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New laboratory-engineered livers could provide solution to donor shortage

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function - at least in a laboratory setting like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.

1 Nov 2010

Scientists use electron microscopes to study mechanism of perforin protein to punch holes in rogue cells

Scientists from the UK and Australia have seen the human immune system's assassin a protein called perforin in action for the first time. The UK team, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust, is based at Birkbeck College where they used powerful electron microscopes to study the mechanism that perforin uses to punch holes in rogue cells.

1 Nov 2010

Researchers generate bioengineered human liver organoid using bioscaffold

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine demonstrated the generation of a bioengineered human liver organoid using a liver bioscaffold made from an intact liver extracellular matrix, and filled (seeded) with primary human liver progenitor and endothelial cells.

1 Nov 2010

‘Off the shelf’ new livers from stem cells, glimmer of hope

A researcher team has successfully produced a small-scale version of a human liver in the laboratory using stem cells. This could be a boon for patients waiting for liver transplants although it will take years to perfect the procedure say researchers.

31 Oct 2010

Neuroscientists investigate mechanism of neural activity on complex psychological phenomena

People love to speculate about differences between the sexes, and neuroscience has brought a new technology to this pastime. Brain imaging studies are published at a great rate, and some report sex differences in brain structure or patterns of neural activity.

30 Oct 2010

Value of medical innovation far outstrips its cost, says Lilly CEO

In a speech to the Dallas Friday Group today, John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., chairman, president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, said that the value of medical innovation – particularly innovative medicines – far outstrips its cost. Lechleiter marshaled data showing that medical innovation over the past century dramatically extended life spans, improved quality of life, and boosted productivity.

30 Oct 2010

Enzon data on LNA technology platform accepted for presentation at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that data from preclinical studies of three investigational messenger RNA (mRNA) antagonists based on the locked nucleic acid (LNA) technology platform have been accepted for poster presentation at the EORTC-NCI-AACR International Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, which is being held November 16-19 in Berlin, Germany.

30 Oct 2010

Researchers discover agouti family gene regulates pigmentation, body weight

Researchers led by Vanderbilt's Roger Cone, Ph.D., have discovered a new member of a gene family that has powerful influences on pigmentation and the regulation of body weight.

30 Oct 2010

Study finds relation between cortical thickness and nicotine dependence

s there a relation between the structure of specific regions of the brain and nicotine dependence. This is the question researchers of the Charit Universit-tsmedizin Berlin and of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Berlin 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.

30 Oct 2010

New findings on protein factories could unravel cell complexities, lead to new antibiotics and disease treatments

A team from The Scripps Research Institute has revealed the first-ever pictures of the formation of cells' "protein factories." In addition to being a major technical feat on its own, the work could open new pathways for development of antibiotics and treatments for diseases tied to errors in ribosome formation. In addition, the techniques developed in the study can now be applied to other complex challenges in the understanding of cellular processes.

30 Oct 2010

New NRNB center helps clinicians to study network biology

A new center called the National Resource for Network Biology (NRNB), based at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, will help clinicians analyze an ever-growing wealth of complex biological data and apply that knowledge to real problems and diseases.

30 Oct 2010

Experts at ICB-2010 Conference to discuss new research findings in biotherapy

The 8th International Conference on Biotherapy (ICB-2010) will be held in Los Angeles, November 11-14, 2010, at the Universal Los Angeles Hilton. It is the single most important meeting for sharing new clinical and research findings in biotherapy (living organisms used to treat or diagnose illness).

30 Oct 2010

Idera presents data on TLR 3 agonist as vaccine adjuvants at Immunological Meeting

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced a presentation describing the chemistry and immunological activity of its proprietary Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) 3 agonist compounds and the use of these compounds as vaccine adjuvants in a preclinical model.

30 Oct 2010

UB endocrinologist receives Junior Faculty Award to study effects of low testosterone in young men with type 2 diabetes

An endocrinologist in the University at Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has received a three-year $400,000 Junior Faculty Award from the American Diabetes Society to study the effects of low testosterone levels in young men with type 2 diabetes.

30 Oct 2010

Dysfunction of Grhl2 factor may affect epithelial barrier formation, contribute to congenital abnormalities

Scientists of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) of MDC and Charit- in Berlin-Buch have gained new insights into the development of epithelial cells and their molecular repertoire.

30 Oct 2010

OHSU to lead next phase of HuCNS-SC trial for NCL in children

Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital will lead the next phase of a landmark clinical trial to further assess the safety and preliminary effectiveness of purified human neural stem cells (HuCNS-SC-) as a potential treatment for infantile or late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), a rare and currently fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects infants and children.

30 Oct 2010

New shuttlte program helps probe spaceflight-induced immune-system impairment

When the space shuttle Discovery lifts off on its final flight Nov. 2, its six astronauts will be joined by 16 rodent passengers on a historic mission of their own. Riding in special self-contained modules that automatically supply them with food and water, the mice will be part of a long-term NASA effort aimed at understanding why spaceflight makes humans more vulnerable to infection by viruses and bacteria.

30 Oct 2010

Study suggests curcumin may be an effective therapy for liver fibrosis

Curcumin, a chemical that gives curry its zing, holds promise in preventing or treating liver damage from an advanced form of a condition known as fatty liver disease, new Saint Louis University research suggests.

30 Oct 2010

North American children may be 'too clean'

Rising levels of allergic asthma and eczema in North American children have Canadian scientists wondering if there is such a thing as being "too clean." "We see auto-immune diseases like asthma and eczema increasing rapidly in North American children, but we don't see the same effect in children in the developing world," says Dr. B. Brett Finlay, a Professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories at the University of British Columbia.

29 Oct 2010

We can consciously control neurons inside our head

Every day our brains are flooded by stimulation - sounds, sights and smells. At the same time, we are constantly engaged in an inner dialogue, ruminating about the past, musing about the future. Somehow the brain filters all this input instantly, selecting some things for long- or short-term storage, discarding others and focusing in on what's most important at any given instant.

29 Oct 2010

Medical Science News

New laboratory-engineered livers could provide solution to donor shortage

Scientists use electron microscopes to study mechanism of perforin protein to punch holes in rogue cells

Researchers generate bioengineered human liver organoid using bioscaffold

‘Off the shelf’ new livers from stem cells, glimmer of hope

Neuroscientists investigate mechanism of neural activity on complex psychological phenomena

Value of medical innovation far outstrips its cost, says Lilly CEO

Enzon data on LNA technology platform accepted for presentation at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Researchers discover agouti family gene regulates pigmentation, body weight

Study finds relation between cortical thickness and nicotine dependence

New findings on protein factories could unravel cell complexities, lead to new antibiotics and disease treatments

New NRNB center helps clinicians to study network biology

Experts at ICB-2010 Conference to discuss new research findings in biotherapy

Idera presents data on TLR 3 agonist as vaccine adjuvants at Immunological Meeting

UB endocrinologist receives Junior Faculty Award to study effects of low testosterone in young men with type 2 diabetes

Dysfunction of Grhl2 factor may affect epithelial barrier formation, contribute to congenital abnormalities

OHSU to lead next phase of HuCNS-SC trial for NCL in children

New shuttlte program helps probe spaceflight-induced immune-system impairment

Study suggests curcumin may be an effective therapy for liver fibrosis

North American children may be 'too clean'

We can consciously control neurons inside our head

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

The evolution of OCT for retinal imaging and disease intervention

Supercharging Next-Gen Antibody Discovery with AI and High-Throughput Experimentation

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