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NPR reports on dengue vaccine progress

NPR's Shots blog examines progress in the search for a vaccine to protect against the dengue virus. WHO estimates that 2.5 billion people worldwide are at risk of getting dengue, and most of them are in Asia and Latin America, the blog writes.

16 Nov 2010

Scientists unveil mechanism of liver regeneration

The liver's unique ability among organs to regenerate itself has been little understood. Now Weill Cornell Medical College scientists have shed light on how the liver restores itself by demonstrating that endothelial cells the cells that form the lining of blood vessels play a key role.

12 Nov 2010

BioWorld Today features ImmunGene's pipeline of next generation armed antibodies for cancer

ImmunGene, Inc., a privately held drug development company focused on targeted antibody therapeutics with numerous anti-cancer functions built into a single therapy, announced today that a profile of the company and its pipeline is featured in the November 21 issue of BioWorld Today in the NewCo section.

11 Nov 2010

Portugal research groups awarded Gates Foundation grants

Two research groups in Portugal are to receive Grand Challenges Exploration Grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. One of these research teams is led by Miguel Prud-ncio, at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular (IMM), and the other by Miguel Soares, at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci-ncia (IGC) together with Henrique Silveira, at the Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT).

11 Nov 2010

Study on zebrafish showcases neural basis of essential survival skill

A tiny, translucent juvenile zebrafish, on the hunt for even littler prey, has offered up a big insight into how a specific circuit of nerve cells functions in the brain. The technique used to illuminate this circuitry, and the fish model itself, provide one of the first insights into the way individual sets of neurons control a specific behavior.

11 Nov 2010

Article shows link between maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy, SIDS

The link between maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may relate to the negative effects of nicotine on the development of brain centers that regulate breathing, according to an article in the recent issue of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

10 Nov 2010

Johns Hopkins scientists identify protein mechanism that regulates cell division

By tracking the flow of information in a cell preparing to split, Johns Hopkins scientists have identified a protein mechanism that coordinates and regulates the dynamics of shape change necessary for division of a single cell into two daughter cells.

9 Nov 2010

Sanofi Pasteur's dengue vaccine enters phase III trial in Australia

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Aventis, on Thursday announced the company had begun testing its dengue fever vaccine in a Phase III clinical trial in Australia, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.

8 Nov 2010

GEN co-sponsored roundtable discussion on Gulf Oil Spill

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News announced that on Thursday, October 28th, they co-sponsored a roundtable discussion on new ways to use biological solutions to assist in environment cleanup after manmade or natural disasters.

2 Nov 2010

Researchers investigate Human-cl rhFVIII factor for severe hemophilia A treatment

Octapharma AG, one of the largest human protein products manufacturers in the world, and Octapharma USA today announced that patients diagnosed with severe hemophilia A have started treatment in a multi-center study that is researching the use of the first recombinant Factor VIII (rFVIII) derived from a human cell line (Human-cl rhFVIII).

2 Nov 2010

Special issue of Ecopsychology outlines woman's self-perception and behavior

Women experience and interact with their natural surroundings in ways that differ from men. The way in which those differences affect a woman's sense of self, body image, and drive to protect and preserve the environment are explored in a thought-provoking special issue of Ecopsychology, a peer-reviewed, online journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

30 Oct 2010

Mary Ann Liebert launches Brain Connectivity journal

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. announces the release of a new peer-reviewed journal in an expanding area of systems neuroscience, Brain Connectivity. This timely new journal is positioned to become the premier source of cutting-edge basic and clinical neuroscience research aimed at better understanding of structural and functional connections in the brain and how these connections are altered by neurological disorders.

29 Oct 2010

Octapharma initiates Human-cl rhFVIII clinical study for severe hemophilia A

Octapharma, one of the largest human protein products manufacturers in the world, today announced that patients diagnosed with severe hemophilia A have started treatment with the first recombinant Factor VIII derived from a human cell line (Human-cl rhFVIII). Researchers are investigating pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of Human-cl rhFVIII for previously treated patients with severe hemophilia A.

28 Oct 2010

New International malaria research consortium to develop novel classes of antimalarials

Research teams from three academic institutions and two private sector companies on two continents have come together to form the International malaria research consortium for the development of novel classes of antimalarials. This bold initiative will develop novel classes of drugs against malaria, a deadly disease in desperate need of new treatments.

27 Oct 2010

UCSF scientists receive grants to refine embryonic stem cell-based strategies for neurological diseases

UCSF scientists have received two grants from the California Institutefor Regenerative Medicine to refine their human embryonic stem cell-based strategies for treating neurological diseases and liver failure. The goal of the grants is for researchers to make significant strides toward the development of potential therapies within the next three years.

25 Oct 2010

New findings provide new clues on pathogenetic mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease

Pathological protein deposits linked to Alzheimer's disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy can be triggered not only by the administration of pathogenic misfolded protein fragments directly into the brain but also by peripheral administration outside the brain.

22 Oct 2010

Antigene therapy uses light energy to silence gene activity: Review article

Antigene therapy is a promising new treatment strategy that uses a DNA-based drug to pinpoint light energy to a target gene shutting down its activity.

22 Oct 2010

Injecting apoA-V protein may reduce high triglyceride levels: Research

Injecting a protein that helps break down triglycerides may someday help treat an inherited form of high triglycerides, according to a new study in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.

22 Oct 2010

Study: apoA-V may reduce high triglyceride levels, coronary artery disease

An exciting new study conducted by Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute scientists identified that an injection of the protein apolipoprotein A-V may reduce high triglyceride levels in the blood and subsequently reduce coronary artery disease. Like cholesterol, elevated levels of triglyceride, a fat in the blood, is associated with the increased risk of heart disease—the number one cause of death in the United States.

22 Oct 2010

Research on Reaper protein provides new treatment strategies for cancer

Our cells live ever on the verge of suicide, requiring the close attention of a team of molecules to prevent the cells from pulling the trigger. This self-destructive tendency can be a very good thing, as when dangerous precancerous cells are permitted to kill themselves, but it can also go horribly wrong, destroying brain cells that store memories, for instance. Rockefeller University scientists are parsing this perilous arrangement in ever finer detail in hopes that understanding the basic mechanisms of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, will enable them eventually to manipulate the process to kill the cells we want to kill and protect the ones we don't.

21 Oct 2010