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LIMK inhibition blocks collective invasion of tumor cells: Researchers

Researchers have shown that LIM kinase, an important regulator of actin cytoskeleton dynamics, plays a key role in cancer metastasis. The study appears online on September 27 in The Journal of Cell Biology www.jcb.org.

28 Sep 2010

Michael J. Fox Foundation launches PPMI clinical study to identify Parkinson's disease biomarkers

The Michael J. Fox Foundation has launched the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), the first ever large scale clinical study exclusively focused on identifying and validating Parkinson's disease biomarkers.

28 Sep 2010

Genomics obtains worldwide rights to The Garvan Institute of Medical Research's methylation DNA biomarkers

Clinical Genomics Pty. Ltd (Sydney, Australia) and The Garvan Institute of Medical Research (Sydney, Australia) today announced that they have entered into a license agreement in relation to novel biomarkers discovered by scientists at the Garvan Institute. Under the terms of the agreement, Clinical Genomics obtains worldwide exclusive rights to the Garvan's proprietary cancer associated methylation DNA biomarkers for the diagnosis and or treatment of colorectal cancer.

28 Sep 2010

BMC physicians receive $3M NIH grant to identify TB biomarkers

Boston Medical Center has been chosen to lead an investigation aimed at developing novel approaches to prevent tuberculosis. Jerrold J. Ellner, MD, chief of the section of infectious diseases at BMC and professor of medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine, a renowned expert in the field, will serve as principal investigator on the five-year, $3 million grant funded by the National Institutes of Health.

28 Sep 2010

Scientists find Alzheimer's Disease reduces human brain cancer growth

Scientists at the Roskamp Institute in Sarasota, Florida, have shown that mice that naturally develop Alzheimer's are able to ward off the growth of brain cancer. In a series of experiments published in the Journal of Neuroscience, they showed that mice that spontaneously develop Alzheimer's Disease are able to dramatically reduce the growth of a human brain cancer.

28 Sep 2010

BCBC awards $5 million for cell therapy research in type 1 diabetes

Maike Sander, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and cellular & molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has been awarded nearly $5 million by the Beta Cell Biology Consortium (BCBC) to lead an interdisciplinary team in cell therapy research for type 1 diabetes.

28 Sep 2010

Sunscreens containing nanoparticles alarms consumer group

The consumer group CHOICE is demanding more honesty from sunscreen manufacturers after many leading brands were found to contain nanoparticles. There is controversy as to whether the particles, which are smaller than 100 billionths of a meter, can penetrate the skin and have harmful side-effects, says CHOICE. However many of these sunscreens contain nano-grade titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that enable them to offer the same sun protection but go on clear and with less skin residue.

27 Sep 2010

Researchers identify cellular/molecular defect in T cell regulatory pathway

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have identified a defect in the T cell regulatory pathway which normally controls autoreactive T cells that attack the body's own tissues and organs. A majority of people with Type 1 diabetes who were tested in the study were found to have the newly-identified cellular/molecular defect, and the researchers were able to successfully correct the defect in-vitro.

27 Sep 2010

GBS pathogen suppresses immune cell function in newborn infants: Research

Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterial pathogen that causes sepsis and meningitis in newborn infants, is able to shut down immune cell function in order to promote its own survival, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

27 Sep 2010

JAMA issue unveils genetic signature of brain cancer

A pair of studies in the July 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) spell out how much closer science has come to unraveling the genetic signature of brain cancer, according to a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

27 Sep 2010

Signaling pathway inhibition enhances autologous bone marrow transplant: Research

Identification of a molecular communications pathway that influences the mobilization of hematopoietic (blood) stem cells could lead to targeted therapies for improving bone marrow transplant success rates.

27 Sep 2010

Progenika receives CE Mark approval to market LPLchip in Europe

Progenika Biopharma S.A., a pioneer in the field of personalized medicine, announced today that it has obtained the CE Mark allowing the sale in Europe of its LPLchip(R), the first DNA chip to detect mutations in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene.

27 Sep 2010

Study: Clinical criteria for mild cognitive impairment is better at predicting Alzheimer's disease

A new Mayo Clinic study found that the clinical criteria for mild cognitive impairment is better at predicting who will develop Alzheimer's disease than a single memory test.

27 Sep 2010

Researchers synthesize molecule to block abnormal protein in cancer cells

In the quest to arrest the growth and spread of tumors, there have been many attempts to get cancer genes to ignore their internal instruction manual. In a new study, a team led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists has created the first molecule able to prevent cancer genes from "hearing" those instructions, stifling the cancer process at its root.

27 Sep 2010

Alzheimer's treatments may prove effective if started in middle-aged people: Study

Memory lapses that occur with normal aging are a source of worry for many who fear Alzheimer's disease. Now a new Mayo Clinic-led study published in the July 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the carriers of a common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease begin to have memory declines in their mid-50s, far earlier than previously thought.

27 Sep 2010

Researchers find stress-activating factors can control genes

Stress has become one of the major disease states in the developed world. Researchers from Dr.Klaus Hansen's group at BRIC, University of Copenhagen, have just shown that external factors can stress our cells through the control of our genes. "We found that stress-activating factors can control our genes by turning on certain genes that were supposed to be silenced.

27 Sep 2010

Endothelial progenitor cells predict metastatic disease in children with cancer: Study

Endothelial progenitor cells may play a role in the start and progression of metastatic disease in children with cancer, according to study results published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

27 Sep 2010

Gene alteration impacts brain tumor development: Study

The interaction between a network of altered genes appears to play an important role in the development and progression of brain tumors, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.

27 Sep 2010

Researchers publish evidence behind evolution of jaws in vertebrates

A half-billion years ago, vertebrates lacked the ability to chew their food. They did not have jaws. Instead, their heads consisted of a flexible, fused basket of cartilage.This week, an international team of researchers led by a faculty member from the University of Colorado at Boulder published evidence that three genes in jawless vertebrates might have been key to the development of jaws in higher vertebrates.

27 Sep 2010

New Concordia research links hormones with attention and learning

Feeling a little sluggish and having trouble concentrating? Hormones might be to blame according to new research from Concordia University published in the journal Brain and Cognition. The study shows that high estrogen levels are associated with an inability to pay attention and learn - the first such paper to report how this impediment can be due to a direct effect of the hormone on mature brain structures.

24 Sep 2010