Laboratory News and Research

RSS

ECMC network receives £35M grants for cancer medicine research

The Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) network, which runs UK clinical studies of the newest cancer treatments, has been awarded a second wave of £35M funding for the next five years.

23 Dec 2011

Researchers develop CAD-type tools to engineer RNA control systems

The computer assisted design (CAD) tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components or "RNA devices" for controlling genetic expression in microbes.

23 Dec 2011

SAMMI can monitor foreign bodies in foodstuffs

Has the packet been properly filled? Are there impurities in the chocolate? Have the plastic seams been welded correctly? Is there a knife hidden in the parcel? Answers to all these questions are provided by SAMMI, short for Stand Alone MilliMeter wave Imager.

22 Dec 2011

Researchers use functional MRI scans to perform brain decoding

At UCLA's Laboratory of Integrative Neuroimaging Technology, researchers use functional MRI brain scans to observe brain signal changes that take place during mental activity. They then employ computerized machine learning (ML) methods to study these patterns and identify the cognitive state - or sometimes the thought process - of human subjects. The technique is called "brain reading" or "brain decoding."

22 Dec 2011

New silk-based microneedle system for controlled-release drug delivery

Bioengineers at Tufts University School of Engineering have developed a new silk-based microneedle system able to deliver precise amounts of drugs over time and without need for refrigeration. The tiny needles can be fabricated under normal temperature and pressure and from water, so they can be loaded with sensitive biochemical compounds and maintain their activity prior to use. They are also biodegradable and biocompatible.

22 Dec 2011

Autism Speaks announces 47 new ASD research grants

Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of 47 new research grants totaling $13,242,279 in funding over the next three years.

22 Dec 2011

Scientists model brain structure to help computers recognize objects

An essential question confronting neuroscientists and computer vision researchers alike is how objects can beidentified by simply "looking" at an image. Introspectively, we know that the human brain solves this problem very well. We only have to look at something to know what it is.

22 Dec 2011

ORNL tool reveals previously undiscovered role of retinoblastoma

Armed with a new ability to find retinal anomalies at the cellular level, neurobiologists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have made a discovery they hope will ultimately lead to a treatment for cancer of the retina.

22 Dec 2011

Five weight loss tips for the New Year

With the new year right around the corner, many will be thinking about their New Year's resolution. One of the most popular - losing weight - can also be one of the most difficult to keep. But researchers at Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) work year-round to study the treatment and prevention of obesity.

22 Dec 2011

SMA honors JSUMC obstetrician with Robert D. and Alma W. Moreton Original Research Award

Jersey Shore University Medical Center is pleased to announce that Mark G. Martens, M.D. chairman of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was honored in November by the Southern Medical Association (SMA) with the Robert D. and Alma W. Moreton Original Research Award.

21 Dec 2011

Scientists identify why African naked mole-rat feels no pain when exposed to acid

British researchers of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have found out why the African naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), one of the world's most unusual mammals, feels no pain when exposed to acid.

21 Dec 2011

Study on how Antarctic worms survive current levels of ocean warming

Researchers at the University of Delaware are examining tiny worms that inhabit the frigid sea off Antarctica to learn not only how these organisms adapt to the severe cold, but how they will survive as ocean temperatures increase.

21 Dec 2011

Siemens Medical pledges $200,000 to SIR Foundation's Discovery Campaign

The Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation's Discovery Campaign, which seeks to further the growth of minimally invasive medicine into new areas of discovery, announced a major corporate pledge to that initiative. Siemens Medical Solutions, a provider of imaging and laboratory diagnostic equipment and information technology and management consulting and services to health care customers, pledged $200,000, as a "Pioneer" Supporter.

From Siemens Healthineers 21 Dec 2011

Scientists create functional model of native extracellular matrix

Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have created a functional model of the native extracellular matrix that provides structural support to cells to aid growth and proliferation. The model could lead to advances in regenerative medicine.

21 Dec 2011

etHIN chooses OptumInsight's health information exchange technology

The East Tennessee Health Information Network (etHIN) has selected OptumInsight's health information exchange (HIE) technology to help physicians, hospitals and other health care providers in the region improve patient care coordination and quality.

20 Dec 2011

Immunosuppressant combination improves survival of human spinal stem cells in ALS rat model

A team of researchers grafting human spinal stem cells into rats modeled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," a degenerative, lethal, neuromuscular disease, have tested four different immunosuppressive protocols aimed at determining which regimen improved long-term therapeutic effects.

20 Dec 2011

Mammography appears to detect women with low-risk breast cancer

As a woman ages, her chances of being diagnosed with a lower-risk breast tumor increase, according to a novel study led by UCSF which found that for women over 50, a substantial number of cancers detected by mammograms have good prognoses.

20 Dec 2011

EETs may also drive growth and spread of cancer

A group of small molecules called EETs - currently under scrutiny as possible treatment targets for a host of cardiovascular diseases - may also drive the growth and spread of cancer, according to researchers at the Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC) and other institutions.

20 Dec 2011

Scientists discover missing link between body's biological clock and sugar metabolism system

Scientists have discovered a missing link between the body's biological clock and sugar metabolism system, a finding that may help avoid the serious side effects of drugs used for treating asthma, allergies and arthritis.

20 Dec 2011

New UA cancer research centre to focus on personalised treatment options

A new cancer research centre established at the University of Adelaide will focus on treatment options tailored to the individual, taking into account DNA and genetic variations between people.

20 Dec 2011