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New project to help control jet noise in tactical aircraft

The deafening roar of supersonic aircraft can cause hearing damage to Sailors and Marines on flight decks, so the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is funding a new project to help reduce jet noise, officials announced April 12.

16 Apr 2012

New genes may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence

In the world's largest brain study to date, a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide collaborated to map the human genes that boost or sabotage the brain's resistance to a variety of mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease.

16 Apr 2012

Hi-C sequencing decodes 3-D structure of DNA folds in chromosomes

Chromosomes are strands of DNA that contain the blueprint of all living organisms. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes that instruct how genes are regulated during development of the human body. While scientists have developed an understanding of the one-dimensional structure of DNA, until today, little was known about how different parts of DNA are folded next to each other inside the nucleus.

12 Apr 2012

When the economy is tough, hospitals woo well-insured patients

A study published in Health Affairs found that during the recession, hospitals have sought to establish themselves in affluent markets.

12 Apr 2012

Scientists discover new anti-HCV antibodies

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has found antibodies that can prevent infection from widely differing strains of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in cell culture and animal models.

4 Apr 2012

Greenwood launches Syndromic Autism 62-Gene Panel

RainDance Technologies, Inc., the Digital Biology Company, today announced that Greenwood Genetic Center has commercially launched its Syndromic Autism 62-Gene Panel which was built for use on RainDance's picodroplet-based targeted sequencing platform.

29 Mar 2012

Scientists uncover new layer of information in the genetic code

A hidden and never before recognized layer of information in the genetic code has been uncovered by a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) thanks to a technique developed at UCSF called ribosome profiling, which enables the measurement of gene activity inside living cells - including the speed with which proteins are made.

29 Mar 2012

Study identifies new hypervariable regions in human gut viruses

A growing body of evidence underscores the importance of human gut bacteria in modulating human health, metabolism, and disease. Yet bacteria are only part of the story. Viruses that infect those bacteria also shape who we are. Frederic D. Bushman, PhD, professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, led a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that sequenced the DNA of viruses -- the virome -- present in the gut of healthy people.

20 Mar 2012

Scientist generates mutant version of IL-2 protein to treat advanced cancers

The utility of a naturally occurring protein given, sometimes to great effect, as a drug to treat advanced cancers is limited by the severe side effects it sometimes causes. But a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist has generated a mutant version of the protein whose modified shape renders it substantially more potent than the natural protein while reducing its toxicity.

19 Mar 2012

JAK-STAT inhibitors reverse MS-like disease in mice

A new class of drugs completing clinical trials soon for rheumatoid arthritis should be examined as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, according to the authors of a University of Alabama at Birmingham study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

13 Mar 2012

Novel set of genes linked with epithelial ovarian cancer patient survival

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues from 11 other institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom have used two genome-wide association studies (GWAS) - one from the U.S. and one from the U.K. - to detect a novel set of genes found to be associated with epithelial ovarian cancer patient survival.

7 Mar 2012

State news: Ore. Gov. signs reform bill; Texas seeks early release of sick inmates

If Oregon's Democratic governor is right, the bill he signed Friday will improve health care and reduce costs so significantly that it could help fix the federal budget. The Obama administration is watching with keen interest -; and so are critics who say Gov. John Kitzhaber's plan is just another example of government overreach.

6 Mar 2012

New insurance coverage option may have negative effects on veteran's health care

While the Affordable Care Act will expand health insurance coverage for low-income persons through Medicaid and state health-insurance exchanges, including much-needed care for 1.8 million uninsured veterans in the U.S., the new insurance coverage option also may have a number of unintended negative effects on health care for veterans, said Kenneth W. Kizer, director of the Institute for Population Health Improvement at UC Davis Health System.

24 Feb 2012

ACS 243rd National Meeting & Exposition to be held March 25-29

Journalists may now register and reserve housing for a scientific conference that news media accounts have termed the "World Series of Science." One of the largest scientific conferences of the year, it is the American Chemical Society (ACS) 243rd National Meeting & Exposition. More than 14,000 scientists and others are expected for the event. It will be held March 25-29, 2012, in San Diego, Calif., at the San Diego Convention Center and area hotels.

24 Feb 2012

UA researchers identify the likely culprit of epilepsy

Only 10 years ago, deciphering the genetic information from one individual in a matter of weeks to find a certain disease-causing genetic mutation would have been written off as science fiction. It was the time of the Human Genome Project, and it had taken armies of sequencing robots working around the clock for almost a decade to unravel the complete sequence of the human genetic code - referred to as the genome - by churning out the DNA alphabet letter by letter.

24 Feb 2012

Breastfeeding mother's consumption of caffeine may cause wakefulness and irritability in the baby

Babies are not able to metabolize or excrete caffeine very well, so a breastfeeding mother's consumption of caffeine may lead to caffeine accumulation and symptoms such as wakefulness and irritability, according to an interview with expert Ruth Lawrence, MD, published in Journal of Caffeine Research, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

22 Feb 2012

DNA ‘nanorobot’ effectively targets cancer leaving healthy cells untouched: Study

Researchers have developed ‘nano-sized’ probes built from DNA that can seek and destroy cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. These ‘nanorobots’ release their drug payload only when they reach and identify their target and are believed to improve many treatments for disease.

20 Feb 2012

Study identifies USP15 as a critical protein in cancer

After years studying the molecular bases of glioblastoma - the most common brain tumor and one of the most aggressive of all cancers, the group led by Dr. Joan Seoane , Director of Translational Research at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and ICREA Research Professor has today published a study in Nature Medicine identifying USP15 as a critical protein in cancer which, thanks to its molecular characteristics, shows enormous therapeutic promise.

20 Feb 2012

Pyromaker can rapidly sequence cancer-driving mutations

Using precise information about an individual's genetic makeup is becoming increasingly routine for developing tailored treatments for breast, lung, colon and other cancers. But techniques used to identify meaningful gene mutations depend on analyzing sequences of both normal and mutant DNA in tumor samples, a process that can yield ambiguous results. Now, a team of Johns Hopkins researchers says it has developed an easy-to-use online computer software application that can clear up any confusion faster and cheaper than other methods currently used to do the job.

16 Feb 2012

Discovery sheds light on what happens in cells when DNA is damaged

A research group in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta is hoping its latest discovery could one day be used to develop new therapies that target certain types of cancers.

13 Feb 2012