GBP Health / Biotech News 04-14-2010:
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EurekAlert - Biology:
Public Release: 14-Apr-2010
Rutgers' Stem Cell Research Center derives new cell lines and trains stem cell scientists
At Rutgers' Stem Cell Research Center where scientists are exploring the mysteries of human embryonic stem cells and their potential use in treating diseases, repairing damaged organs, and drug development, center staff offer a course in proper lab techniques in working with stem cells.
State of New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology
Contact: Joseph Blumberg
blumberg@ur.rutgers.edu
732-932-7084
Rutgers University
Public Release: 14-Apr-2010
62nd AAN Annual Meeting
New gene associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease
Researchers have identified a gene that appears to increase a person's risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of Alzheimer's disease. The research will be presented as part of the late-breaking science program at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10-17, 2010. The gene, abbreviated MTHFD1L, is located on chromosome six.
Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
Public Release: 13-Apr-2010
Cancer Cell
CSHL scientists discover how a tumor suppressor induces senescence and staves off cancer
The Retinoblastoma (RB) gene controls a vast and potent tumor suppression pathway, which is disabled in virtually all tumor cells because of mutations in the gene. RB gene mutations are some of the most frequently found in a variety of human cancers. Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have now found that a key function of RB in suppressing cancer stems from its ability to induce cellular senescence, a stage of growth arrest in which cells no longer divide.
Contact: Hema Bashyam
bashyam@cshl.edu
516-367-6822
Public Release: 13-Apr-201062nd AAN Annual Meeting
Investigational immune intervention slows brain shrinkage in Alzheimer's patients
An investigational intervention using naturally occurring antibodies in human blood has preserved the thinking abilities of a group of mild- to moderate-stage Alzheimer's patients over 18 months and significantly reduced the rate of atrophy (shrinkage) of their brains, according to a study performed at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.Baxter Healthcare, Citigroup Foundation, Weill Cornell Medical College
Contact: John Rodgers
jdr2001@med.cornell.edu
212-821-0560
New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College
Public Release: 11-Apr-2010Nature Nanotechnology
MIT researchers harness viruses to split water
A team of MIT researchers has found a novel way to mimic the process by which plants use the power of sunlight to split water and make chemical fuel to power their growth. In this case, the team used a modified virus as a kind of biological scaffold that can assemble the nanoscale components needed to split a water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
Contact: Jen Hirsch
jfhirsch@mit.edu
617-253-1682
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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.
Childhood Obesity Linked to Stiff Arteries
April 14, 2010 — Children with more body fat and less endurance than their fitter, leaner counterparts have stiffer arteries at a young age, researchers ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100412095536.htm
New Tool to Help Study Prostate Cancer Developed
April 14, 2010 — Researchers have developed a new method to better study the cells that line and protect the prostate in relation to the development of cancer. Using the model, they found that normal cells and cancer ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311141220.htm
Investigational Immune Intervention Slows Brain Shrinkage in Alzheimer's Patients
April 14, 2010 — An investigational intervention using naturally occurring antibodies in human blood has preserved the thinking abilities of a group of mild- to moderate-stage Alzheimer's patients over 18 months and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413170705.htm
Targeting Vascular Disease Linked to Cancer-Causing Gene Mutation
April 14, 2010 — Researchers have discovered how a genetic disease known mainly for its life-threatening tumors also can cause sudden death from cardiovascular disease in children, and are mounting a clinical trial ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100323142329.htm
Small Molecule Targets B Cell Lymphoma
April 14, 2010 — Scientists are one step closer to developing a targeted therapy for lymphoma. New research identifies a specific small-molecule inhibitor that was nontoxic in animal experiments and could kill human ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100412124955.htm
New Gene Associated With Increased Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
April 14, 2010 — Researchers have identified a gene that appears to increase a person's risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of Alzheimer's disease. The gene, abbreviated MTHFD1L, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414083305.htm
New Test Takes Guesswork out of Diagnosing Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease
April 13, 2010 — A new test developed by Japanese scientists may revolutionize how and when physicians diagnose Alzheimer's disease. According to new research, the new test measures proteins in the spinal fluid known ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100325143057.htm
Clinical Trial to Test Whether Vaccine Can Effectively Treat Melanoma
April 13, 2010 — A nationwide Phase III clinical trial is under way to determine whether a promising vaccine for advanced melanoma can effectively treat the deadly skin ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100406141517.htm
Bypass Surgery Compared to Angioplasty
April 13, 2010 — A new study compares the safety and efficacy of heart bypass surgery to angioplasty with drug-eluting stents in patients with left main coronary artery disease, a diagnosis affecting thousands of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413121332.htm
How a Tumor Suppressor Induces Senescence and Staves Off Cancer
April 13, 2010 — The retinoblastoma (RB) gene controls a vast and potent tumor suppression pathway, which is disabled in virtually all tumor cells because of mutations in the gene. RB gene mutations are some of the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413112056.htm
Brain Cancer: Study Focuses on Forgotten Cells
April 13, 2010 — Glioblastoma can often be removed surgically, but the brain tumor often reappears, because some tumor cells remain in the brain. Researchers have now subjected these "forgotten" cells to closer ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413095858.htm
Healing a Broken Heart With Stem Cells?
April 12, 2010 — Some patients with heart muscles seriously affected by coronary heart disease may soon be able to benefit from an innovative treatment. Researchers are evaluating the safety, feasibility and efficacy ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100412095540.htm
Targeting the Blood-Brain Barrier May Delay Progression of Alzheimer's Disease
April 12, 2010 — Researchers may be one step closer to slowing the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. An animal study shows that by targeting the blood-brain barrier, researchers are able to slow the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100412103711.htm
Promising Strategy for Treatment of Lung Cancer
April 12, 2010 — Researchers in Sweden have shown in a study that two closely related enzymes could be targets for the treatment of lung cancer. The discovery was made when the researchers blocked the production of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329093617.htm
New Form of Endoscopic Scanning Improves Detection of Precancerous Condition, Barrett's Esophagus
April 12, 2010 — A new endoscopic scanning technique has proven successful in the early detection of dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus and could help clinicians diagnose esophageal cancer at an earlier stage, when the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100412111629.htm
New, Inexpensive Way to Predict Alzheimer's Disease
April 11, 2010 — Your brain's capacity for information is a reliable predictor of Alzheimer's disease and can be cheaply and easily tested, according to ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100405111207.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: April 14, 2010
- States Consider Increased Role for Nurse Practitioners
- Twitter May Offer Early Warning of Epidemics: Study
- Improve Meat Supply Safety: Report
- Discovery May Lead to Better Ovarian Cancer Treatments
- Pre-Abortion Screenings Required Under New Nebraska Law
Artificial Pancreas for Type 1 Diabetes Moves Closer to Reality
Newest version effectively controls blood sugar without user involvement.
Clinical Trials Update: April 14, 2010
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Acid Reflux / GERD
- Heart Disease
Magnets Might Boost Stem Cell Therapy
In animal studies, they drew more stem cells to damaged heart tissue
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Regulators approve J&J pancreatic enzyme treatment- AP - Tue 2:44 pm ET
Health care products company Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Pancreaze, which helps people with conditions like cystic fibrosis digest food.
Hospira offers competing bid to buy Javelin Pharma - AP - Mon Apr 12
Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday it received a better acquisition offer from Hospira Inc., and it plans to end a competing bid made by Myriad Pharmaceuticals Inc
Source - Google Health News:
UF-led effort creates virus reference standard that can improve patient safety ...
University of Florida
Adeno-associated viruses are one type of vector being used increasingly in human gene therapy clinical trials and laboratory studies leading up to those ...
Stem-cell therapy feels Food and Drug Administration's pinch
Denver Post
"If any physician thinks he can take cells out, expand them and grow them in his own clinic, the risk is something very similar to gene therapy, ...
Mesothelioma May Benefit From Immuno- Gene Therapy
Surviving Mesothelioma
Gene therapy is a promising treatment for mesothelioma, but it has been slow to make its way into clinical use because delivering enough therapeutic genes ...
Gene therapy cures red-green colorblindness in monkeys
Tennessee Journalist
Researchers at the Eye Institute of the University of Washington have successfully used gene therapy to cure colorblindness in adult monkeys. ...
Gene Linked to Radiation Therapy Resistance in Cancer Cells
IndyPosted (blog)
Researchers from the University of Oxford scanned 200 genes they believed might be associated with cancer cells becoming resistant to radiation therapy. ...
Source - Medical News Today :
The Mystery Of Fragile Stem Cells Solved By Scripps Research Scientists
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field closer to the day when stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes. The research is being published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) during the week of April 12, 2010.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185286.php
Team Discovers "Smart" Insulin Protein Molecule
For millions of Americans with Type-2 diabetes and inject insulin to control diabetes (with onset typically in adulthood) the associated risk of cancer is of increasing concern. Studies have demonstrated that obesity and excess insulin whether naturally produced by the body or injected in synthetic form are associated with an increased incidence of some common cancers. With the release of today's study, "Supramolecular Protein Engineering Design of Zinc-Stapled Insulin Hexamers as a Long Acting Depot," in the prestigious Journal of Biological Chemistry, a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, led by Michael Weiss, MD, PhD, Cowan-Blum Professor of Cancer Research and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry, reveals their invention of a "smart" insulin protein molecule that binds considerably less to cancer receptors and self-assembles under the skin. To provide a slow-release form of insulin, t he analog self-assembles under the skin by means of "stapling" itself via bridging zinc ions. In light of its scientific and societal importance, the publication was highlighted as a "Paper of the Week" by the editors of the journal.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185162.php
Light At Night Disrupts Cell Cycle And Transcription Of Genes Linked To Cancer
Research published online recently suggests that the presence of artificial light at night disrupts the circadian cycle of cell division and affects transcription levels of genes that are associated with the formation of cancerous tumors and their spread. You can read about the study, by Dr Rachel Ben-Shlomo of the University of Haifa in Israel and Professor Charalambos P Kyriacou of the University of Leicester in the UK, in the February online issue of the journal Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185151.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Genetic Clues to Cancer's Spread
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25094/
Gold Nanosensors to Track Disease
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25031/?a=f
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25061/
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