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Researchers find link between telomeres and longevity

A team led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has found a clear link between living to 100 and inheriting a hyperactive version of an enzyme that rebuilds telomeres - the tip ends of chromosomes. The findings appear in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

12 Nov 2009

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be associated with bipolar disorder in children

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be responsible for bipolar disorder in children. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry found four versions of the regulatory gene RORB that were associated with pediatric bipolar disorder.

11 Nov 2009

OPKO Health acquires NK-1 compounds from Schering

OPKO Health, Inc. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of rolapitant and a related compound from Schering Corporation, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. ("Schering").

11 Nov 2009

New microscope is expected to improve accuracy of intraoperative diagnostics

A new miniature, hand-held microscope may allow more precise removal of brain tumors and an easier recognition of tumor locations during surgery.

11 Nov 2009

Butterfly experiment in space

When NASA's space shuttle Atlantis launches for the International Space Station on Nov. 16 it will carry a University of Colorado at Boulder butterfly experiment that will be monitored by thousands of K-12 students across the nation.

11 Nov 2009

Cambridge based hub to use DNA sequencing platforms for advancing its targeted medical resequencing studies

The University of Cambridge and Life Technologies Corporation, announced today the formation of a collaboration to advance translational research studies in key disease areas such as cancer, diabetes and neurological disorders. Through this collaboration, next generation sequencing technology will be made available to the European research and clinical communities through the Eastern Sequence and Informatics Hub at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

11 Nov 2009

Universal Detection Technology to showcase its bio-weapons detection technology at Milipol Paris 2009

Universal Detection Technology, a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies and counter-terrorism training programs to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, announced today that it will showcase the latest developments in bio-weapons detection technology, including the TS-10-5-agent biodetection kit, with live training kit demos at Milipol Paris 2009.

11 Nov 2009

First draft of the cassava genome complete

A team of academic, government and industry researchers has completed a first draft of the cassava (Manihot esculenta) genome. The project is an important first step in accelerating the pace of research on this subsistence crop and addressing some of the many limitations that face cassava farmers around the world.

11 Nov 2009

Researchers find link between two genes involved in cancer formation in humans

Researchers at Queen's University have found a link between two genes involved in cancer formation in humans, by examining the genes in worms. The groundbreaking discovery provides a foundation for how tumor-forming genes interact, and may offer a drug target for cancer treatment.

11 Nov 2009

Researchers identify new mechanism to create lasting memories; findings may yield potential treatment for memory impairments

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered a mechanism that controls the brain's ability to create lasting memories. In experiments on genetically manipulated mice, they were able to switch on and off the animals' ability to form lasting memories by adding a substance to their drinking water. The findings, which are published in the scientific journal PNAS, are of potential significance to the future treatment of Alzheimer's and stroke.

11 Nov 2009

OncoVista Innovative Therapies' AdnaTest BreastCancer and EMT1/StemCell products evaluated in German hospitals

OncoVista Innovative Therapies, Inc. reported today that two of its proprietary products, the AdnaTest™ BreastCancer and AdnaTest EMT1/StemCell, were evaluated in Germany by the Departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Internal Medicine (Cancer Research) at University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen and the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Tuebingen.

11 Nov 2009

AMT's gene therapy successful in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today that it has successfully treated Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in an animal model with its proprietary gene therapy. The proof of concept studies were performed in collaboration with the group of Professor Irene Bozzoni (University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy) and demonstrated effectiveness in the heart as well as in skeletal muscles.

11 Nov 2009

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' bavituximab PS-targeting antibody demonstrates potent anti-tumor activity

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that a newly published study shows that a phosphatidylserine (PS)-targeting antibody similar to the company's lead product candidate bavituximab demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity when combined with radiation in a model of aggressive brain cancer, doubling the survival time of test animals and producing long-term cures.

11 Nov 2009

NIDA supports new drug detection research

Every time a person snorts cocaine, it doesn't just go to his or her head: It also provokes a response in the immune system, creating special biomolecules that may serve as a permanent record of each exposure.

11 Nov 2009

Researchers identify cause that leads to age-related hearing loss

Age-related hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder among the elderly. But scientists are still trying to figure out what cellular processes govern or contribute to the loss.

11 Nov 2009

Common myths about sun exposure, sunscreen and vitamin D

When it comes to vitamin D, consumers are bombarded with mixed messages about the best source for this essential nutrient. While some may argue that small doses of intentional sun exposure are safe, dermatologists point out that the risk of developing skin cancer from ultraviolet (UV) radiation far outweighs the benefit of stimulating vitamin D production - particularly when enriched foods and supplements are safe and effective sources of this vitamin.

11 Nov 2009

HFSP grant to develop molecular probes to study "cellular GPS" system

An international group of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Goettingen Medical School in Germany and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have received a Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) grant to develop molecular probes that will help researchers better understand the "cellular GPS" system that guides neurons to create a properly wired nervous system.

11 Nov 2009

Potential new drug for lung cancer eliminates tumors in mice

A potential new drug for lung cancer has eliminated tumours in 50% of mice in a new study published today in the journal Cancer Research. In the animals, the drug also stopped lung cancer tumours from growing and becoming resistant to treatment. The authors of the research, from Imperial College London, are now planning to take the drug into clinical trials, to establish whether it could offer hope to patients with an inoperable form of lung cancer.

11 Nov 2009

U.S. DOD grant to study vigabatrin in combination with opiates to manage pain

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. today reported that a team of neuroscientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (LIJ) has received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct an animal study of the use of vigabatrin in combination with opiates to effectively manage pain while reducing the potential for opiate addiction.

10 Nov 2009

NIH $1 million Challenge Grant to refine cell-tracking nanotube technology

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at Rice University and the Texas Heart® Institute (THI) a $1 million Challenge Grant to refine cell-tracking nanotube technology that could make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) up to 40 times more sensitive than existing MRIs and help guide adult stem cells within the human body to repair damaged hearts.

10 Nov 2009