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'Histone code' needs to be used with caution

The function of histones -- the proteins that enable yards of DNA to be crammed into a single cell -- depends on a number of chemical tags adorning their exterior. This sophisticated chemical syntax for packaging DNA into tight little coils or unraveling it again -- called the "histone code" -- is the latest frontier for researchers bent on understanding how genetics encodes life.

17 Dec 2010

Whitehead Institute Founding Member named recipient of 2011 Warren Triennial Prize of MGH

Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch has been named a recipient of the 2011 Warren Triennial Prize of Massachusetts General Hospital.

17 Dec 2010

Prions responsible for BSE can survive in new host environment

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment.

17 Dec 2010

Emotional intelligence and cognitive skills sharpen after 60

Older people have a hard time keeping a lid on their feelings, especially when viewing heartbreaking or disgusting scenes in movies and reality shows, psychologists have found. But they're better than their younger counterparts at seeing the positive side of a stressful situation and empathizing with the less fortunate, according to research from the University of California, Berkeley.

17 Dec 2010

Pediatric cancer researchers study medulloblastoma for new treatment

Pediatric cancer researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia contributed important expertise to a new landmark study of medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor typically found in children.

17 Dec 2010

Human fetal immune system entirely different from adult immune system

UCSF researchers have shown for the first time that the human fetal immune system arises from an entirely different source than the adult immune system, and is more likely to tolerate than fight foreign substances in its environment.

17 Dec 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals progress in delivery and translation of RNAi therapeutics

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leading RNAi therapeutics company, presented new data at the 2010 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, being held in Honolulu, Hawaii, December 15-20.

17 Dec 2010

Genetic biomarker linked to increased risk for breast cancer found in 'junk' DNA

A new genetic biomarker that indicates an increased risk for developing breast cancer can be found in an individual's "junk" (non-coding) DNA, according to a new study featuring work from researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and their colleagues.

17 Dec 2010

Amygdala plays central role in generating fear reactions in humans too

A new study, published online on December 16 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offers new insight into the emotional life of a unique individual who completely lacks the function of an almond-shaped structure in the brain known as the amygdala. Studies over the last 50 years have shown that the amygdala plays a central role in generating fear reactions in animals from rats to monkeys.

17 Dec 2010

Scientists decipher genetic code for pediatric medulloblastoma

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have deciphered the genetic code for medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain cancer and a leading killer of children with cancer.

16 Dec 2010

Study reveals immune cell provides new therapeutic strategy for SLE

A new study provides fascinating insight into the underlying pathology associated with the autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus.

16 Dec 2010

Genome is one more factor to blame for unwanted pounds

In addition to fast food, desk jobs, and inertia, there is one more thing to blame for unwanted pounds-our genome, which has apparently not caught up with the fact that we no longer live in the Stone Age.

16 Dec 2010

Omega-3 EPA or combination of EPA and DHA provide clear antidepressant benefits

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago completed a review of previously published research on antidepressant benefits of Omega-3 essential fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The review comprised a meta-analysis of 15 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in patients with depression and results were presented at the recent annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

16 Dec 2010

Gene variation linked to liver cirrhosis in alcoholic caucasians

A new study by German researchers found that a variation in the PNPLA3 (adiponutrin) gene was associated with cirrhosis of the liver and elevated transaminase (liver enzyme) levels in alcoholic Caucasians. The risk of cirrhosis in alcoholics in the genetic high risk group might be as high as 25 to 50%.

16 Dec 2010

PCSBI issues 18 recommendations in emerging field of synthetic biology

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues today released its first report-a wide-ranging review of the emerging field of synthetic biology-issuing 18 recommendations including a call for coordinated federal oversight of scientists working in both large institutions and smaller settings.

16 Dec 2010

Precision BioSciences receive $3 million to develop DNE technology

Precision BioSciences, today announced that it has been awarded over $3 million across four government grants. These grants were each awarded to Precision during the 4th Quarter of 2010 and came from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Treasury Department, the National Institute of Health, and the State of North Carolina.

16 Dec 2010

MDA commits to invest funds in FSMA Quinazoline Program

The MDA has committed to invest funds in the FSMA Quinazoline Program at Repligen Corporation to assist in advancing the program to an IND filing with the FDA.

16 Dec 2010

Scientists demonstrate similarity between individual development and phylogeny in level of gene expression

Similarities in the embryonic development of various animal species are also found at molecular level. The astonishing similarity in the appearance of embryos from different animal species was observed as far back as the 19th century by scientists such as Karl von Baer, Charles Darwin and Ernst Haeckel.

16 Dec 2010

Study describes CC3/TIP30 protein regulate metabolic adaptation of tumor cells to glucose limitation

Bionovo, today announced the publication of a study entitled "CC3/TIP30 regulates metabolic adaptation of tumor cells to glucose limitation" in the journal Cell Cycle.

16 Dec 2010

Precise method to measure telomeres

Life Length, S.L. is a new biotechnology company set up to measure the length of telomeres which form caps at the end of chromosomes and that have a fundamental role in avoiding the break down and the aging of cells and organisms. The breakthroughs that Dr. Maria Blasco has made at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas, or CNIO) in Madrid, Spain form the founding basis of the company.

16 Dec 2010