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Drugs that target retromer pathway could help prevent or treat Parkinson's

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a protein trafficking defect within brain cells that may underlie common non-familial forms of Parkinson's disease.

9 Feb 2013

Scientists create nanoscale vehicle to battle cancer without harming healthy cells

A tiny capsule invented at a UCLA lab could go a long way toward improving cancer treatment. Devising a method for more precise and less invasive treatment of cancer tumors, a team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed a degradable nanoscale shell to carry proteins to cancer cells and stunt the growth of tumors without damaging healthy cells.

9 Feb 2013

Metabolic syndrome risk factors prevalent in bipolar disorder

People who have bipolar disorder are at a high risk for developing the metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular disorders, say researchers.

8 Feb 2013

Oral eosinophilic ulcers ‘a self-limiting, reactive condition’

A review of patients with oral eosinophilic ulcers suggests that the lesions should be considered a reactive, local condition rather than a CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder.

8 Feb 2013

Investigators discover two new genes associated with severe early-onset disorders of heart rhythm

A team led by Vanderbilt University investigators has discovered two new genes - both coding for the signaling protein calmodulin - associated with severe early-onset disorders of heart rhythm.

7 Feb 2013

Society of Toxicology's 52nd Annual Meeting to be held from Mar. 10-16 in San Antonio

A group of 7,000 scientists working in multiple specialties, from more than 50 countries, will meet March 10-14, 2013 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, to share their latest findings on 60 topical issues of concern to human health and the environment.

7 Feb 2013

Basis of antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy found

Through a series of investigations in mice and humans, Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy. Results of their experiments explain how these therapies likely work to relieve depression by stimulating stem cells in the brain to grow and mature.

7 Feb 2013

Liver gene found to regulate cholesterol and fat blood levels

Researchers have identified a microRNA liver gene, miR-27b, which regulates lipid (cholesterol or fat) levels in the blood. This regulator gene controls multiple genes involved in dyslipidemia—abnormal blood cholesterol levels that can contribute to heart disease.

7 Feb 2013

Migraine, epilepsy and genetics: an interview with Dr. Melodie Winawer

This work is the product of an extraordinary consortium called the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome project (EPGP). It is a consortium of 27 centres in the U.S. and internationally with several hundred physicians and staff who have worked together to enrol more than 4000 patients with epilepsy and their family members.

7 Feb 2013

More than £6M funding awarded to enhance development of biopharmaceuticals

More than £6M of funding has been awarded to enhance the development of biopharmaceuticals. In total £6.5M will fund 12 projects to deliver commercially important results, such as industrial-scale production of antibodies, stem cell preservation at room temperature, biopharmaceutical production using microbes and commercial scale stem cell therapy.

6 Feb 2013

Paternal obesity may alter genetic mechanisms in next generations

A father's obesity is one factor that may influence his children's health and potentially raise their risk for diseases like cancer, according to new research from Duke Medicine.

6 Feb 2013

Non-O blood type - the most important risk factor for venous thromboembolism

The non-O ABO blood type is the most important risk factor for venous thromboembolism (blood clots in veins), making up 20% of attributable risk for the condition, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

6 Feb 2013

GSTM gene mutation, air pollution can increase risk of asthma-related cockroach allergy

An allergic reaction to cockroaches is a major contributor to asthma in urban children, but new research suggests that the insects are just one part of a more complex story. Very early exposure to certain components of air pollution can increase the risk of developing a cockroach allergy by age 7 and children with a common mutation in a gene called GSTM may be especially vulnerable.

6 Feb 2013

Scientists identify specific cellular events that appear key to lupus

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has identified specific cellular events that appear key to lupus, a debilitating autoimmune disease that afflicts tens of millions of people worldwide. The findings suggest that blocking this pathway in lupus-triggering cells could be a potent weapon against the disease.

5 Feb 2013

Researchers identify gene variants that influence lifespan

By broadly comparing the DNA of children to that of elderly people, gene researchers have identified gene variants that influence lifespan, either by raising disease risk or by providing protection from disease.

5 Feb 2013

Life Technologies full year 2012 revenue increases 2% to $3.8 billion

Life Technologies Corporation today announced results for its fourth quarter for the year ended Dec. 31, 2012.

4 Feb 2013

Epidemiology model supports 20:80 transmission rule in HCV

A new hepatitis C virus transmission model combining genetic and epidemiologic data reveals that the majority of transmission of the virus is by a minority of intravenous drug users.

4 Feb 2013

Hope against dangerous form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

After an intensive three-year hunt through the genome, medical researchers have pinpointed mutations that leads to drug resistance and relapse in the most common type of childhood cancer-the first time anyone has linked the disease's reemergence to specific genetic anomalies.

4 Feb 2013

Researchers discover gene that causes MRSA infection to linger on skin longer than other strains

In the last decade, a new strain of MRSA has emerged that can spread beyond hospital walls, putting everyone at risk of contracting the dangerous bacterial infection. This particular strain of MRSA - known as USA300 - contains a chunk of genes not shared by any other strains, though it is unclear how this unique genetic material enables the bacteria to survive and persist in the community.

4 Feb 2013

Cells lose ability to defend against transposons as they age

Even in our DNA there is no refuge from rogues that prey on the elderly. Parasitic strands of genetic material called transposable elements - transposons - lurk in our chromosomes, poised to wreak genomic havoc. Cells have evolved ways to defend themselves, but in a new study, Brown University researchers describe how cells lose this ability as they age, possibly resulting in a decline in their function and health.

4 Feb 2013