Laboratory News and Research

RSS

Breakthrough discovery in treating narrowed arteries

A breakthrough discovery by Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher Dr. Michael Kutryk that harnesses the body’s own natural defenses to fight narrowing of the arteries has been recognized as “a glimpse into the future” and “potentially one of the biggest advances in cardiology to date”.

25 Oct 2004

Insects implicated in the evolution of new human infectious diseases

Insects and other invertebrates are the arena for the evolution of new infectious diseases in humans, new research shows.

25 Oct 2004

High levels of a protein called LRP6 can make cancer cells more aggressive

The protein's ability to enhance tumor development suggests that the gene that codes for LRP6 is an oncogene--a gene that contributes to tumor development when overactivated.

25 Oct 2004

Tabletop DNA test laboratory cuts disease diagnosis down to 30 minutes

British scientists have developed a tabletop DNA test laboratory that can cut the diagnosis of disease and infection from hours to 30 minutes. This new test laboratory will soon begin trials in UK hospitals.

24 Oct 2004

Potential new protein marker for prognosis of breast and ovarian cancer

The researchers matched tumor samples to outcomes in about 100 patients diagnosed with either breast or ovarian cancer and found that a low level of Rab25 protein on a patient's cancer sample was associated with a better clinical outcome in both cancer types.

24 Oct 2004

Novel and efficient protocol to evaluate and rehabilitate the voice of patients who have undergone laryngectomy

The voice laboratory at the University of Navarre University Hospital has designed a novel and efficient protocol to evaluate and rehabilitate the voice of patients who have undergone laryngectomy.

22 Oct 2004

New way to study individual living bacteria cells and analyze their chemistry

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have found a new way to study individual living bacteria cells and analyze their chemistry.

22 Oct 2004

Genes affect how asthma patients respond to albuterol

While a few weeks of regular use of albuterol improved overall asthma control in individuals with one form of the gene, stopping all use of albuterol eventually improved asthma control in those with another form of the gene. Albuterol is the most commonly used drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms, or “attacks.”

22 Oct 2004

Microcrustaceans defeat dengue fever

Dengue fever causes 50 million infections annually in more than 90 countries; however this may soon become a thing of the past, as QIMR broadens its successful and totally environmentally-friendly mosquito-breeding control programs against dengue fever.

22 Oct 2004

Molecule that helps DNA replicate may make good target for cancer therapy

In order to divide, cells must first replicate their chromosomes. Cells use an array of proteins to accomplish the job, including a large enzyme complex that synthesizes new strands of DNA.

21 Oct 2004

Stem cells grown from skin samples of adult patients with brain tumors could be used as a new brain tumor therapy

A team of neurosurgeons and scientists from Italy is looking into whether stem cells derived from a brain tumor patient's own skin can be used to fight the tumors.

21 Oct 2004

Researchers trim count of human genes to 20,000-25,000

Scientific description of the finished human genome sequence, reducing the estimated number of human protein-coding genes from 35,000 to only 20,000-25,000, a surprisingly low number for our species.

21 Oct 2004

Genetic research offers insight into Sjögren's syndrome and the general developmental machinery of the immune system

By knocking out a single gene in mice, immunologists at Duke University Medical Center have mimicked a little-understood autoimmune disorder in humans.

21 Oct 2004

New medication to prevent colon cancer

A Stony Brook University researcher is testing a new form of aspirin--one that is much more potent than its commercially available counterpart, but with almost none of the side effects--to determine whether it can be used to prevent colon cancer in patients who are prone to the disease.

21 Oct 2004

Genetic predictions may bring “quantum leap” in breast cancer treatment success

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center received a prestigious award and a $600,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the nation’s leading organizations devoted exclusively to funding cancer research.

20 Oct 2004

Finding it hard to quit smoking? It may be due to your environment

University of Georgia School of Social Work professor Patrick Bordnick found that cigarette craving intensity increased 118 percent when nicotine-dependent participants were exposed to cues in a virtual reality environment.

19 Oct 2004

Scientists have devised a novel way to repair one of the genetic mutations that causes ataxia-telangiectasia

UCLA scientists have devised a novel way to repair one of the genetic mutations that causes ataxia-telangiectasia, (A-T), a life-shortening disorder that devastates the neurological and immune systems of one in 40,000 young children.

19 Oct 2004

Sister study that examines causes of breast cancer opens

A new study that will look at 50,000 sisters of women diagnosed with breast cancer opened today for enrollment across the United States. The Sister Study, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), will investigate environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer.

18 Oct 2004

First sliver-sized sensor to monitor glucose level for diabetics and other bodily fluid levels

It's a good thing that the now eight-year-old son of Miklos Gratzl, a Case Western Reserve University biomedical engineer, got a splinter in his finger one day – at least for the sake of science. With apologies to his son – instead of an "Ouch!" moment, for Gratzl it was more of an "A-ha!" moment.

18 Oct 2004

New genetic mechanism has been identified linking diet to breast cancer

Experiments carried out by scientists at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona on experimentally induced breast cancer tumours in laboratory rats show that an excess of certain fats in the diet, commonly known as omega-6, accelerates breast cancer, increasing the malignancy of the disease.

18 Oct 2004