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Scientist generates mutant version of IL-2 protein to treat advanced cancers

The utility of a naturally occurring protein given, sometimes to great effect, as a drug to treat advanced cancers is limited by the severe side effects it sometimes causes. But a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist has generated a mutant version of the protein whose modified shape renders it substantially more potent than the natural protein while reducing its toxicity.

19 Mar 2012

Exposure to MEHP shortens reproductive life of female mice

Female mouse fetuses exposed to very high doses of a common industrial chemical that makes plastics more pliable develop significant reproductive alterations and precancerous lesions as they grow up, according to a new toxicology study conducted at Brown University.

17 Mar 2012

SBMT announces 2012 recipients of Pioneers in Medicine, Technology and Healthcare Policy Awards

Today, the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics announced the 2012 recipients of the organization's prestigious Pioneers in Medicine, Technology, and Healthcare Policy Awards.

17 Mar 2012

New Aspen Dental office to open on March 29 in Walpole, MA

Patients looking for a dentist in Walpole, MA now have a new dental care provider option with the opening of a new Aspen Dental office this month. The new practice, which opens on Thursday, March 29 in the Walpole Mall at 116 Providence Hwy., will provide dental services that range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration.

17 Mar 2012

Researchers describe preparation of chitosan nanoparticles

Nanoparticles containing chitosan have been shown to have effective antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Escherichia coli. The materials could be used as a protective wound-healing material to avoid opportunistic infection as well as working to facilitate wound healing.

17 Mar 2012

New Aspen Dental office to open on March 29 in Spring Hill, FL

Patients looking for a dentist in Spring Hill, FL now have a new dental care provider option with the opening of a new Aspen Dental office this month. The new practice, which opens on Thursday, March 29 in the Spring Hill at 1525 Commercial Way, will provide dental services that range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration.

17 Mar 2012

Expanded R&D facility opens at Cubist headquarters

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the official opening of its expanded research and development facility at its headquarters at 65 Hayden Avenue in Lexington, Massachusetts.

17 Mar 2012

Collaborative research discovers genetic marker that identifies pigs with reduced susceptibility to PRRS

A collaborative discovery involving Kansas State University researchers may improve animal health and save the U.S. pork industry millions of dollars each year.

16 Mar 2012

Neuropeptide F in the fly's brain governs behavior linked with addiction

Sexually deprived male fruit flies exhibit a pattern of behavior that seems ripped from the pages of a sad-sack Raymond Carver story: when female fruit flies reject their sexual advances, the males are driven to excessive alcohol consumption, drinking far more than comparable, sexually satisfied male flies.

16 Mar 2012

Third International Symposium on Thymosins in Health and Disease to take place on GW campus

The George Washington University is host to the world's leaders in the area of research that focuses on Thymosins- small proteins present in many animal tissues that have diverse biological activities- Two in particular, thymosins α1 and β4, have potentially important uses in medicine, and research has already progressed from the laboratory to the clinic.

16 Mar 2012

GABA neurons could help restore muscle coordination deficits of Huntington's

Huntington's disease, the debilitating congenital neurological disorder that progressively robs patients of muscle coordination and cognitive ability, is a condition without effective treatment, a slow death sentence. But if researchers can build on new research reported this week in the journal Cell Stem Cell, a special type of brain cell forged from stem cells could help restore the muscle coordination deficits that cause the uncontrollable spasms characteristic of the disease.

16 Mar 2012

OHRI, uOttawa to lead first stem cell therapy trial for septic shock

A team of researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has been awarded $367,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and $75,000 from the Stem Cell Network to lead the first clinical trial in the world of a stem cell therapy for septic shock.

16 Mar 2012

Combination therapy may improve life span and motor function of infants with Batten disease

Infants with Batten disease, a rare but fatal neurological disorder, appear healthy at birth. But within a few short years, the illness takes a heavy toll, leaving children blind, speechless and paralyzed. Most die by age 5.

16 Mar 2012

New technique can sensitize cancer cells to radiation

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute are developing a technique to remove cancer cells' defenses against radiation.

16 Mar 2012

Western University develops DeskCAT- Multi-slice CT Scanner

Biophysics professors at Western University, in London, Canada, have developed a CT (Computed Tomography) scanner small enough to sit on a desk. Jerry Battista, Chair of the Department of Medical Biophysics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Kevin Jordan of the London Regional Cancer Program at London Health Sciences Centre invented the DeskCAT- Multi-slice CT Scanner as a novel and interactive way to teach CT imaging techniques to a wide range of students.

16 Mar 2012

Scientists use novel system to discover sequential firing of neurons

Princeton University researchers have used a novel virtual reality and brain imaging system to detect a form of neural activity underlying how the brain forms short-term memories that are used in making decisions.

15 Mar 2012

Study identifies 190 proteins crucial to the functions of key immune sensors

In a healthy immune system, invading pathogens trigger a cascade of alerts and responses to fight off the infection. Sensors called toll-like receptors, or TLRs, act as one of the first lines of defense. Two of these sensors, known as TLR7 and TLR9, specifically recognize and respond to microbial RNA and DNA, respectively. But what determines how these TLRs get where they need to be and sound the alarm for pathogen infection?

15 Mar 2012

Suspected case of polio under investigation in India, threatens country's eradication efforts

On Monday, "a girl admitted to a hospital in West Bengal with polio-like symptoms sparked worries that India's battle against polio may not be over yet," the Wall Street Journal's "India Real Time" blog reports, noting, "The suspected polio case ... comes just two weeks after the WHO removed India from the list of countries where polio is endemic."

15 Mar 2012

MDxHealth fourth quarter total revenues increase 48% to €0.9M

MDxHealth SA, a leading molecular diagnostic company that develops and commercializes epigenetic tests to support cancer treatment, today announced results for Q4 and full year 2011.

15 Mar 2012

Researchers identify epigenetic signatures within reprogrammed skin cells

A research team has identified epigenetic signatures, markers on DNA that control transient changes in gene expression, within reprogrammed skin cells.

15 Mar 2012