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Sexual communication within species

To look at the tobacco budworm moth and its close cousin, you wouldn't be able to tell the fuzzy-looking, fingertip-size moths apart. But put males of each species as far as six car-lengths away from females, and even in the darkness of midnight they easily find their way to mates from their own species while ignoring females from the other species. Today, the genes that keep the species sexually isolated are no longer a mystery, thanks to research from North Carolina State University and the University of Utah.

19 Apr 2010

Potential drug to annul ADAM-17 protein activity needed

Over the past four years, in the installations of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Cadiz, a group of researchers, headed by Doctor Carmen Estrada, has been studying neurogenesis - the process of forming new neurons from mother cells - in the adult mammal brain. The purpose of this research project is to contribute to the knowledge of this process with the object of finding some additional mechanism that would facilitate the treatment of pathologies of the central nervous system (CNS) that are suffered in consequence of neuronal death.

19 Apr 2010

Potential mate's signal activates molecular switch

A mystery about the mechanism behind sexual mate selection has been resolved. According to a new study published in the journal Nature, Universit- de Montr-al researchers have discovered a molecular switch that becomes activated in response to a potential mate's signal. Simply put, an organism knows that a potential mate is close-by and healthy enough to mate.

19 Apr 2010

Structure of Amyloid fibers surprises researchers

The Atomic Force Microscope depicts on its screen the few nanometer thick and few micrometer long fibers as white flexible sticks, crisscrossing the surface on which they are deposited. The very peculiar property of these proteins lies in fact that they can self assemble into complex ribbon-like twisted fibers.

19 Apr 2010

Surgery still the only measure to cure RCC

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for about 3% of all solid tumours in adults, and worldwide, more than 200.000 new cases and 100.000 deaths result each year from this malignancy.

19 Apr 2010

Stanford researchers discover tissue-specific target in pathogen

A tumor-causing maize fungus with the unsavory-sounding name "corn smut" wields different weapons from its genetic arsenal depending on which part of the plant it infects. The discovery by Stanford researchers marks the first time tissue-specific targeting has been found in a pathogen.

19 Apr 2010

Radiolabeled hedgehog can differentiate stem-like cancer cells, identify aggressive tumors

At the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, scientists and clinicians will present more than 6,300 abstracts dealing with innovative aspects of biology, technology and emerging therapies.

19 Apr 2010

New insights into yeast cells may help identify cancer cells and stem cells development: Study

Yeast cells decide whether to have sex with each other within two minutes of meeting, according to new research published today in Nature. One of the authors of the study, from Imperial College London, says the new insights into how yeast cells decide to mate could be helpful for researchers looking at how cancer cells and stem cells develop.

19 Apr 2010

New p53 knockout rat model improves timelines for carcinogenicity screening

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services brand of Sigma-Aldrich, today introduced the world's first p53 'knockout' rat model, an important development that is expected to, due to the rat's closer physiological and metabolic similarity to humans, significantly improve timelines for carcinogenicity screening and reduce time to market for therapeutics.

19 Apr 2010

Amgen announces results from pivotal Phase 3 "408" trial of Vectibix

Amgen today announced detailed results from a new biomarker analysis of the pivotal Phase 3 "408" trial of Vectibix® (panitumumab) plus best supportive care compared to BSC alone. The analysis used massively parallel, next-generation sequencing technology to investigate whether mutations in nine genes known to be mutated in colorectal cancer, including the previously unanalyzed exon 3 mutation of the KRAS gene, are predictive of response to Vectibix in metastatic colorectal cancer.

19 Apr 2010

Clues to molecular markers on breast tumors that may predict spread of lymph node cancer

Predicting breast cancer spread from a sentinel lymph node removed during surgery is a hit or miss affair, say researchers: there are still many false negatives, which means the node, when analyzed under a microscope, appears clean of cancer cells, but metastasis can still occur in the patient. The sentinel node is the first lymph node in the axilla that cancer spreads to.

19 Apr 2010

Study evaluates therapeutic effects of FXR and TGR5 agonist in PSC

Results of a study presented today at the International Liver Congress 2010 demonstrate that a dual FXR and TGR5 agonist decreases liver damage and modulates hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of primary sclerosing chlolangitis. In contrast, selective FXR or TGR5 agonists have no beneficial effect.

19 Apr 2010

LIN28B gene influences height growth in a sex-specific manner

Researchers at the University of Helsinki and the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) have shown that a gene called LIN28B strongly influences height growth from birth to adulthood in a complex and sex-spesific manner.

17 Apr 2010

700 scientists to present new information on smell and taste at AChemS 32nd annual meeting

The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), a US-based scientific organization, is holding its 32nd annual meeting. About 700 scientists are gathering to present new information on the role of smell and taste in disease, nutrition and social interactions in humans as well as animals. Smell and taste play essential roles in our daily lives. These chemical senses serve as important warning systems, alerting us to the presence of potentially harmful situations or substances, including gas leaks, smoke, and spoiled food.

17 Apr 2010

RSCRC scientists explore mysteries of human embryonic stem cells

At Rutgers' Stem Cell Research Center scientists are exploring the mysteries of human embryonic stem cells and their potential use in treating diseases, repairing damaged organs, and drug development. Center staff also offer a course in proper lab techniques in working with stem cells.

17 Apr 2010

Access to NAbs testing important for MS therapy management

Teva Neuroscience today announced results at the 62nd American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting which demonstrated that eliminating barriers to neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) testing significantly impacted multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment choices in patients receiving interferon beta (IFNβ) therapies.

17 Apr 2010

Researchers discover link between protein structure and hearing process

Rising from the top surface of each of the specialized receptor cells in our inner ears is a bundle of sensory cilia that responds to the movement of sound. As sensitive as they are fragile, these cilia can move to wisps of sound no larger than a molecule-but can shear at sounds that are larger than life.

17 Apr 2010

NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award for Zhihao Zhuang

Zhihao Zhuang, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware, has won the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award.

17 Apr 2010

G1 HCV patients having fast antiviral response to TVR with PEG-IFN and RBV can be cured in 24 weeks

24 weeks of treatment could be sufficient to cure between 93 and 100% of treatment-na-ve chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (G1) infected patients if they have a fast antiviral response to Telaprevir (TVR) with Peginterferon (PEG-IFN) and Ribavirin (RBV), according to new research presented today at the International Liver Congress 2010, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria.

17 Apr 2010

Illumina announces first named family DNA sequence

Illumina, Inc. today announced that it has sequenced the DNA of John, Judy, Anne and Paul West, the first publicly named family to have their DNA sequenced to full coverage by the company.

From Illumina, Inc. 17 Apr 2010