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UCSF scientists to receive two grants for personalized medicine research

UCSF scientists will receive two grants totaling $15.1 million over the next five years to expand their research into how genes affect an individual's response to medication and to strengthen a global network of researchers involved in these efforts.

7 Sep 2010

Short sleep duration associated with elevated risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke

People who sleep less than six hours a night may be three times more likely to develop a condition which leads to diabetes and heart disease, according to researchers at the University of Warwick.

7 Sep 2010

Methylphenidate facilitates recovery from drug addiction

A brain-scanning study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, conducted with collaborators from Stony Brook University, reveals that an oral dose of methylphenidate, commonly known as Ritalin, improves impaired brain function and enhances cognitive performance in people who are addicted to cocaine.

7 Sep 2010

Complete Genomics, SAIC-Frederick collaborate to validate somatic mutations from pediatric cancer cases

Complete Genomics Inc., a life sciences company focused on human genome sequencing, today announced a collaboration to identify and validate somatic mutations from 50 pediatric cancer cases from multiple research centers across the United States.

7 Sep 2010

British, Austrian scientists awarded K. J. Zülch Prize for basic neurological research

British and Austrian scientists receive award for basic neurological research. Alastair Compston and Hans Lassmann are this year's recipients of the K. J. Zülch Prize for basic neurological research. In bestowing this award, the Gertrud Reemtsma Foundation is honouring two scientists who have made crucial contributions to research on multiple sclerosis. Alastair Compston's work has provided important insights into the genetics and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

7 Sep 2010

Estee Lauder subsidiary and OXIS resolve mitochondria patent dispute

OXIS INTERNATIONAL, INC. and THE ESTEE LAUDER COMPANIES INC. announce today that they have resolved a dispute between an Estee Lauder subsidiary, Applied Genetics Incorporated Dermatics, and Oxis over technology related to U.S. Patent No. 6,103,746 and U.S. Patent No. 6,479,533, entitled "Methods and Compositions for the Protection of Mitochondria."

7 Sep 2010

Positive immune responses elicited from Scancell's DNA vaccine in combination with ImmuneRegen's Homspera

Scancell Holdings Plc, the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, announces that a treatment utilising a DNA vaccine based on its ImmunoBody® technology, in combination with ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc.®'s lead compound, Homspera®, has significantly improved the immune response of the vaccine in an animal model. Follow-up studies are currently being performed to optimize the effects of Homspera in enhancing the next generation of Scancell's cancer vaccines.

7 Sep 2010

RA synthetic derivative 4-HPR's ability to induce tumour cell death

Retinoic acid (RA), a natural derivative of vitamin A, is the basis of a number of treatments against cancer. Nevertheless, it has certain disadvantages, such as the possibility of the appearance of retinoic acid syndrome, present in 25 % of cases and which can lead to death. The development of 4-HPR, a synthetic derivative of RA, has meant a considerable advance due to its greater efficacy compared to its predecessor.

7 Sep 2010

FDA grants IRIS clearance for analysis of synovial fluid with iQ200, iRICELL automated microscopy analyzers

IRIS International, Inc., a leading manufacturer of automated in-vitro diagnostic systems and consumables for use in hospitals and commercial laboratories worldwide and provider of high value personalized diagnostics testing services through its CLIA certified molecular diagnostics laboratory, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the analysis of synovial fluid as a new product application in its Body Fluids Module utilizing its iQ®200 and iRICELL® automated microscopy analyzers.

7 Sep 2010

Research suggests blocking HMGB1 protein can benefit cancer patients

Like some people, cells eat when they are under pressure-but they consume parts of themselves. A multi-function protein helps control this form of cannibalism, according to a study in the September 6 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.

7 Sep 2010

Physical qualities can influence stem cell differentiation mechanism: Research

A researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, together with Israeli and foreign collaborators, has revealed how physical qualities and not only chemical ones may have an influence in determining how adult stem cells from the bone marrow develop into differentiated ones. This represents an important step in understanding the mechanisms that direct and regulate the specialization of stem cells from their undefined state.

7 Sep 2010

International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory orders for Vistec's EBPG5200 electron-beam lithography system

Vistec Lithography, a leading supplier of advanced electron-beam lithography systems has announced today that the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Braga, Portugal has placed an order for Vistec's electron-beam lithography system EBPG5200. The Portuguese Laboratory is the first fully international research organization in Europe in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

7 Sep 2010

Researchers to develop new treatment strategy for cancer

Cancer is a difficult disease to treat because it's a personal disease. Each case is unique and based on a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Conventional chemotherapy employs treatment with one or more drugs, assuming that these medicines are able to both "diagnose" and "treat" the affected cells. Many of the side effects experienced by chemotherapy patients are due to the fact that the drugs they are taking aren't selective enough.

7 Sep 2010

Researchers decode words from brain signals in paralyzed people

In an early step toward letting severely paralyzed people speak with their thoughts, University of Utah researchers translated brain signals into words using two grids of 16 microelectrodes implanted beneath the skull but atop the brain. "We have been able to decode spoken words using only signals from the brain with a device that has promise for long-term use in paralyzed patients who cannot now speak," says Bradley Greger, an assistant professor of bioengineering.

7 Sep 2010

Chemicals in non-stick cookware elevates cholesterol level among children: Report

Children and teens with higher blood levels of chemicals used in the production of non-stick cookware and waterproof fabrics appear more likely to have elevated total and LDL cholesterol levels, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

7 Sep 2010

Unpredictable food poisoning

While we are often exposed to bacteria in our food which could cause food poisoning, we don't always become ill - why should this be so?

6 Sep 2010

Plaque-causing bacteria increases risk of heart attack

Plaque-causing bacteria can jailbreak from the mouth into the bloodstream and increase your risk of heart attack says a scientist at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham.

6 Sep 2010

Gene containing 'minisatellite' plays key role in driving human DNA diversity

One of the key drivers of human evolution and diversity, accounting for changes that occur between different generations of people, is explained by new research published today (Sept 5) by world-renowned scientist Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, who discovered DNA fingerprinting at the University of Leicester.

6 Sep 2010

2010 Mainz University Meeting to focus Interdisciplinary Neurosciences

The 2010 Meeting of the Mainz University Research Focus on Interdisciplinary Neurosciences will be held on "Cognitive Enhancement Ethics and Society".

4 Sep 2010

Kavli Day 2010 at Norwegian University of Science and Technology

In celebration of Kavli Prize Week, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and the Kavli Foundation will hold a series of lectures and events on 9 September 2010 in Trondheim, Norway at the NTNU campus. The event features a number of 2010 Kavli Prize Laureates. The festivities continue after the official celebration, with two symposia sponsored by NTNU, one in neuroscience and one in nanoscience.

4 Sep 2010