Since August, 2005, this news digest has been a complimentary service of GBP Capital, a private equity firm investing in early to mid-stage life science companies. Please see www.gbpcap.com for more information. The digest is published two to four days a week. If you have colleagues who would be interested in receiving this digest, they can be added to the list at: www.gbpcap.com. To search the archive of all published digests please visit: www.gpbcap.com/ja/news/news-digest-archive.html
Source - EurekAlert – Biology:
Public Release: 14-Oct-2009
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Earlier flu viruses provided some immunity to current H1N1 influenza, study shows
University of California, Davis, researchers studying the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, formerly referred to as "swine flu," have identified a group of immunologically important sites on the virus that are also present in seasonal flu viruses that have been circulating for years. These molecular sites appear to result in some level of immunity to the new virus in people who were exposed to the earlier influenza viruses.
US Department of Homeland Security, UC Davis Center for California Food Animal Health
Contact: Patricia Bailey
pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
530-752-9843
University of California - Davis
Public Release: 14-Oct-2009
American College of Surgeons 95th Clinical Congress
Bioengineering of nerve-muscle connection could improve hand use for wounded soldiers
Prosthetic hand devices used by wounded soldiers have limited motor control and no sensory feedback. But a bioengineered interface, developed at the University of Michigan and made of muscle cells and a nano-sized polymer, could go a long way in creating prostheses that move like a normal hand. Animal studies show the interface may possibly restore a sense of touch.
US Department of Defense
Contact: Shantell M. Kirkendoll
smkirk@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 14-Oct-2009
Nature
What drives our genes? Salk researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Although the human genome sequence faithfully lists (almost) every single DNA base of the roughly 3 billion bases that make up a human genome, it doesn't tell biologists much about how its function is regulated. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute provide the first detailed map of the human epigenome, the layer of genetic control beyond the regulation inherent in the sequence of the genes themselves.
Contact: Gina Kirchweger
kirchweger@salk.edu
858-453-410-01685
Salk Institute
Public Release: 13-Oct-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
New cancer gene discovered
A new cancer gene has been discovered by a research group at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The gene causes an insidious form of glandular cancer usually in the head and neck and in women also in the breast. The discovery could lead to quicker and better diagnosis and more effective treatment.
Contact: Professor Goran Stenman
goran.stenman@llcr.med.gu.se
46-313-422-922
University of Gothenburg
Public Release: 12-Oct-2009
Nature Medicine
Magnetic nanotags spot cancer in mice earlier than methods now in clinical use
Searching for biomarkers that can warn of diseases such as cancer while they are still in their earliest stage is likely to become far easier thanks to an innovative biosensor chip developed by Stanford University researchers. The sensor is up to 1,000 times more sensitive than technologynow in clinical use, accurate regardless of which bodily fluid is being analyzed and can detect biomarker proteins over a concentration range three times broader than existing methods.
NIH/National Cancer Institute, National Science Foundation, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Canary Foundation, National Semiconductor Corporation.
Contact: Louis Bergeron
louisb3@stanford.edu
650-725-1944
Stanford University
Public Release: 11-Oct-2009
Nature Materials
New nanotech sensor developed with medical, chemistry applications
Researchers at Oregon State University and other institutions have developed a new "plasmonic nanorod metamaterial" using extraordinarily tiny rods of gold that will have important applications in medical, biological and chemical sensors.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Viktor Podolskiy
viktor.podolskiy@physics.oregonstate.edu
541-737-1702
Oregon State University
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.
New Cancer Gene Discovered
October 14, 2009 — A new cancer gene has been discovered by researchers in Sweden. The gene causes an insidious form of glandular cancer usually in the head and neck and in women also in the breast. The discovery could ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105320.htm
Using RNAi-based Technique, Scientists Find New Tumor Suppressor Genes In Lymphoma
October 14, 2009 — Researchers have uncovered a large, new cache of genes that act as built-in barriers against cancer. Known as tumor suppressors, the newly identified genes and the insight that they provide into ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013110048.htm
Less Invasive Procedure For Repair Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm May Reduce Short-term Risk Of Death
October 14, 2009 — Patients who received the less-invasive endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm had a lower risk of death in the first 30 days after the procedure compared to patients who an open repair, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013112512.htm
Researchers Find Candidates For New HIV Drugs
October 14, 2009 — Researchers have found compounds that show promise as novel drugs to treat HIV infection in the process of developing a method to assess the activity of a protein that plays an essential role in the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013112519.htm
A New Scan For Lung Diseases
October 14, 2009 — People with chronic lung disease and asthma could soon be offered better treatment thanks to a new type of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013210000.htm
Bioluminescence Imaging Used For Eye Cancer Detection
October 14, 2009 — At the moment, doctors rely on biopsy analysis to determine the progression of eye cancer. However, researchers now believe that a new technology, bioluminescence imaging, will allow doctors to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013112516.htm
Elderly Immune System Needs A Boost: Older Cancer Sufferers Need Treatments Tailored To Their Aging Immune Systems
October 14, 2009 — Elderly cancer patients need a combination of treatments tailor-made to their specific needs to successfully combat the disease. A new review examines the effects of aging on the immune system and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008113301.htm
SCID Kids Leading Healthy, Normal Lives 25 Years After 'Bubble Boy'
October 13, 2009 — Mention the words "bubble boy" and many will recall David Vetter, the kid with big eyes and a thick thatch of dark hair who died 25 years ago after spending almost the entire 12 years of his life in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105815.htm
Loss Of Tumor Supressor Gene Essential To Transforming Benign Nerve Tumors Into Cancers
October 13, 2009 — Researchers have shown for the first time that the loss or decreased expression of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN plays a central role in the malignant transformation of benign nerve tumors called ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105828.htm
Investment In Parkinson's Disease Data Bank Yields Potential Therapy
October 13, 2009 — Individuals with Parkinson's disease who have higher levels of a metabolite called urate in their blood and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have a slower rate of disease progression, according to a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012230532.htm
Blood Counts Are Clues To Human Disease
October 12, 2009 — New research examines that most important and diverse of tissues -- blood -- for genetic markers important in health. Scientists have found 15 new genetic variants associated with diseases including ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011184422.htm
New Findings About Brain Proteins Suggest Possible Way To Fight Alzheimer's
October 12, 2009 — The action of a small protein that is a major villain in Alzheimer's disease can be counterbalanced with another brain protein, researchers have found in an animal ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006122330.htm
Enhanced Stem Cells Promote Tissue Regeneration
October 11, 2009 — Engineers have boosted stem cells' ability to regenerate vascular tissue (such as blood vessels) by equipping them with genes that produce extra growth factors (naturally occurring compounds that ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161120.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: Oct. 14, 2009
U.N. Agencies Aim to Reduce Diarrhea Death Toll
Coma Patient Gives Birth to Healthy Baby
Women Cry More, Longer Than Men
Unsafe Abortions Kill 70,000 Women Each Year: Survey
More than One Billion People Hungry: U.N.
Stents Tested for Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction
Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Parkinson's
Treatment tested in monkeys addresses only motor issues, though, experts say
Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
Higher-quality data see danger from long-term use, new review finds
Clinical Trials Update: Oct. 14, 2009
Chronic Low Back Pain
Diverticulitis
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
ZioPharm shares rise on positive study data - AP - Wed 12:37 pm ET
Shares of ZioPharm Oncology Inc. jumped Wednesday after the company said its developing cancer treatment Zymafos met a key midstage study goal.
US and Canada regulators approve Pfizer-Wyeth deal - AP - 1 hour, 3 minutes ago
Pfizer Inc.'s $68 billion purchase of Wyeth will close Thursday after antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Canada cleared the deal, which will make Pfizer the world's largest drugmaker by revenue.
Source - Google Health News:
US could potentially use controversial adjuvants in swine flu vaccine
San Jose Mercury News
"It was going to be avian flu — an adjuvanted vaccine for H5N1 avian flu was approved in many countries, but the disease never spread person to person. ...
Research may help Parkinson's patients
Independent Florida Alligator
By ASHLYN POWELL, Alligator Contributing Writer UF researchers have made a breakthrough in gene therapy, which they hope will help reduce Parkinson's ...
Gene therapy could possibly assist jump-start ailing heart
HealthJockey.com
Scientists from the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota have revealed that gene therapy could possibly be used in order to improve an ailing heart's ...
Source - Medical News Today:
No Such Thing As 'Junk RNA,' Say Pitt Researchers
Tiny strands of RNA previously dismissed as cellular junk are actually very stable molecules that may play significant roles in cellular processes, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). Thefindings, published in the online version of the Journal of Virology, represent the first examination of very small RNA products termed unusually small RNAs (usRNAs). Further study of these usRNAs, which are present in the thousands but until now have been neglected, could lead to new types of biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, and new therapeutic targets. In recent years, scientists have recognized the importance of small RNAs that generally contain more than 20 molecular units called nucleotides, said senior author Bino John, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Computational Biology, Pitt School of Medicine.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167351.php
How Stem Cells Yield Functional Regions In 'Gray Matter'
The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved human specializations. Although at first all stem cells in charge of building the cerebral cortex - the outermost layer of neurons commonly referred to as gray matter - are created equal, soon they irrevocably commit to forming specific cortical regions. But how the stem cells' destiny is determined has remained an open question. In the Oct. 11 advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have identified the first genetic mechanism that determines the regional identity of progenitors tasked with generating the cerebral cortex. Their discovery reveals a critical period during which a LIM homeodomain transcription factor known as Lhx2 decides over the progenitors' regional destiny: Once the window of opportunity closes, their fate is sealed.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167346.php
New Legislation Would Codify NIH Guidelines On Stem Cell Research, Funding, Washington Post Editorial Says
An upcoming bill -- the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009, by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) -- would codify President Obama's executive order "permitting federal funding of such research within guidelines established by the NIH and would require that they be reviewed periodically," a Washington Post editorial states. According to the Post , the NIH guidelines issued last summer for such research "successfully navigated a minefield of ethical and moral questions," the editorial adds. The editorial says Obama's executive order overturned one issued by President George W. Bush in 2001 that "allowed federal funding only for those stem cell lines already developed," which scientists "ultimately found" were "too few" and of "limited" use. DeGette's bill would allow couples to donate surplus embryos for research, "as long as they are fully informed of their choices and not compensated" for the embryos, according to the editorial. The Post states that the NIH guidelines "give donors the ability to change their minds 'until the embryos were actually used.'" A panel of NIH scientists and ethicists will examine the procedures and records for stem cells lines developed on or before July 7 in the U.S. and abroad to determine "whether the lines were derived with voluntary informed consent from donors and in a manner consistent with the new rules," according to the editorial.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167278.php
Scientists Solve 100-year Cancer Puzzle
A rare case of a mother and her infant developing the exact same cancer has allowed an international team of researchers to solve a puzzle that has perplexed scientists and clinicians for a century. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and colleagues in Japan, with funding from Leukaemia Research, investigated a situation in which leukaemic cells appeared to
have defied accepted theories of biology and spread through the womb from a Japanese woman to her daughter.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167184.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Flu Vaccines Hit a Wall
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23665/
Seamlessly Melding Man and Machine
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23714/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.