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Asuragen enters into research agreements to develop microRNA-based diagnostic test

Asuragen, Inc., a leader in molecular diagnostics and RNA-based pharmacogenomics services, announced today that it has entered into research agreements with The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Dartmouth’s Hitchcock Medical Center and the University of Sherbrooke to develop a microRNA-based diagnostic test to aid the detection of pancreatic cancer from fine-needle aspirate (FNA) biopsies.

1 Feb 2010

Florida State University research team to develop way of measuring zinc levels in the human body

A team of Florida State University researchers will use a five-year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a way to measure levels of the trace metal zinc in the human body.

28 Jan 2010

Researchers use nanofactories to prevent bacteria without using antibiotics

New research at the A. James Clark School of Engineering could prevent bacterial infections using tiny biochemical machines—nanofactories—that can confuse bacteria and stop them from spreading, without the use of antibiotics.

28 Jan 2010

Study could lead to better understanding of how certain birth defects occur in humans

Scientists have identified a gene family that plays a key role in one of the earliest stages of development in which an embryo distinguishes its left side from the right and determines how organs should be positioned within the body. The finding in mice likely will lead to a better understanding of how certain birth defects occur in humans.

27 Jan 2010

Promising results in mice could prevent fatal iron buildup in humans

A new study shows that a protein found in blood alleviates anemia, a condition in which the body's tissues don't get enough oxygen from the blood. In this animal study, injections of the protein, known as transferrin, also protected against potentially fatal iron overload in mice with thalassemia, a type of inherited anemia that affects millions of people worldwide.

27 Jan 2010

New technology may allow scientists to monitor real time activity of protein network

A new assay capable of examining hundreds of proteins at once and enabling new experiments that could dramatically change our understanding of cancer and other diseases has been invented by a team of University of Chicago scientists.

24 Jan 2010

3D images of synapsis between neurons through electron cryotomography

A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, in Germany, led by the Spanish physicist Rub-n Fern-ndez-Busnadiego, has managed to obtain 3D images of the vesicles and filaments involved in communication between neurons. The method is based on a novel technique in electron microscopy, which cools cells so quickly that their biological structures can be frozen while fully active.

23 Jan 2010

Maturation disorders of nerve terminals may trigger autism

For brain cells to communicate, the contacts to each other must function. The protein molecule neuroligin-1 plays an important role in this as it stimulates the necessary maturation processes at the contact sites (synapses) of the nerves.

21 Jan 2010

Copper-free version of click chemistry crafted to create biomolecular probes

For the first time, the widely used molecular synthesis technique known as click chemistry has been safely applied to a living organism. Researchers with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have crafted a unique copper-free version of click chemistry to create biomolecular probes for in vivo studies of live mice. Conventional click chemistry reactions require a copper catalyst that is toxic to cells and organisms.

20 Jan 2010

Interdisciplinary nature of biological research triggers changes to JBC's publishing policies

The Journal of Biological Chemistry's editors are unveiling this week a number of changes to the journal's publishing policies. They say the changes are in response to the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of biological research and will help the journal better meet the evolving needs of the scientific community.

19 Jan 2010

New type of fat-producing cells may speed up treatments for muscular dystrophy and fibrosis

A team of University of British Columbia researchers has identified fat-producing cells that possess "dual-personalities" and may further the development of treatments for muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy and fibrosis.

19 Jan 2010

Olfactory dysfunction may serve as an early diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease

A study published in the January 13, 2010 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience links a loss of smell function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model animals with amyloid β (protein) accumulation in the brain, a distinguishing hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Research conducted by NYU Langone Medical Center suggests that olfactory dysfunction, a common symptom of AD, may serve as an early diagnostic tool for the disease.

13 Jan 2010

Studies show naturally-occurring protein in humans restores motor function in rats after a stroke

People with impaired mobility after a stroke soon may have a therapy that restores limb function long after the injury, if a supplemental protein works as well in humans as it does in paralyzed rats.

13 Jan 2010

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme promotes chromosome missegregation and tumor formation

A ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that regulates the cell cycle promotes chromosome missegregation and tumor formation, according to van Ree et al. in the January 11 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).

12 Jan 2010

Key mechanism for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics using LNPs discovered

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has discovered a key mechanism related to the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The new pre-clinical research was presented at the “Advances in Biopharmaceuticals” Keystone Symposium held January 8-13, 2010 in Midway, Utah, and was performed in collaboration with scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.

9 Jan 2010

Zebrafish publishes special issue on cancer biology

The zebrafish, a translucent fish often used as a model of human development and disease, offers unique advantages for studying the cause, growth, and spread of tumors using strategies and methods presented in the current "Cancer Biology" special issue of Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The entire issue is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/zeb

8 Jan 2010

Proteostasis Therapeutics enters into exclusive license agreement with New York University

Proteostasis Therapeutics announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with New York University for intellectual property related to discoveries from the laboratory of David Ron, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Julius Raynes Professor of Cell Biology at NYU Langone Medical Center’s Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine.

8 Jan 2010

Study suggests pomegranates may prevent growth of breast cancer cells

US scientists have carried out a series of laboratory tests suggesting that natural compounds in pomegranates may prevent the growth of breast cancer cells.

7 Jan 2010

SDI to discover biomarkers in collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

SDI (Strategic Diagnostics Inc.), a provider of biotechnology-based products and services, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (the Hutchinson Center) today jointly announced they will collaborate to discover biomarkers for use in the early detection of a variety of cancers.