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Genetic elements from plants entering into eater's bloodstream turn out to be 'false positive'

In 2011 and 2012, research from China's Nanjing University made international headlines with reports that after mice ate, bits of genetic material from the plants they'd ingested could make it into their bloodstreams intact and turn the animals' own genes off.

27 Jun 2013

Research may lead to new screening method for oral cancer and HPV

Research being carried out at the University of Notre Dame and its affiliated Harper Cancer Research Institute may lead to the development of a rapid, cost-effective means of screening for oral cancers and the human papillomavirus.

25 Jun 2013

Researchers produce first genome-wide investigation of cap-independent translation

Because of their central importance to biology, proteins have been the focus of intense research, particularly the manner in which they are produced from genetically coded templates-a process commonly known as translation. While the general mechanism of translation has been understood for some time, protein synthesis can initiate by more than one mechanism. One of the least well understood mechanisms is known as cap-independent translation.

17 Jun 2013

Researchers uncover DNA damage checkpoint used by cells to monitor oxidatively damaged DNA

In current health lore, antioxidants are all the rage, as "everybody knows" that reducing the amount of "reactive oxygen species" -- cell-damaging molecules that are byproducts of cellular metabolism -- is critical to staying healthy. What everyone doesn't know is that our bodies already have a complex set of processes built into our cells that handle these harmful byproducts of living and repair the damage they cause.

15 Jun 2013

New technique for identifying mice in breeding colonies

Immunocompromised mice, created by inactivating the genes that would allow them to recognize and attack donor cells or organs, are critical for studies of bone marrow reconstitution.

10 Jun 2013

Viral load: A new technique that helps doctors diagnose chronic viral diseases

To test the severity of a viral infection, clinicians try to gauge how many viruses are packed into a certain volume of blood or other bodily fluid. This measurement, called viral load, helps doctors diagnose or monitor chronic viral diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

31 May 2013

New LAMP malaria test to improve diagnosis for imported UK cases

A new, highly sensitive blood test that quickly detects even the lowest levels of malaria parasites in the body could make a dramatic difference in efforts to tackle the disease in the UK and across the world, according to new research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

17 May 2013

Novel drug may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for brain cancer

A novel drug may help increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for the most deadly form of brain cancer, report scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. In mouse models of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the new drug helped significantly extend survival when used in combination with radiation therapy.

15 May 2013

Study shows efficacy of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin in intracranial model of breast cancer

Breast cancer brain metastases present a challenge to clinicians because there are few systemic therapies capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier to control the disease.

2 May 2013

Researchers urge doctors to consider Lyme disease as cause when presented with skin lesions

When a person contracts Lyme disease, quick diagnosis and treatment are essential to avoiding long term complications. But the diagnostic process may be delayed if a physician does not recognize a skin rash caused by Lyme disease because it does not have the bull's-eye appearance that is best known to physicians and the public.

23 Apr 2013

DNAzymes, gold nanoparticles and disease detection: an interview with Dr Chan and Kyryl Zagorovsky, University of Toronto

Gold nanoparticles are tiny spherical particles made out of gold atoms with sizes on nanometre scale. This is around 1,000 times smaller than the thickness of human hair.

23 Apr 2013

New assays are effective in managing patients with influenza virus infection

Over 40,000 people die each year in the United States from influenza-related diseases. In patients whose immune systems are compromised, antiviral therapy may be life-saving, but it needs to be initiated quickly. It is therefore crucial to diagnose and type the influenza rapidly.

18 Apr 2013

Tiny proteins prevent bacterial gene transcription

In the search for new antibiotics, researchers are taking an unusual approach: They are developing peptides, short chains of protein building blocks that effectively inhibit a key enzyme of bacterial metabolism.

10 Apr 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim's STARTVerso 1 Phase 3 hepatitis C data to be presented at EASL Congress

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that data from its pivotal STARTVerso 1 Phase 3 hepatitis C clinical trial have been accepted for oral presentation as a late-breaker at the International Liver Congress 2013: 48th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, taking place from April 24-28 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

10 Apr 2013

Abstracts on Bristol-Myers Squibb's research in liver disease accepted for presentation

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced today that 14 abstracts on the Company's research in liver disease have been accepted for presentation at The International Liver CongressTM 2013, the 48th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, in Amsterdam, April 24 - 28.

8 Apr 2013

Vertex to conduct two Phase 2 studies of VX-135 in combination with daclatasvir

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced it has entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company to conduct Phase 2 studies of once-daily all-oral treatment regimens containing Vertex's nucleotide analogue hepatitis C virus polymerase inhibitor VX-135 and Bristol-Myers Squibb's NS5A replication complex inhibitor daclatasvir for the treatment of hepatitis C.

6 Apr 2013

Researchers diagnose genetic disease in embryonic DNA without biopsy

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) technologies allow identification of genetic disorders in human preimplantation embryos after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and before the embryo is transferred back to the patient.

3 Apr 2013

PARP inhibitors can be novel treatment strategy for cisplatin-resistant cancer

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors may be a novel treatment strategy for patients with cancer that has become resistant to the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin, according to data from a preclinical study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Apr 2013

New screening procedure determines animal, plant, and microbial substances in foodstuffs

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a novel screening procedure that provides for highly sensitive, quantifiable analysis of animal, plant, and microbial substances present in foodstuffs.

28 Mar 2013

New vaccine proves highly effective against H5N1 virus

Until now most experimental vaccines against the highly lethal H5N1 avian influenza virus have lacked effectiveness. But a new vaccine has proven highly effective against the virus when tested in both mice and ferrets. It is also effective against the H9 subtype of avian influenza.

26 Mar 2013