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Source - EurekAlert – Biology:
Public Release: 9-Oct-2009
Nature
How RNA polymerase II gets the go-ahead for gene transcription
The central dogma of molecular biology states that genes make RNAs, which then make proteins. Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich, led by Professor Patrick Cramer, have now discovered how the crucial first steps in RNA synthesis are executed -- and gene transcription is initiated.
Contact: Luise Dirscherl
dirscherl@lmu.de
49-892-180-2706
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Public Release: 8-Oct-2009
Clemson bioengineer uses nanoparticles to target drugs
Clemson bioengineer Frank Alexis is designing new ways to target drugs and reduce the chances for side effects.
Contact: Peter Kent
pkent@clemson.edu
864-656-4355
Clemson University
Public Release: 8-Oct-2009
PLoS Pathogens
Parasite growth hormone pushes human cells to liver cancer
Scientists have found that the human liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini) contributes to the development of bile duct (liver) cancer by secreting granulin, a growth hormone that is known to cause uncontrolled growth of cells. Details are published Oct. 9 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Contact: Sarah-Jane Matthews
sarah-jane.matthews@qimr.edu.au
073-845-3752
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 8-Oct-2009
PLoS Genetics
Gene data tool advances prospects for personalized medicine
A sophisticated computational algorithm, applied to a large set of gene markers, has achieved greater accuracy than conventional methods in assessing individual risk for type 1 diabetes. The researchers suggest that their technique, applied to appropriate complex multigenic diseases, improves the prospects for personalizing medicine to an individual's genetic profile.
Contact: John Ascenzi
Ascenzi@email.chop.edu
267-426-6055
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Public Release: 8-Oct-2009
Hepatology
Liver cells grown from patients' skin cells
Scientists at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have successfully produced liver cells from patients' skin cells opening the possibility of treating a wide range of diseases that affect liver function. The study was led by Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., Marcus Professor in Human and Molecular Genetics, and professor of cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy, , along with postdoctoral fellow Karim Si-Tayeb, Ph.D., and graduate student Ms. Fallon Noto.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Toranj Marphetia
toranj@mcw.edu
414-456-4744
Medical College of Wisconsin
Public Release: 7-Oct-2009
Science Translational Medicine
Debut edition of Science Translational Medicine
The debut issue of Science Translational Medicine -- a new journal intended to help speed basic research advances into clinics and hospitals -- describes a microfluidics device for detecting tiny amounts of estrogen, which could potentially improve breast cancer screening.
Contact: Natasha Pinol
npinol@aaas.org
202-326-7088
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Source - Science Daily:
Please note: Due to the format restrictions of Science Daily articles, you must click on the URL (web address) below the article summary, rather than the article title.
Too Much Of A Good Thing? Scientists Explain Cellular Effects Of Vitamin A Overdose And Deficiency
October 9, 2009 — If a little vitamin A is good, more must be better, right? Wrong! New research shows that vitamin A plays a crucial role in energy production within cells, explaining why too much or too little has a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008113309.htm
Strategy For Mismatched Stem Cell Transplants Triggers Protection Against Graft-vs.-host Disease
October 8, 2009 — A technique being tested in stem cell transplants from imperfectly matched donors has revealed an unforeseen response that can suppress graft-versus-host disease. The previously unrecognized ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007153739.htm
Genes Associated With Onset Age Of Parkinson's Disease Identifiied
October 8, 2009 — Researchers have identified genes which may influence the onset age of Parkinson's disease. The findings are the first to identify genes contributing to the variation in onset age and may help ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007131212.htm
New Target For Treating Leukemia Identified
October 8, 2009 — New research integrates sophisticated interdisciplinary approaches to solve a molecular mystery that may lead to alternative therapeutic strategies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The study ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005123034.htm
Stem Cells Which 'Fool Immune System' May Provide Vaccination For Cancer
October 8, 2009 — A new study reveals the potential for human stem cells to provide a vaccination against colon cancer. This discovery builds upon a century old theory that immunizing with embryonic materials may ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007223724.htm
Bioengineer Uses Nanoparticles To Target Drugs
October 8, 2009 — A bioengineer is designing new ways to target drugs and reduce the chances for side ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008113311.htm
Surgeons' Unanimous Consensus: Needle Biopsy Is Gold Standard For Breast Cancer Diagnosis
October 8, 2009 — A new report indicates that an alarming 35 percent of initial diagnostic breast biopsies in the United States are still being done using unnecessary open surgical techniques. This in spite of the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007091741.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: Oct. 9, 2009
Breast Cancer Cells Mutate As Disease Progresses: Study
Vitamin B Won't Prevent Heart Disease: Review
CDC Seeks To Increase Seasonal Flu Shots Among Children
Immune System Linked to Osteoporosis In Celiac Patients: Study
Free Depression Screening on Thursday
Stretching Test May Reveal Arterial Stiffness
Flexibility exercises belong in cardiovascular workout, experts say
Clinical Trials Update: Oct. 9, 2009
Severe Nodular Acne
Bipolar Depression
Osteoarthritis
New Way to Make Stem Cells?
Chemicals can do the work previously handled by genes, researchers find
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Facet Investors Urged to Deny Offer - Zacks.com - 56 minutes ago
Facet Biotech's board has determined that the unsolicited conditional tender offer from Biogen Idec is inadequate and not in the best interests of its stockholders.
Another Coin-Flip Bet on a Stem Cell Drug - Indie Research - 1 hour, 39 minutes ago
The recent pullback in stem cell stocks is testing the 2009 trend's support.
Flu Stocks in Focus as Orders, Approvals Stack Up - Indie Research - Wed Oct 7
Peak flu season is approaching, and investor focus is returning to related equity plays.
Source - Google Health News:
Flu vaccine rush puts focus on calls for faster delivery
USA Today
By Nati Harnik, AP By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY The USA expects 200 million doses of swine flu vaccine by the end of the year, the result of a process that ...
HHS Secretary Pushes H1N1 Vaccine, Says Americans Must Take The Shot
Prison Planet.com
... (H5N1) vaccines dating from 2007 and 2008. When asked on CNN to respond to several nationwide polls indicating that Americans do not trust the vaccine ...
Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Heart Disease Treatment
Michigan Radio
U of M and University of Minnesota scientists say that gene therapy shows promise for the treatment of hearts that don't pump enough blood and oxygen. ...
Reduction of liver macrophage transduction by pseudotyping lentiviral vectors ...
7thSpace Interactive (press release)
Lentiviral vectors are well suited for gene therapy because they can mediate long-term expression in both dividing and nondividing cells. ...
Source - Medical News Today:
Retrovirus Linked To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Researchers in the US have discovered that a high proportion of people with the debilitating neuroimmune disease Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), have a retrovirus called XMRV in their blood. The groundbreaking study was the work of scientists from the Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI), located at the University of Nevada, Reno, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Cleveland Clinic, and was published online on 8 October in the journal Science.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166838.php
Nature Publication: Genome-Wide Study Of Autism
In one of the first studies of its kind, an international team of researchers has uncovered a single-letter change in the genetic code that is associated with autism. The finding, published in the October 8 issue of the journal Nature, implicates a neuronal gene not previously tied to the disorder and more broadly, underscores a role for common DNA variation. In addition, the new research highlights two other regions of the genome, which are likely to contain rare genetic differences that may also influence autism risk. "These discoveries are an important step forward, but just one of many that are needed to fully dissect the complex genetics of this disorder, " said Mark Daly, one of the study's senior authors, a senior associate member at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and an associate professor at the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). "The genomic regions we've identified help shed additional light on the biology of autism and point to areas that should be prioritized for further study."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166759.php
Major Improvements Made In Engineering Heart Repair Patches From Stem Cells
University of Washington (UW) researchers have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged hearts. The disk-shaped patches can be fabricated in sizes ranging from less than a millimeter to a half-inch in diameter. Until now, engineering tissue for heart repair has been hampered by cells dying at the transplant core, because nutrients and oxygen reached the edges of the patch but not the center. To make matters worse, the scaffolding materials to position the cells often proved to be harmful.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166723.php
First Engineered T Cell Receptor Trial Opens With New Cellular Therapy For HIV
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Adaptimmune Limited today announced the approval of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and opening for enrollment of the first-ever study using patients' cells carrying an engineered T cell receptor to treat HIV (SL9 HA-GAG-TCR). The trial may have important implications in the development of new treatments for HIV potentially slowing or even preventing the onset of AIDS. The trial makes use of the body's natural ability to recognize infected cells by enhancing the power of the T cell receptor (TCR) on killer T cells. When a virus infects cells, it hijacks the host cell machinery in order to replicate and spread infection. These infected cells then expose or "present" small parts of the virus proteins on their surface, offering a "molecular fingerprint" called an epitope for killer T-cells from the immune system to identify. This triggers an immune response, eliminating the virus and any cells involved in its production. However, HIV not only replicates itself quickly on infection but also has the ability to mutate rapidly, swiftly disguising its fingerprints to allow it to hide from killer T-cells.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166643.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Surgical Scalpel Sniffs Out Cancer
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23655/
The Human Genome in 3-D
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23654/
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