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Facial and brain anomalies in holoprosencephaly related chromosome aberrations characterized

Researchers at Signature Genomic Laboratories, which performs diagnostic genetic testing of chromosome abnormalities in individuals with unexplained physical and developmental disabilities, recently characterized a broad spectrum of facial and brain anomalies in individuals with chromosome aberrations associated with holoprosencephaly.

27 Jan 2010

Researchers identify new drugs to protect brain cells from neurological disease

Researchers have identified a compound that mimics one of the brain's own growth factors and can protect brain cells against damage in several animal models of neurological disease.

27 Jan 2010

Chronic insomnia may be associated with reduced cortical volume, says study

Chronic and severely stressful situations, like those connected to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, have been associated with smaller volumes in "stress sensitive" brain regions, such as the cingulate region of the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory formation.

27 Jan 2010

Findings provide new insight into factors causing neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the Babraham Institute have discovered a novel survival factor whose rapid transport along nerve cells is crucial for keeping them alive. The same factor seems likely to be needed to keep our nerves healthy as we age.

27 Jan 2010

Research could help develop sophisticated treatments for Type I diabetes

New research that significantly improves our understanding of how insulin interacts with cells in the human body is published today.

27 Jan 2010

Study sheds light on cellular communication systems involved in neurodegenerative, cancer and cardiovascular diseases

Cells rely on a range of signaling systems to communicate with each other and to control their own internal workings. Scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Hamburg, Germany, have now found a way to hack into a vital communications system, raising the possibility of developing new drugs to tackle disorders like neurodegeneration, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

27 Jan 2010

MBL generates human monoclonal antibodies against pandemic A type influenza virus

Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. (MBL), with the collaboration of Osaka University, has successfully generated several fully human monoclonal antibodies against pandemic A (H1N1 and H3N2) type influenza virus by utilizing blood samples from volunteers who were inoculated with influenza vaccine.

27 Jan 2010

Discovery challenges understanding of blood cell development

University of Utah researchers led an international team of scientists that is the first to report on the previously undescribed ability of platelets to reproduce themselves in the circulation. Their revolutionary findings were published online Jan. 19, 2010, in the journal Blood.

27 Jan 2010

National Science Foundation awards grant to study biological mechanism of living cells

Learning how living cells can detect and respond to electric fields is the aim of a $570,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to Min Zhao, professor of dermatology and ophthalmology at the UC Davis Health System and Center for Neuroscience.

27 Jan 2010

Researchers renew hope that effective vaccine could be developed against Salmonella infection

Research from Malawi, Birmingham and Liverpool has renewed hope that an effective vaccine could be developed against nontyphoidal strains of Salmonella. The work, funded by the Wellcome Trust and GlaxoSmithKline, suggests that the body's immune system could be primed to tackle even the most resilient of strains.

27 Jan 2010

Geron collaborates to explore hESC-based product for Alzheimer’s disease

Geron Corporation today announced that it has entered into a collaboration jointly funded by Geron and a University of California Discovery Research and Training Grant to investigate the therapeutic potential of its human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based product, GRNOPC1, for Alzheimer’s disease. The company is currently developing GRNOPC1 for the potential treatment of spinal cord injury.

27 Jan 2010

Antioxidants can also harm

Antioxidants increasingly have been praised for their benefits against disease and aging, but recent studies at Kansas State University show that they also can cause harm.

27 Jan 2010

Helicos BioSciences adds new sequencing kits and run configurations for its Genetic Analysis System

Helicos BioSciences Corporation announced today the introduction of a series of new single molecule sequencing kits and run configurations for the Helicos® Genetic Analysis System that will expand its versatility for customers. These new products and configurations, available without any System hardware upgrades, offer customers the ability to tailor parameters of the System to the specific application and number of samples under study.

27 Jan 2010

Genome study could help prevent devastating epidemics in the future

A team of collaborating scientists at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston, the Broad Institute in Boston, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP) have sequenced almost 100 full genomes from three successive epidemics of flesh-eating bacteria.

27 Jan 2010

Study shows congenital HGH deficiency has no effect on normal lifespan

People profoundly deficient in human growth hormone (HGH) due to a genetic mutation appear to live just as long as people who make normal amounts of the hormone, a new study shows. The findings suggest that HGH may not be the "fountain of youth" that some researchers have suggested.

27 Jan 2010

Microbia's beta-carotene receives 'GRAS' status for food and beverage applications

Microbia, Inc., today announced that a panel of independent experts has determined its bio-based β-carotene (beta-carotene) to be GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) for both food and beverage applications.

27 Jan 2010

Resveratrol supplements may offer potential benefits for cancer patients

For years, consumers and natural health advocates have been convinced of the benefits of resveratrol, the healthy by-product of red-wine grapes, but recently, the National Cancer Institute decided it was time to investigate further.

27 Jan 2010

UF researchers work out to find new treatments for Pompe disease

As scientists work to find new treatments for Pompe disease - the devastating genetic "villain" that drives the efforts of the main characters in the new film "Extraordinary Measures" - University of Florida researchers are hopeful that gene therapy will help patients in the late stages of the disease breathe on their own.

27 Jan 2010

MDRNA granted Chinese patent for use of nucleic acids in cancer treatment

MDRNA, Inc., a leading RNAi-based drug discovery and development company, today announced that the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has issued a Notification of Granting Patent Rights for PRC 200480018784 which includes the use of nucleic acids, e.g., an siRNA, for the treatment of cancer. The patent describes modulation of claudins, which are proteins implicated in tumor progression and metastasis.

27 Jan 2010

UCSB research: Rapamycin drug, a potential treatment for ADPKD

Research performed at UC Santa Barbara points to the drug rapamycin as a potential treatment for kidney disease. The study builds on past research and shows that studies performed on mice are more likely to translate to humans than previously thought.

27 Jan 2010