatistician

Premier Research Group Limited, an international CRO with considerable oncology research expertise, is pleased to announce that Dr. Liddy Chen has received a Doctorate degree in Biostatistics, focusing on study design issues in advanced survival models with major application to oncology clinical trials, from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

28 Oct 2010

Cord Blood America enters new work agreement with Hawaii Medical Service Association

Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life-saving potential of stem cells to families nationwide and internationally, is pleased to announce a new work agreement with the Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA), an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the largest and most experienced provider of health care coverage in Hawaii.

28 Oct 2010

Monitoring glucose levels in brain can help predict second-wave of damage in head injury patients

Why do some of the one million people who sustain head injuries annually in United States experience a mysterious second wave of brain damage days after the initial injury - just when they appear to be recovering? Limited clinical trials using an innovative new device to monitor brain chemistry on a second-by-second basis are underway to answer that life-and-death question, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine. Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.

28 Oct 2010

Individuals can consciously control neurons inside the head, study finds

Five years ago, neuroscientist Christof Koch of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), neurosurgeon Itzhak Fried of UCLA, and their colleagues discovered that a single neuron in the human brain can function much like a sophisticated computer and recognize people, landmarks, and objects, suggesting that a consistent and explicit code may help transform complex visual representations into long-term and more abstract memories.

28 Oct 2010

Researchers develop software tool to study wiring of brains

A team of researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology has developed a software tool that physicians can use to easily study the wiring of the brains of their patients. The tool converts MRI scans using special techniques to three-dimensional images. This now makes it possible to view a total picture of the winding roads and their contacts without having to operate.

28 Oct 2010

Scientists suggest FDA to reevaluate safety of plant-based antioxidants

Scientists are calling for more research on the possibility that some supposedly healthful plant-based antioxidants including those renowned for their apparent ability to prevent cancer may actually aggravate or even cause cancer in some individuals.

28 Oct 2010

Immune system may play a role in cancer therapies: Study

The immune system may play a critical role in ensuring the success of certain types of cancer therapies, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The research showed treatments that disable cancer-promoting genes called oncogenes are much more successful in eradicating tumors in the presence of a signaling molecule secreted by kind of immune cell called a T helper cell.

28 Oct 2010

AnaptysBio announces issuance of two new patents for SHM-XEL platform

AnaptysBio, Inc., a privately-held therapeutic antibody platform and product company, announced the issuance of patents in the US and Europe that provide additional coverage for its SHM-XEL platform. These patents extend AnaptysBio's leadership in the use of somatic hypermutation (SHM) for the discovery and optimization of antibodies and other proteins.

28 Oct 2010

JMC Professor wins Karl Storz Lifetime Achievement Award in Endourology

Demetrius H. Bagley, M.D., the Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology at Jefferson Medical College (JMC) of Thomas Jefferson University was recently honored as the 2010 recipient of the Karl Storz Lifetime Achievement Award in Endourology at the World Congress of Endourology. He is also a full Professor of Radiology.

28 Oct 2010