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Frozen blood samples shows promise to study mechanism of blood disorders

Cells from frozen human blood samples can be reprogrammed to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. These cells can be multiplied and used to study the genetic and molecular mechanisms of blood disorders and other diseases.

2 Jul 2010

FUISZ files new patent, receives notice of issuance for patent claims for blood analysis devices

First, FUISZ announced that it has received a notice of issuance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for patent claims that cover a direct connection between prescribing physicians and blood analysis devices.

2 Jul 2010

DNA damage caused by UVA radiation leads to melanoma

A new study by researchers at NYU School of Medicine found that UVA radiation damages the DNA in human melanocyte cells, causing mutations that can lead to melanoma. Melanocytes, which contain a substance called melanin that darkens the skin to protect it from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, are more vulnerable to UVA radiation than normal skin cells because they are unable to repair themselves as efficiently.

2 Jul 2010

Amedica, SUNY Upstate Medical University partner in comparative study of biomaterials

Amedica Corporation, a spinal and orthopaedic implant and instrument manufacturer focused on unique silicon nitride (SiN) ceramic technologies, announced that it has entered into an agreement with SUNY Upstate Medical University to conduct an additional research study that evaluates the company's SiN ceramic technology compared to PEEK interbody fusion devices. The two-year study will measure the fusion performance of the two biomaterials.

2 Jul 2010

Vitamin D inadequacy may cause metabolic syndrome among elderly people

A new study adds to the mounting evidence that older adults commonly have low vitamin D levels and that vitamin D inadequacy may be a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome, a condition that affects one in four adults. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

2 Jul 2010

Two laboratory methods for Drosophila Neurobiology featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols journal

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Neurobiology of Drosophila course (http://meetings.cshl.edu/courses/c-dros10.shtml) has served as the training ground for a generation of scientists tackling these complex problems. A new laboratory manual based on the protocols and background information taught in the course promises to spread these techniques to a wider audience. Two of the methods from the manual are featured in the July issue of the journal Cold Spring Harbor Protocols.

2 Jul 2010

Mice study may provide new insight on human pregnancies

The concept of pregnancy makes no sense-at least not from an immunological point of view. After all, a fetus, carrying half of its father's genome, is biologically distinct from its mother. The fetus is thus made of cells and tissues that are very much not "self"-and not-self is precisely what the immune system is meant to search out and destroy.

2 Jul 2010

Research may provide key to understanding interplay between exercise, aging and neurogenesis

Stem cells in the brain remain dormant until called upon to divide and make more neurons. However, little has been known about the molecular guards that keep them quiet.

2 Jul 2010

New asthma therapy shows promise for patients who do not respond to steroid treatments

A new nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory therapy made from a human protein significantly decreases disease signs of asthma in mice, opening the possibility of a new asthma therapy for patients who do not respond to current steroid treatments. Results of this therapy in an animal model were presented at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

2 Jul 2010

SAIC-Frederick, Fluidigm collaborate to decode entire genome of Epstein-Barr virus

SAIC-Frederick, Inc. and Fluidigm Corporation are collaborating to decode the entire genome of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) using technology that can speed up research on the genetic basis of cancer and other diseases.

1 Jul 2010

AMP comments on array-based cytogenetic tests at FDA's public meeting

Today, the Association for Molecular Pathology presented comments at the US Food & Drug Administration's public meeting on array-based cytogenetic tests. The FDA convened the meeting to seek answers to more than a dozen questions they had on how to evaluate the performance, interpret results and report findings of array-based cytogenetic tests for copy number variation.

1 Jul 2010

Oxycyte PFCE decreases mortality after onset of decompression sickness in porcine model study

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. today announced that results from U.S. Navy studies demonstrated decreased mortality in porcine animal models that were given an intravenous dose of Oxycyte® perfluorocarbon emulsion (PFCE) after the onset of decompression sickness (DCS). These results showed a statistically significant decrease in mortality compared with the control group that did not receive Oxycyte PFCE. This data was published in the June issue of Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine.

1 Jul 2010

Ronin, Hcf-1 bind together to control gene program that stimulates growth of stem cells

Ronin, crucial to the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells, and a co-regulator called Hcf-1, binds to a small strand of DNA called a hyperconserved enhancer element to control a gene "program" that stimulates growth of the stem cells and may even play a role in cancer, said a group of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine in a current report in the journal Genes and Development.

1 Jul 2010

MPIB researcher makes methodical progress in the area of genetic code engineering

Proteins are the main actors in our body: They transport substances, convey messages or carry out vital processes in their role as molecular machines. The "helmsmen of the cell" are composed of amino acids, whose sequence is already defined by the heritable information in every living being. The translation of this information during the production of proteins (protein synthesis) is determined by the genetic code.

1 Jul 2010

Olive oil, Mediterranean diet modify expression of atherosclerosis-related genes

Everyone knows olive oil and a Mediterranean diet are associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, but a new research report published in the July 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal offers a surprising reason why: These foods change how genes associated with atherosclerosis function.

1 Jul 2010

USPTO grants Semafore method patent for PI3K inhibitors

Semafore Pharmaceuticals today announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued United States Patent Number 7,745,485 entitled "Compositions and methods for identifying agents which modulate PTEN function and PI-3 kinase pathways." This patent covers methods of inhibiting the spread of cancer in patients using phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents.

1 Jul 2010

Individual variants of environmental toxins can affect body's hormone systems: Research

Marianne Kraugerud's doctoral research has led to the discovery that individual variants of the environmental pollutants PCB and PFC can affect several of the body's hormone systems in a more complex way than previously supposed. Humans and animals are constantly exposed to these toxins through the food they eat and the air they breathe. Kraugerud concludes that the impact of these pollutants should be taken into account when carrying out risk appraisals of PCB and PFC.

1 Jul 2010

Florida Biomedical Research Program awards $2M in grants to Scripps Research Institute scientists

The Florida Biomedical Research Program has awarded $2 million in biomedical research grants to three scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute.

1 Jul 2010

Nanostructured assemblies for dental application

Scientists are reporting an advance toward the next big treatment revolution in dentistry - the era in which root canal therapy brings diseased teeth back to life, rather than leaving a "non-vital" or dead tooth in the mouth. In a report in the monthly journal ACS Nano, they describe a first-of-its-kind, nano-sized dental film that shows early promise for achieving this long-sought goal.

1 Jul 2010

U-M scientists discover 12 more regions on genome with DNA variants associated with type 2 diabetes

An international team co-led by scientists from the University of Michigan have discovered 12 more regions on the genome with DNA variants that are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, bringing the number to 38.

1 Jul 2010

Medical Science News

Frozen blood samples shows promise to study mechanism of blood disorders

FUISZ files new patent, receives notice of issuance for patent claims for blood analysis devices

DNA damage caused by UVA radiation leads to melanoma

Amedica, SUNY Upstate Medical University partner in comparative study of biomaterials

Vitamin D inadequacy may cause metabolic syndrome among elderly people

Two laboratory methods for Drosophila Neurobiology featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols journal

Mice study may provide new insight on human pregnancies

Research may provide key to understanding interplay between exercise, aging and neurogenesis

New asthma therapy shows promise for patients who do not respond to steroid treatments

SAIC-Frederick, Fluidigm collaborate to decode entire genome of Epstein-Barr virus

AMP comments on array-based cytogenetic tests at FDA's public meeting

Oxycyte PFCE decreases mortality after onset of decompression sickness in porcine model study

Ronin, Hcf-1 bind together to control gene program that stimulates growth of stem cells

MPIB researcher makes methodical progress in the area of genetic code engineering

Olive oil, Mediterranean diet modify expression of atherosclerosis-related genes

USPTO grants Semafore method patent for PI3K inhibitors

Individual variants of environmental toxins can affect body's hormone systems: Research

Florida Biomedical Research Program awards $2M in grants to Scripps Research Institute scientists

Nanostructured assemblies for dental application

U-M scientists discover 12 more regions on genome with DNA variants associated with type 2 diabetes

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

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