Laboratory News and Research

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Beta blockers do not reduce risk of colorectal cancer

A new study has found that, contrary to current thinking, taking beta blockers that treat high blood pressure does not decrease a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also revealed that even long-term use or subtypes of beta blockers showed no reduction of colorectal cancer risk.

14 May 2012

New system may help restore vision in eye diseases

Using tiny solar-panel-like cells surgically placed underneath the retina, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a system that may someday restore sight to people who have lost vision because of certain types of degenerative eye diseases.

14 May 2012

Study describes new compounds that inhibit PRMT1 enzyme

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found the first chemical compounds that act to block an enzyme that has been linked to inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis, as well as some inflammation-promoted cancers.

11 May 2012

'Packing problem' could have a solution for cancer treatment

A hidden facet of a math problem that goes back to Sanskrit scrolls has just been exposed by nanotechnology researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Connecticut.

11 May 2012

Two types of stent systems are both effective in treating iliac artery disease

Two types of stent systems are both effective in treating patients who have severe forms of peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to results of the MOBILITY trial presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the SCAI 2012 Scientific Sessions.

11 May 2012

New combination therapy offers potential lifetime cure for advanced type 1 diabetes

City of Hope researchers developed a combination therapy to treat late-stage type 1 diabetes that appears to offer a potential lifetime cure for the disease without toxic side effects. The laboratory study is published in the May 9 edition of Science Translational Medicine.

11 May 2012

PET imaging for sudden cardiac arrest can identify candidates for ICDs

New research from the University at Buffalo suggests that cardiologists may have a new way to identify patients who are at the highest risk of sudden cardiac arrest, and the most likely to benefit from receiving an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD).

11 May 2012

BBI from soybeans shows promise against cancer

Soybeans soaking in warm water could become a new "green" source for production of a cancer-fighting substance now manufactured in a complicated and time-consuming industrial process, scientists are reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

10 May 2012

Human Gene Therapy highlights new advances in human retinal disease

Gene therapy strategies to prevent and treat inherited diseases of the retina that can cause blindness have progressed rapidly. Positive results in animal models of human retinal disease continue to emerge, as reported in several articles published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

9 May 2012

CKD-EPI equation may provide more accurate risk prediction of death, ESRD

Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., principal investigator at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), is the author of an invited editorial in JAMA. The editorial accompanied a study that included data from more than 1 million adults, and indicated the use of a newer risk prediction equation that classified fewer individuals as having chronic kidney disease and more accurately categorized the risk for death and end-stage renal disease.

9 May 2012

Botanical formula inhibits breast to lung cancer metastasis in mice

Scientists at Indiana University Health's Cancer Research Laboratory have found that a sophisticated botanical formula slows human breast cancer growth and inhibits breast to lung metastasis in mice. The formula contains extracts from medicinal mushrooms, medicinal herbs and purified nutritional compounds, and showed no toxic side-effects.

9 May 2012

IBN develops biochip for investigating the effect of drugs on cancer stem cells

Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, have developed a miniaturized biochip for investigating the effect of drugs on cancer stem cells (CSCs). Published recently in Nano Today, this new technology could boost the development of more effective cancer drugs.

9 May 2012

Regulatory T cell diversity provides cumulative protective effect against RA

Untangling the root cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been a difficult task for immunologists, as decades of research has pointed to multiple culprits in our immune system, with contradictory lines of evidence. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute announce that it takes a diverse array of regulatory T cells (a specialized subset of white blood cells) to prevent the immune system from generating the tissue-specific inflammation that is a hallmark of the disease. Regulatory T cell diversity, the researchers say, provides a cumulative protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis. When that diversity is not present, it allows the immune system to attack joints.

9 May 2012

Researchers discover potential way to develop universal flu vaccines

University of British Columbia researchers have found a potential way to develop universal flu vaccines and eliminate the need for seasonal flu vaccinations.

8 May 2012

Metformin blocks uveitis in laboratory rats

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have discovered that a drug already prescribed to millions of people with diabetes could also have another important use: treating one of the world's leading causes of blindness.

8 May 2012

Scientists make important discovery about internal programming of B cells

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have made an important discovery about the internal programming of B cells, the immune cells that make antibodies against infections. The finding opens the way for the development of vaccines that can work more efficiently and hints at therapies for conditions in which B cells cause harm—such as the autoimmune disease lupus erythymatosus, severe allergies, and B-cell lymphomas.

8 May 2012

Soon a single therapy for range of brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

In a study, published in Nature, researchers prevented brain cells dying in mice with prion disease. It is hoped the same method for preventing brain cell death could apply in other diseases. The findings are at an early stage, but have been heralded as “fascinating”.

8 May 2012

Can curry really be beneficial for cancer?

Curcumin is found in the spice turmeric has been linked to a range of health benefits. Studies have already shown that it can beat cancer cells grown in a laboratory and benefits have been suggested in stroke and dementia patients as well. Cucurmin, which acts as an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties, has traditionally been used as an alternative remedy for liver disease, digestive disorders, acne and a range of allergies. Some studies have shown it may slow the spread of cancer, boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy and protect healthy cells from the effects of radiotherapy.

8 May 2012

Mini-Lecture Series from ARUP Laboratories

ARUP Laboratories, a national reference laboratory, is pleased to announce its Mini-Lecture Series during the annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society in Honolulu.

8 May 2012

Stereotaxis to highlight results from Epoch clinical study at HRS annual meeting

Stereotaxis, Inc. will highlight clinical results from the first 1,250 cases and the latest innovations for the Epoch platform, its new generation comprehensive solution for the electrophysiology (EP) laboratory, at the 33rd Annual Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Scientific Sessions, May 9-12, 2012.

8 May 2012