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Harvard experts create biocompatible hydrogel

A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering at Harvard have created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may pave the way to replacing damaged cartilage in human joints.

6 Sep 2012

TSC and PTEN genes important in controlling blood precursor cells in Drosophila

UCLA stem cell scientists have shown that two common tumor suppressor genes, TSC and PTEN, are vital to regulating the stem cell-like precursor cells that create the blood supply in Drosophila, the common fruit fly.

6 Sep 2012

Chronic nerve pain: an interview with Professor Sally Lawson

Chronic nerve pain results from pathological changes within a nerve that appear to be self-sustaining and thus the pain continues for a long time.

30 Aug 2012

Researchers deciphered function of claudin-10 gene in the kidney

Sodium chloride, better known as salt, is vital for the organism, and the kidneys play a crucial role in the regulation of sodium balance. However, the underlying mechanisms of sodium balance are not yet completely understood.

24 Aug 2012

Kineta receives regulatory clearance to commence ShK-186 Phase I trial in autoimmune disease

Seattle-based biotech company Kineta, Inc. announced today it has received regulatory clearance in the Netherlands to initiate a first-in-human trial of ShK-186, an autoimmune drug candidate that specifically inhibits the Kv1.3 potassium ion channel.

21 Aug 2012

Ion levels poor indicator for hip arthroplasty debris

Research shows that plasma metal ion analysis is only moderately effective at identifying patients with adverse reaction to metal debris following metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty.

17 Aug 2012

New DNA sequencing tests improve ability to analyze genetic disorders

Scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School (UMDNJ-NJMS) have developed new DNA sequencing tests that hold significant promise for decreasing costs associated with diagnosing cancer and hereditary diseases, including cysticfibrosis.

17 Aug 2012

Pathway describes how alpha hydroxyl acids cause skin exfoliation

A team of investigators from UC Davis and Peking University have discovered a mechanism that may explain how alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) -- the key ingredient in cosmetic chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams -- work to enhance skin appearance. An understanding of the underlying process may lead to better cosmetic formulations as well as have medical applications.

14 Aug 2012

Two major classes of brain cells repress neural activity in specific mathematical ways

The brain has billions of neurons, arranged in complex circuits that allow us to perceive the world, control our movements and make decisions. Deciphering those circuits is critical to understanding how the brain works and what goes wrong in neurological disorders.

9 Aug 2012

Cardionovum to introduce PROLIMUS Biograde system in Europe

Cardionovum GmbH announced today that it expects to launch in Europe in Q4 2012 a next-generation Sirolimus-eluting coronary stent system—PROLIMUS Biograde—which is designed to optimize long-term patient results. Unlike many state-of-the-art DES that are currently being marketed, PROLIMUS Biograde provides multiple pro-healing product features to promote early re-endothelialization.

9 Aug 2012

Common anti-angina drug may help protect the heart against carbon monoxide poisoning

An international research team, led from the University of Leeds, has found that a common anti-angina drug could help protect the heart against carbon monoxide poisoning.

6 Aug 2012

Researchers discover genetic process that can restore function to a CF defective protein

Researchers at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine have discovered a genetic process that can restore function to a defective protein, which is the most common cause of cystic fibrosis (CF).

2 Aug 2012

New drug may be useful in treating long QT syndrome

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a new drug that may be useful in treating a heart rhythm condition called long QT syndrome.

1 Aug 2012

Specific autoantibodies associated with blood vessel damage in the brain

The presence of specific autoantibodies of the immune system is associated with blood vessel damage in the brain. These findings were made by Marion Bimmler, a graduate engineer of medical laboratory diagnostics at the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch and Dr. Peter Karczewski of the biotech company E.R.D.E.-AAK-Diagnostik GmbH in studies on a rat model.

31 Jul 2012

NYGC purchases four Life Technologies' Ion Proton Sequencers

Life Technologies Corporation today announced that the New York Genome Center (NYGC) has purchased four Ion Proton Sequencers for its new Innovation Center.

31 Jul 2012

Life Technologies second quarter revenue increases 1% to $950 million

Life Technologies Corporation today announced results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2012.

31 Jul 2012

ATP1A3 gene mutations responsible for alternating hemiplegia of childhood

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a rare disorder that usually begins in infancy, with intermittent episodes of paralysis and stiffness, first affecting one side of the body, then the other. Symptoms mysteriously appear and disappear, again and again, and affected children often experience dozens of episodes per week. As they get older, children fall progressively behind their peers in both intellectual abilities and motor skills, and more than half develop epilepsy.

31 Jul 2012

New drug shows promise for Long QT syndrome

Long QT syndrome, which results from genetic mutation or certain medications, can cause the heart to beat chaotically and the affected person to die suddenly. The chaotic heartbeat is due to abnormal electrical activity in the heart. In an electrocardiogram test, this abnormality appears as a wider-than-normal QT interval, a pattern of "hills" in a map of peaks and valleys corresponding to the heart contracting and relaxing.

30 Jul 2012

Study extends scientific understanding of how pheromones activate the vomeronasal organ

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is one of evolution's most direct enforcers. From its niche within the nose in most land-based vertebrates, it detects pheromones and triggers corresponding basic-instinct behaviors, from compulsive mating to male-on-male death matches. A new study from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, published online in Nature Neuroscience on July 29, 2012, extends the scientific understanding of how pheromones activate the VNO, and has implications for sensory transduction experiments in other fields.

30 Jul 2012

Researchers discover gene mutations in patients with alternating hemiplegia of childhood

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a very rare disorder that causes paralysis that freezes one side of the body and then the other in devastating bouts that arise at unpredictable intervals. Seizures, learning disabilities and difficulty walking are common among patients with this diagnosis.

30 Jul 2012