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Olympus unveils CX23® microscope for education, training and laboratory use

Olympus has unveiled the CX23® microscope, designed to provide high-quality optical performance and stress-free, dependable operation in laboratory, classroom and training facilities worldwide.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 2 Apr 2015

Myriad Genetics expands companion diagnostic collaboration with AstraZeneca

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced the expansion of its companion diagnostic collaboration with AstraZeneca. Under the terms of the expanded agreement, Myriad’s BRACAnalysis CDx test will be used to prospectively identify which patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer may respond to treatment with Lynparza (olaparib).

2 Apr 2015

New prenatal test introduced for detecting Down’s Syndrome

A new prenatal test for Down’s Syndrome may be more effective at diagnosing the condition than the standard screening that is currently used, suggests a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Apr 2015

Study: APOSEC protein concentrate reduces severity of damage after spinal cord injuries

In tests conducted on animals, the APOSEC protein concentrate extracted from white blood cells has reduced the severity of damage after an accident involving spinal cord injuries when the agent was injected in the abdominal cavity 40 minutes after the acute lesion. As a result, severe consequential paralyses can be prevented.

2 Apr 2015

Pouchlike structure inside the heart's left atrial chamber could cause strokes

A pouchlike structure inside the heart's left atrial chamber in some people may explain strokes that otherwise lack an identifiable cause, according to UC Irvine School of Medicine researchers.

2 Apr 2015

Scientists develop computer model to predict how liver stores fat

As part of an effort to understand how an experimental drug for atherosclerosis causes the build-up of fat in the liver, scientists have developed a computer model that can predict how the rate at which liver stores fat in response to various situations. Being able to model liver fat storage gives researchers a way to predict the side effects of drugs and environmental factors at much earlier stages in the research and drug development process, possibly reducing the number of experiments involving animal models.

2 Apr 2015

Study suggests link between androgens, atherosclerosis and obesity in females

While testosterone replacement therapies may be controversial in males, new research in The FASEB Journal may extend this controversy to females too. That's because research involving mice, appearing in the April 2015 issue, suggests that there is an association between low levels of androgens (which includes testosterone), and atherosclerosis and obesity in females.

2 Apr 2015

UC Davis' John S. Werner wins 2015 Verriest Medal from International Colour Vision Society

John S. Werner, a UC Davis neuroscientist and international authority on visual perception, has been selected to receive the 2015 Verriest Medal from the International Colour Vision Society for his contributions to understanding the structural and functional basis of color vision, how and why vision changes across the life span, and factors that contribute to loss of vision associated with disease. He will receive the award at the society's biennial symposium in Sendai, Japan, in July.

2 Apr 2015

Hospitals, health systems preparing to treat patients with Ebola face unexpected challenges

Hospitals and health systems preparing for and treating patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the fall of 2015 faced unexpected challenges for ensuring safety of staff, patients and the community. The experiences are detailed in two studies published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

2 Apr 2015

Older mothers who exercise during pregnancy can reduce baby's risk of congenital heart defects

In people, a baby's risk of congenital heart defects is associated with the age of the mother. Risk goes up with increasing age. Newborn mice predisposed to heart defects because of genetic mutations show the same age association.

2 Apr 2015

Old leukemia drug may help in fight against cancer

A drug used for decades to treat leukemia may have other uses in the fight against cancer, researchers at the University of Missouri have found. Previously, doctors used 6-Thioguanine, or 6-TG, as a chemotherapy treatment to kill cancer cells in patients with leukemia.

2 Apr 2015

Canada's VSV-EBOV Ebola vaccine proves safe, effective in Phase 1 clinical trial

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, and Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Gregory Taylor, today welcomed the news of promising trial outcomes of Canada's VSV-EBOV Ebola vaccine. The results of several studies and trials bring the world closer to ending this global outbreak through the provision of a commercially available vaccine.

2 Apr 2015

Low doses of imatinib drug can push immune system to combat bacterial infections

Low doses of the anti-cancer drug imatinib can spur the bone marrow to produce more innate immune cells to fight against bacterial infections, Emory researchers have found.

1 Apr 2015

World-first human clinical trials for Hendra virus to begin this month

An antibody manufactured at The University of Queensland will be used in world-first human Hendra virus clinical trials starting this month.

1 Apr 2015

Scientists isolate energy-burning 'beige' fat from adult humans

For the first time, a research team, led by a UC San Francisco biologist, has isolated energy-burning "beige" fat from adult humans, which is known to be able to convert unhealthy white fat into healthy brown fat. The scientists also found new genetic markers of this beige fat.

1 Apr 2015

Folic acid supplements can improve blood vessel dilation in older adults

Supplemental folic acid can enhance blood vessel dilation in older adults, according to Penn State researchers, suggesting that folic acid supplements may be an inexpensive alternative for helping older adults to increase skin blood flow during heat waves and reduce cardiovascular events.

1 Apr 2015

Research breakthrough could help develop tools to repair damaged nerve cells

A team of researchers at the IRCM led by Frédéric Charron, PhD, in collaboration with bioengineers at McGill University, uncovered a new kind of synergy in the development of the nervous system, which explains an important mechanism required for neural circuits to form properly.

1 Apr 2015

Understanding how neurons work

Before scientists can unlock the secrets of the human brain, they must fully understand neurons—the cells of our brain, spinal cord and overall nervous system. Thousands of detailed neuron images, from different organisms, currently sit in individual data collections across the globe, comprising several petabytes of data altogether.

1 Apr 2015

Selvita commences IND-enabling studies for its first oncology drug candidate

Selvita, the largest drug discovery company in Central and Eastern Europe, announced today that it is commencing IND-enabling studies for SEL24 project, the company’s first oncology drug candidate.

1 Apr 2015

FGF21 protein can boost regenerative effects of human PPARα

Researchers at UC Davis have illuminated an important distinction between mice and humans: how human livers heal. The difference centers on a protein called PPARα, which activates liver regeneration. Normally, mouse PPARα is far more active and efficient than the human form, allowing mice to quickly regenerate damaged livers.

1 Apr 2015