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Researchers use IBM Linux supercomputing cluster to research DNA

Researchers at Mount Allison University are working to better understand how human DNA is damaged and what drugs can be used to repair it, using a powerful IBM Linux supercomputing cluster.

20 Apr 2004

Solvent used in nail polish may increase risk of breast and ovarian cancer

Ethylene glycol methyl ether a solvent for nitrocellulose, oils and resins, adhesives and for many different purposes may raise the risk of breast or ovarian cancer among women taking hormone treatments, say researchers at Duke University.

19 Apr 2004

Jefferson scientists learn how HIV causes dementia

Ever since the AIDS epidemic began more than two decades ago, scientists have been trying to understand why as many as one-quarter of those infected with HIV develop dementia.

19 Apr 2004

Certain prostate cancer cell lines are unable to repair DNA damage caused by "free radicals"

16 Apr 2004

Obese mothers increase likelihood of pre-eclampsia

A research team from the University of Glasgow has been awarded nearly £129, 000 by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to investigate the cause of pre-eclampsia (PE), a condition that kills nearly 600 babies in the UK each year.

14 Apr 2004

New nose cancer test kit promises to simplify the process and speed cancer testing

Inflexion a Singapore based offshoot of Nanyang Technological University has announced a new kit to test for and diagnose nose cancer. The kit was prepared some 3 years ago and had been forgotten until 3 young entrepreneurs realised it's commercial potential.

12 Apr 2004

Natural medication shown to not always be a safe alternative to synthetic medication

The common perception that if medication is natural then it must be safe has recently come under fire from a researh by a Consumer Reports magazine. The consumer publication found a dozen herbal supplements, some banned in Asia, Europe and Canada but widely available in the United States, may cause cancer, kidney or liver damage and even death.

10 Apr 2004

DNA free radical damage research

Certain prostate cancer cell lines are unable to repair DNA damage caused by "free radicals," according to scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). This type of damage has been implicated before in the development of prostate cancer, but the new research provides the first solid evidence that the normal repair process is altered in prostate cancer cells, possibly leading to a cascade of events that culminate in further DNA damage and cellular dysfunction.

9 Apr 2004

New process to extract proteins from membranes by using chemicals

Proteins are complex compounds that are essential for the growth and repair of tissue. While scientists understand much about the structure and stability of water-soluble proteins that ‘float’ around in humans, they know very little about the shape and stability of proteins that are embedded, or folded, into the lipid membrane of cells. Such membrane proteins make up about 30 percent of all proteins in the body.

8 Apr 2004

New microgel could potentially recover any enzyme and save manufacturers considerable money

Carnegie Mellon University scientists have employed biological molecules to create a microgel that could recover costly enzymes for repeated use in catalyzing commercially important reactions. The microgel could potentially recover any enzyme and theoretically save manufacturers considerable money.

8 Apr 2004

Molecular analyses of leukemia patients suggest strategies for better treatments

The cure rate for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) might continue to rise with improved use of conventional therapies. But even more effective and less toxic therapies based on genetic and pharmacogenetic studies might one day push the success rate close to 100 percent, according to an article published by investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the April 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Apr 2004

Completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature.

7 Apr 2004

Fluorescent molecule used to examine real time chemical reactions that result in smooth-muscle contraction

Smooth muscle, found in the walls of blood vessels and in internal organs such as lungs, stomach and the bladder, contracts as the end result of a series of chemical reactions. In a new study, UT Southwestern researchers report that one set of chemical reactions resulting in the contraction of the smooth-muscle cells is augmented by a second chemical pathway that kicks in when the first pathway is limited.

5 Apr 2004

Fatty acid pathway, glucose produce triacetic acid lactone

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have designed a potential roadmap to use a biosynthetic pathway taken from a common microorganism to produce compounds that could serve as precursors to explosives or components in everyday devices such as liquid crystal displays or anti-cancer agents.

1 Apr 2004

How rat's genetic blueprint stacks up against those of mice and humans

An international research team, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced it has completed a high-quality, draft sequence of the genome of the laboratory rat, and has used that data to explore how the rat's genetic blueprint stacks up against those of mice and humans.

31 Mar 2004

Gene-rich human Chromosome 19 sequence completed

31 Mar 2004

Research team has found a new way to streamline gene isolation to determine their functions

A single strand of plant or animal DNA may contain tens of thousands of genes, each programmed to produce a specific protein essential for the growth or survival of the organism. The challenge for geneticists is to isolate individual genes and determine their function -- a painstaking process often requiring years of laboratory trial and error.

31 Mar 2004

Drug, Nembutal can suppress activity in colon cancer cells

A barbiturate once commonly used to treat anxiety may play a role in controlling the spread of colon cancer, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

30 Mar 2004

Faster new cloning technique - transcript-based cloning

A single strand of plant or animal DNA may contain tens of thousands of genes, each programmed to produce a specific protein essential for the growth or survival of the organism. The challenge for geneticists is to isolate individual genes and determine their function – a painstaking process often requiring years of laboratory trial and error.

30 Mar 2004

Three of the world’s top women chemists visit UK to inspire young scientists

Three of the world’s top women chemists are visiting the UK this week (29 March - 2 April) to tour institutions and talk about their research with the aim of inspiring young scientists to emulate their achievements. The inaugural Rosalind Franklin International Lectureship Programme has been masterminded by Professor Susan Gibson, Imperial College London, who funded the initiative with her prize money from the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award.

29 Mar 2004