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Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health discovered that reactivation of ancient viral genes embedded in the human genome may cause the destruction of neurons in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

1 Oct 2015

Brodalumab therapy achieves 100% reduction in psoriasis symptoms

An experimental, biologic treatment, brodalumab, achieved 100 percent reduction in psoriasis symptoms in twice as many patients as a second, commonly used treatment, according to the results of a multicenter clinical trial led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Oct 2015

New reference catalogue may help guide future studies of genetics, evolution and disease

Missing a gene may be less problematic than you'd think. This is one of the conclusions that emerge from the most extensive catalogue of structural variations - changes in large sections of a person's DNA sequence - to date.

1 Oct 2015

UH researcher investigates two new avenues for detection, treatment of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the U.S. The challenge with prostate cancer is that the standard treatment methods in the advanced stage of the disease lose effectiveness after about one to two years, leading to recurrence and, ultimately, death. A University of Houston researcher and his team are working to change that.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers reveal how varied genetic background influences tumour differences

Researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden, and the Broad Institute, USA, have identified both similarities and differences between a single tumour type in multiple dogs breeds; a finding they believe parallels the situation in the cancer of human patients.

30 Sep 2015

New study finds that serum miRNA profiles change as myeloma progresses

Virtually all patients who develop myeloma have an asymptomatic disease called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) in the years before the onset of myeloma. The five-year relative survival rate for myeloma is 69% for patients diagnosed with stage I or localized disease, compared with 45% for patients with advanced cancer.

30 Sep 2015

Leading cancer researchers address eight 'big questions'

Leading cancer researchers address eight of the "big questions" facing the field as part of the inaugural issue of Trends in Cancer, published by Cell Press.

30 Sep 2015

Brain prosthesis may help individuals suffering from memory loss

Researchers at USC and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a brain prosthesis that is designed to help individuals suffering from memory loss.

30 Sep 2015

Unique combination opens up novel applications in nano-engineering

Scientists from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have developed a new class of molecular motors that rotate unidirectionally at speeds of up to 1 kHz when exposed to sunlight at room temperature.

30 Sep 2015

Aelan Cell Technologies, Gladstone Institutes partner to study stem cell rejuvenation

Aelan Cell Technologies today announced they have entered into an agreement with the Gladstone Institutes to further its studies on stem cell rejuvenation. This effort will be led by Meenakshi Gaur, Ph.D. of Aelan Cell Technologies and Kathryn Ivey, Ph.D. of the Gladstone Institutes.

30 Sep 2015

Saint Louis University receives NIH grant to investigate development of new drugs to treat bone diseases

David Griggs, Ph.D., director of biology at Saint Louis University's Center for World Health & Medicine, has received a $1 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the development of what could be a new class of drugs to treat bone diseases.

30 Sep 2015

New study identifies inflammatory lung disease as risk factor for insulin resistance, diabetes

Numerous studies have identified obesity and poor diet as risk factors for insulin resistance and diabetes. A new study adds another risk factor to the list: inflammatory lung disease. Published in the American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, the study reports that inflammation in the lungs is enough to induce the body-wide inflammation that can lead to insulin resistance.

30 Sep 2015

Study raises hope for reducing life-threatening respiratory problems in infants

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have a lead on reducing life-threatening respiratory problems in infants born to women who develop the liver disorder intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).

30 Sep 2015

New gene therapy approach to treating DMD reduces symptoms, extends life span in mouse model

A gene therapy approach to treating the progressive muscle wasting disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) that does not replace the mutated DMD gene but instead delivers the gene for ITGA7, a protein in skeletal muscle, led to reduced symptoms and significantly extended life span in a mouse model of severe DMD. Over-expression of ITGA7 did not elicit an immune reaction, further supporting its potential as a novel treatment for DMD, according to a new study published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

30 Sep 2015

Glowing protein may replace fiber optic cable as light source in optogenetics research

Optogenetics has taken neuroscience by storm in recent years because the technique allows scientists to study the brain conveniently in animals, activating or inhibiting selected groups of neurons at the flip of a switch. Most often, scientists use a fiber optic cable to deliver light into the brain.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers develop a technique that uses platelet membranes to coat anticancer drugs

Researchers have for the first time developed a technique that coats anticancer drugs in membranes made from a patient's own platelets, allowing the drugs to last longer in the body and attack both primary cancer tumors and the circulating tumor cells that can cause a cancer to metastasize. The work was tested successfully in an animal model.

30 Sep 2015

Understanding neurobiological mechanisms of empathy

In a study with more than 100 participants, Claus Lamm and his interdisciplinary team used an innovative experimental trick, the so-called placebo analgesia effect, to close an explanatory gap in the understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of empathy.

30 Sep 2015

Intratumoral morphological diversity of breast cancer not related to chromosome aberrations

Intratumor morphological heterogeneity (diversity) of breast cancer is not related to chromosome aberrations. This conclusion was made based on the study of one case with aggressive variant of breast cancer - invasive micropapillary carcinoma by researchers from Tomsk State University, Tomsk Cancer Research Institute, and Institute of Medical Genetics.

30 Sep 2015

Study explores how the human brain contributes to success

Discoveries about how the human brain contributes to our success - both as a species and as individuals - are among the first fruit of projects funded under the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative program as well as the Human Connectome Project.

30 Sep 2015

New software programs may help speed up drug discovery process for diabetes and other diseases

Proteins sometimes run amuck. All the good stuff (the useful genetic and biological material) they contain can get distorted. Mutations in specific amino acids can cause long strands of proteins to curl in on themselves (like a ball of wool a cat has played with) and refuse to break apart.

30 Sep 2015

Medical Science News

Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Brodalumab therapy achieves 100% reduction in psoriasis symptoms

New reference catalogue may help guide future studies of genetics, evolution and disease

UH researcher investigates two new avenues for detection, treatment of prostate cancer

Researchers reveal how varied genetic background influences tumour differences

New study finds that serum miRNA profiles change as myeloma progresses

Leading cancer researchers address eight 'big questions'

Brain prosthesis may help individuals suffering from memory loss

Unique combination opens up novel applications in nano-engineering

Aelan Cell Technologies, Gladstone Institutes partner to study stem cell rejuvenation

Saint Louis University receives NIH grant to investigate development of new drugs to treat bone diseases

New study identifies inflammatory lung disease as risk factor for insulin resistance, diabetes

Study raises hope for reducing life-threatening respiratory problems in infants

New gene therapy approach to treating DMD reduces symptoms, extends life span in mouse model

Glowing protein may replace fiber optic cable as light source in optogenetics research

Researchers develop a technique that uses platelet membranes to coat anticancer drugs

Understanding neurobiological mechanisms of empathy

Intratumoral morphological diversity of breast cancer not related to chromosome aberrations

Study explores how the human brain contributes to success

New software programs may help speed up drug discovery process for diabetes and other diseases

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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