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Emerging science of epigenetics offers new insights at crossroads of genes and the environment: Article

An emerging arm of molecular biology is introducing a new interpretation of traditional concepts of human disease, explains an article published today in Nature. According to author Dr. Arturas Petronis at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the emerging science of epigenetics is offering new insights at the crossroads of genes and the environment, or nature and nurture. Dr. Petronis is head of the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory at CAMH and an international expert in the field.

11 Jun 2010

In vivo structure of senile plaques in brains of people with Alzheimer's disease

A team of scientists from Britain and the United States believe they may have identified the true in vivo structure of the senile plaques that are characteristically found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

11 Jun 2010

Anoxia-induced suspended animation helps survive hypothermia

How is it that some people who apparently freeze to death, with no heart rate or respiration for extended periods, can be brought back to life with no long-term negative health consequences? New findings from the laboratory of cell biologist Mark B. Roth, Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, may help explain the mechanics behind this widely documented phenomenon.

11 Jun 2010

UK scientists discover cancer-blocking activity in Down's syndrome chromosome

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered cancer-blocking activity for genes carried on chromosome 21 - an extra copy of which is carried by people with Down's syndrome, reveals research published in Nature.

11 Jun 2010

RXi announces new RNAi therapeutic strategy at Jefferies 2010 Global Life Sciences Conference

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a recognized leader in RNAi-based therapeutic discovery and development, today announced the company's new focused RNAi therapeutic strategy at the Jefferies 2010 Global Life Sciences Conference.

11 Jun 2010

NuGEN launches Encore NGS Library/Multiplex Systems and Ovation 3'-DGE System

NuGEN®, the provider of innovative RNA and DNA amplification and sample preparation technologies for breakthrough genomic analysis, today announced the introduction of its Encore NGS Library/Multiplex Systems and the Ovation 3'-DGE System. Together with the Ovation RNA-Seq System, launched in 2009, NuGEN is continuing to provide life sciences researchers with innovative and versatile sample preparation reagents that enable a broad range of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) applications through fast, simple and scalable workflows.

11 Jun 2010

Interpretation of multiple gene function may hold clue to autism

Deciphering the functions of multiple rare genes may be at the core of understanding the genetic factors that cause autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to a new study published June 9 in the journal Nature by dozens of top autism researchers around the world, including Yale Child Study Center Director Fred R. Volkmar, M.D.

11 Jun 2010

InVitria launches ITSE Animal-Free recombinant, defined cell culture media supplement

InVitria announced the launch of ITSE Animal-Free™, a recombinant and defined cell culture media supplement that provides the ingredients essential for high performance cell culture. ITSE Animal-Free provides a solution for maximizing performance in a consistent and animal-free system. Insulin and transferrin supplements are commonly used in cell culture to reduce the amount of serum, such as fetal bovine serum (FBS), required to optimize performance.

11 Jun 2010

Scientist succeeds in producing replica of human collagen from tobacco plants

A scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment has succeeded in producing a replica of human collagen from tobacco plants - an achievement with tremendous commercial implications for use in a variety of human medical procedures.

11 Jun 2010

Telomere length can act as stopwatch to predict progression of leukaemia: Research

Scientists have pinpointed key changes to the telomeres in the cells of leukaemia patients which could play a crucial role in the earliest stages of the disease, according to research published online in the journal Blood.

11 Jun 2010

Protein IL-10 removes Escherichia coli K1 bacterium from blood and reverses brain damage

A team of researchers at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), along with colleagues from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and the Universite Auvergne, France, have discovered an important role for a small, naturally occurring protein called interleukin-10 (IL-10) in removing bacteria from the blood of infected mice and reversing damage to the brain.

11 Jun 2010

Study demonstrates p53 protein becomes activated during gamete formation

Protein p53 is known as the guardian of the genome since it is basic for the genome's integrity by preventing the accumulation of mutations originating either by the cell's own mechanisms or by the action of external agents.

11 Jun 2010

UAB researchers win grant to study metastasis of dead cancer cells

Researchers with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center and UAB Department of Chemistry have won an $805,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program to study whether dead cancer cells left over after treatment encourage cancer's spread to other parts of the body.

11 Jun 2010

Reprogrammed killer cells prevent metastasis

A team of researchers has developed a method to produce cells that kill tumour cells in the lab and prevent tumours forming in mouse models of cancer. Although the current work is in cells and mouse, if the research transfers to human biology, the new type of cell could be a new source for cell-based anticancer therapies.

11 Jun 2010

Ion Torrent extends Ion PGM Sequencer Grant Program to Europe

Ion Torrent today announced that it is extending its Ion PGM Sequencer Grant Program to Europe, and will award two sequencers to scientists there in the second half of 2010. This spring Ion Torrent received hundreds of grant proposals from scientists in North America, and in April two winners were each awarded an Ion PGM sequencer.

11 Jun 2010

Pfizer to join SGC-led collaboration to generate chemical probes for proteins involved in epigenetic signalling

The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) and Pfizer today announced that Pfizer will join the SGC-led public-private collaboration to generate small molecule inhibitors - "chemical probes" - for proteins involved in epigenetic signalling.

11 Jun 2010

Study offers new insights into how brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival

A team of biologists has isolated genes that regulate the sleep-feeding conflict. The study, which appears in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology, offers new insights into how the brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival.

11 Jun 2010

mPFC dysfunction contributes to compulsive seeking of sexual behavior

Sex "addiction" is a concept that has had particularly high visibility recently with the publicity associated with Tiger Woods. Persons with addictive or compulsive disorders frequently display an inability to inhibit behaviors once they become maladaptive, despite adverse consequences of their behavior. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a brain region involved in decision-making and behavioral flexibility, and it has been identified as a potential mediator of behavioral inhibition.

11 Jun 2010

Ginkgo extract EGb 761 promotes formation of new nerve cells, cell connections in brain's memory center

US scientists have shown that the Ginkgo extract EGb 761® promotes the formation of new nerve cells and new cell connections in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center. According to Professor Yuan Luo from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the Ginkgo constituents responsible for these effects are quercetin and bilobalide.

11 Jun 2010

Study identifies mechanism that interrupts normal p53 gene function leading to tumor development

The p53 gene has been a well-documented player in the prevention of tumors. It is considered the most frequently mutated gene in human tumors with more than half harboring p53 mutations (Bennett et al., 1999). These mutations often can be caused by disruption in normal p53 function.

11 Jun 2010

Medical Science News

Emerging science of epigenetics offers new insights at crossroads of genes and the environment: Article

In vivo structure of senile plaques in brains of people with Alzheimer's disease

Anoxia-induced suspended animation helps survive hypothermia

UK scientists discover cancer-blocking activity in Down's syndrome chromosome

RXi announces new RNAi therapeutic strategy at Jefferies 2010 Global Life Sciences Conference

NuGEN launches Encore NGS Library/Multiplex Systems and Ovation 3'-DGE System

Interpretation of multiple gene function may hold clue to autism

InVitria launches ITSE Animal-Free recombinant, defined cell culture media supplement

Scientist succeeds in producing replica of human collagen from tobacco plants

Telomere length can act as stopwatch to predict progression of leukaemia: Research

Protein IL-10 removes Escherichia coli K1 bacterium from blood and reverses brain damage

Study demonstrates p53 protein becomes activated during gamete formation

UAB researchers win grant to study metastasis of dead cancer cells

Reprogrammed killer cells prevent metastasis

Ion Torrent extends Ion PGM Sequencer Grant Program to Europe

Pfizer to join SGC-led collaboration to generate chemical probes for proteins involved in epigenetic signalling

Study offers new insights into how brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival

mPFC dysfunction contributes to compulsive seeking of sexual behavior

Ginkgo extract EGb 761 promotes formation of new nerve cells, cell connections in brain's memory center

Study identifies mechanism that interrupts normal p53 gene function leading to tumor development

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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