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OSU researchers study biological and mechanical principles of cockroach to build robots

The sight of a cockroach scurrying for cover may be nauseating, but the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel, and is providing researchers at Oregon State University with what they call "bioinspiration" in a quest to build the world's first legged robot that is capable of running effortlessly over rough terrain.

29 Dec 2009

Emerald BioStructures engineers new allosteric small molecule modulators of the PDE4 enzyme

Emerald BioStructures (formerly deCODE biostructures) announced today a publication in the December 27, 2009 advance online issue of Nature Biotechnology, detailing the application of structure-based drug design (SBDD) to engineer new allosteric small molecule modulators of the enzyme phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4), with reduced side effects. According to the paper, the researchers established the structural basis of PDE4 regulation through crystal structures of the PDE4 regulatory domain in contact with small molecules.

29 Dec 2009

Study explains how semaphorin gene regulates synapse formation

By combining a research technique that dates back 136 years with modern molecular genetics, a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist has been able to see how a mammal's brain shrewdly revisits and reuses the same molecular cues to control the complex design of its circuits.

29 Dec 2009

TSC proteins regulate Notch activity

Two independent teams of researchers have identified a role for enhanced activation of the signaling protein Notch in tumors characterized by inactivation of either the TSC1 or the TSC2 protein. As indicated by Warren Pear, at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in an accompanying commentary, these data provide a rationale for testing whether Notch inhibitors are of benefit to those with TSC-associated tumors.

29 Dec 2009

Chloride acts as a major amplifier for signal transduction in mouse sensory neurons

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is an odor detection system that mediates many pheromone-sensitive behaviors. Vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs), located in the VNO, are the initial site of interaction with odors and pheromones.

29 Dec 2009

Study suggests genetic variations predispose African-Americans to diabetes

For years, scientists have tried to determine the basis for discrepancies between race and the predisposition for development of diseases such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Could factors such as differences in lifestyle or access to health care play a role, or is there something else in play?

29 Dec 2009

First animal model for studying schizophrenia

Scientists have created what appears to be a schizophrenic mouse by reducing the inhibition of brain cells involved in complex reasoning and decisions about appropriate social behavior.

29 Dec 2009

Defects in protein-secretion machinery linked to neural tube closure

Spinal cord disorders like spina bifida arise during early development when future spinal cord cells growing in a flat layer fail to roll up into a tube. In the Dec. 6 issue of Nature Cell Biology, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine team with colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley to report a never-before known link between protein transport and mouse spinal cord development, a discovery that opens new doors for research on all spinal defects.

29 Dec 2009

Successful RNA interference to turn off multiple genes raises hope for new liver disease treatments

Researchers at MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals report this week that they have successfully used RNA interference to turn off multiple genes in the livers of mice, an advance that could lead to new treatments for diseases of the liver and other organs.

29 Dec 2009

New evidence suggests amyloid beta plays a critical role in synaptic failure

The early stages of Alzheimer's disease are thought to occur at the synapse, since synapse loss is associated with memory dysfunction. Evidence suggests that amyloid beta (Aβ) plays an important role in early synaptic failure, but little has been understood about Aβ's effect on the plasticity of dendritic spines.

29 Dec 2009

The Medical College of Wisconsin licenses novel molecular imaging technology to GE Healthcare

A novel molecular imaging technology aimed at rapid diagnosis of cell death in organs such as the brain and heart has been licensed by The Medical College of Wisconsin to GE Healthcare. Under the license GE will further evaluate and develop the technology and will have an option to commercialize the technology. The technology, using imaging probes with a radiopharmaceutical compound, was invented by Ming Zhao, Ph.D., assistant professor of biophysics.

29 Dec 2009

Scientists discover new molecular protein that protects bacteria from stomach acid

Just like teenagers at a prom, proteins are tended by chaperones whose job it is to prevent unwanted interactions among immature clients. And at the molecular level, just as at the high school gym level, it's a job that usually requires a lot of energy.

29 Dec 2009

Small molecules reverse protein trafficking and mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease models

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, muscle rigidity, and slowed movements. There is currently no cure for the disease, and current Parkinson's therapies only address disease symptoms, not the disease's cellular cause.

29 Dec 2009

Research suggests common mechanism is associated with different human diseases

Inherited mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) are associated with many different human diseases, including genetic forms of epilepsy and chronic pain. Theodore Cummins and colleagues, at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, have now determined the functional consequence of three such mutations.

29 Dec 2009

Promising results from Soligenix' RiVax vaccine against ricin toxin

Soligenix, Inc., formerly known as DOR BioPharma, Inc., a late-stage biotechnology company, announced today the publication of an article in the January 2010 edition of Infection and Immunity, detailing the characteristics of several immunodominant regions of ricin A chain, the antigenic component of RiVax((TM)). RiVax((TM)) is Soligenix's vaccine to protect against exposure to ricin toxin and is currently being evaluated in Phase 1 human safety and immunogenicity trials, as well as nonhuman primate trials for efficacy.

29 Dec 2009

Nanoscaffolds could play a central role in tissue and organ reconstruction

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have published a study in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (18:9), now freely available on line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct, that explores ways to successfully keep stem cells "forever young" during implantation by slowing their growth, differentiation and proliferation.

28 Dec 2009

Interesting aspects of bacterial sensing and signaling

Over the last fifteen years it has become increasingly obvious that bacteria are not as simple and solitary as once believed. Rather, an accumulating body of work shows that bacteria are highly complicated and social organisms, constantly sensing their surroundings and altering both their environments and behaviors to ensure survival. Direct communication between bacteria turns out to be quite common, as are coordinated intra- and interspecies responses that include the formation of highly sophisticated microbial communities.

28 Dec 2009

Medical Science News

OSU researchers study biological and mechanical principles of cockroach to build robots

Emerald BioStructures engineers new allosteric small molecule modulators of the PDE4 enzyme

Study explains how semaphorin gene regulates synapse formation

TSC proteins regulate Notch activity

Chloride acts as a major amplifier for signal transduction in mouse sensory neurons

Study suggests genetic variations predispose African-Americans to diabetes

First animal model for studying schizophrenia

Defects in protein-secretion machinery linked to neural tube closure

Successful RNA interference to turn off multiple genes raises hope for new liver disease treatments

New evidence suggests amyloid beta plays a critical role in synaptic failure

The Medical College of Wisconsin licenses novel molecular imaging technology to GE Healthcare

Scientists discover new molecular protein that protects bacteria from stomach acid

Small molecules reverse protein trafficking and mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease models

Research suggests common mechanism is associated with different human diseases

Promising results from Soligenix' RiVax vaccine against ricin toxin

Nanoscaffolds could play a central role in tissue and organ reconstruction

Interesting aspects of bacterial sensing and signaling

Scientists identify new gene variants associated with disturbances in lipid metabolism

Hunger hormone can intensify high-fat food consumption

Publication validates company's structure-based approach for addressing undruggable targets

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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