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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

Study finds miRNAs inhibits prostate cancer metastasis

A small slice of RNA inhibits prostate cancer metastasis by suppressing a surface protein commonly found on prostate cancer stem cells. A research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today in an advance online publication at Nature Medicine.

18 Jan 2011

Researchers find kidney-specific gene defects may increase risk of heart failure

Scientists have identified the first DNA sequence variant common in the population that is not only associated with an increased risk of heart failure, but appears to play a role in causing it.

18 Jan 2011

Inflammation “master switch” found: Study

According to the latest medical discovery a protein that acts as a “master switch” has been found to determine whether certain white blood cells will boost or dampen inflammation. This may open new avenues in rheumatoid arthritis research. Rheumatoid arthritis or RA is an inflammatory disease that causes severe progressive crippling of the joints.

17 Jan 2011

Why minor details of an episode are linked to long-term memories

Neuroscientists at MIT's Picower Institute of Learning and Memory have uncovered why relatively minor details of an episode are sometimes inexplicably linked to long-term memories. The work is slated to appear in the Jan. 13 issue of Neuron.

14 Jan 2011

Scientists demonstrate mechanism that explains why PSA levels promote prostate cancer

Researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute who have been studying prostate cancer cells for decades now think they know why PSA levels reflect cancer progression.

14 Jan 2011

Study highlights role of SIRT1 protein as tumor suppressor in prostate cancer

Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and two other institutions have discovered new evidence that suggests the "longevity" protein SIRT1, known for its life-spanning effects in different species, can inhibit the development of a known precursor to prostate cancer, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia.

14 Jan 2011

FDA clears Nanosphere's RV+ test for detection of respiratory viruses

Nanosphere, a leader in the development and commercialization of advanced molecular diagnostics systems, announced today FDA 510(k) clearance for the Verigene Respiratory Virus Plus Nucleic Acid Test on the Verigene System.

14 Jan 2011

Researchers discover molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect

Coffee, that morning elixir, may give us an early jump-start to the day, but numerous studies have shown that it also may be protective against type 2 diabetes. Yet no one has really understood why.

14 Jan 2011

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grants $1.5million to Liverpool University for bacterial study

A University of Liverpool-led consortium has received $1.5million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study a bacterium that causes serious disease and epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa.

14 Jan 2011

New research shows enzyme-armed oncolytic virus may help fight brain tumors

New research shows that oncolytic viruses, which are engineered to destroy cancer cells, might be more effective in treating deadly brain tumors if equipped with an enzyme that helps them penetrate the tumor.

13 Jan 2011

AAAS elevates Dartmouth professors to rank of Fellow

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elevated four Dartmouth professors to the rank of Fellow, including three members of the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School.

13 Jan 2011

Scientists demonstrate how one gene evolves two competing functions via duplication

Researchers report that they are the first to show in molecular detail how one gene evolved two competing functions that eventually split up - via gene duplication - to pursue their separate destinies.

13 Jan 2011

Genetic information from Guthrie cards may serve as valuable resource to diagnose infant diseases

Van Andel Research Institute researchers have developed a method that can yield more information from archived newborn blood that has implications for a vast array of research, including population health studies and answering questions about diseases in infants and children.

13 Jan 2011

Study supports use of PRX as an anti-cataract agent

Scientists are reporting a scientific basis for the long-standing belief that a widely used non-prescription drug in China and certain other countries can prevent and treat cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye that is a leading cause of vision loss worldwide. Their study appears in Inorganic Chemistry, an ACS journal.

13 Jan 2011

Brain cell destroying genetic mechanism responsible for development of AD

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered that the genetic mechanism which destroys brain cells is responsible for early development of Alzheimer's Disease in people with Down Syndrome and for development of Alzheimer's Disease in general population - providing a potential new target for drugs that could forestall dementia in people with either condition.

13 Jan 2011

7,8-Dihydroxyflavone holds potential for treatment of fear based disorders

Living a traumatic experience favours the persistence of fear associated with an aversive stimulus, known as fear conditioning and such effect, in mice, can be suppressed with a single dosis of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone, a type of flavonoid which boosts the ability to acquire new emotional learnings.

13 Jan 2011

FibroGen initiates FG-3019 open-label phase 2 study in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

FibroGen, Inc. today announced initiation of an open-label phase 2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of FG-3019, a human monoclonal antibody against connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), in individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic, progressive, fatal lung disease for which there are no FDA-approved therapies.

13 Jan 2011

MMRF, Synta collaborate for clinical development of ganetespib in multiple myeloma

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) today announced that it has entered into a joint collaboration with Synta Pharmaceuticals for the clinical development of ganetespib (formerly STA-9090) in patients with multiple myeloma.

13 Jan 2011

TKM-PLK1 drug may offer hope for patients with advanced solid tumor cancers

A new investigational drug designed to stop cancer cells from reproducing may offer hope for patients with advanced solid tumor cancers. Clinical trials of TKM-PLK1 for qualified patients are now open at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare.

13 Jan 2011

FDA Advisory Committee recommends non-approval of liprotamase for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Eli Lilly and Company announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee voted today to recommend non-approval of liprotamase, a non-porcine pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), currently under FDA review for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).

13 Jan 2011