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Study shows ABL kinases have enhanced expression and activity in CML

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the white blood cells that is most commonly found in adults and in the elderly. Its incidence has been estimated to be 1 to 2 in 100,000 people. CML was the first cancer to be associated with a genetic abnormality, known as the Philadelphia Chromosome, which 95% of all CML patients carry in their cells.

28 Aug 2013

Study: Structural defect in skin cells can contribute to allergy development

In a new study published in Nature Genetics, Northwestern Medicine and Tel Aviv University scientists have found that a structural defect in skin cells can contribute to allergy development, including skin and food allergies, traditionally thought primarily to be a dysfunction of the immune system.

27 Aug 2013

Researchers make significant step in understanding and imaging protein synthesis

Researchers at Columbia University, in collaboration with biologists in Baylor College of Medicine, have made a significant step in understanding and imaging protein synthesis, pinpointing exactly where and when cells produce new proteins.

26 Aug 2013

UC Berkeley study finds cocaine can dominate high-level brain circuits

Cocaine can speedily rewire high-level brain circuits that support learning, memory and decision-making, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley, and UCSF. The findings shed new light on the frontal brain's role in drug-seeking behavior and may be key to tackling addiction.

26 Aug 2013

UC Davis Health System develops new screening strategy for lethal stage of TB in Asia

More than 20,000 people in Pakistan are being tested for the potentially deadly stage of tuberculosis using a new strategy developed at UC Davis Health System to effectively detect the disease in children for the first time.

22 Aug 2013

Biomedical spectroscopy suggests excess copper may be neurotoxic in Alzheimer's patients

Metals such as iron, copper, and zinc are important for many biological processes. In recent years, studies have shown that these nutritionally-essential metals are elevated in human Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains and some animal models of AD. Scientists are now exploring whether these metals are causing the neurodegeneration seen in AD or are indicative of other ongoing pathologic processes.

22 Aug 2013

Study shows how brain integrates inputs from different senses in complex circuits of nerve cells

A new publication in the top-ranked journal Neuron sheds new light onto the unknown processes on how the brain integrates the inputs from the different senses in the complex circuits formed by molecularly distinct types of nerve cells. The work was led by new Ume- University associate professor Paolo Medini.

21 Aug 2013

New antibodies estimate risk of polyps developing into bowel cancer

Polyps in the mucosa of the colon are a common finding during screening colonoscopies. Some sub-groups of polyps are classed as precursors of bowel cancer. Until now, it has not been possible to precisely estimate the risk of these polyps developing into bowel cancer.

19 Aug 2013

TSRI scientists discover molecular mechanism by which deadly Ebola virus assembles

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered the molecular mechanism by which the deadly Ebola virus assembles, providing potential new drug targets.

16 Aug 2013

Exo70 protein responsible for plasma membrane reshaping and cell movement

Both basic scientists and clinicians have an interest in how the cells of our body move. Cells must be mobile in order for organisms to grow, to heal, to transmit information internally, to mount immune responses and to conduct a host of other activities necessary for survival.

14 Aug 2013

Specialized endocytocis play a crucial role in shaping cells themselves

The process cells use to 'swallow' up nutrients, hormones and other signals from their environment - called endocytosis - can play a crucial role in shaping the cells themselves, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have found.

12 Aug 2013

ASU expert receives $1.6 million grant to advance microscopy imaging research

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Nongjian (NJ) Tao has been designing advanced microscopy methods with the ambitious aim of capturing molecular-scale phenomena in living systems. The new techniques, which combine multiple imaging modalities, are poised to revolutionize the study of biology and the development of new drugs.

8 Aug 2013

Wiring diagram of retinal neurons: The first step toward mapping the human brain

The human brain has 100 billion neurons, connected to each other in networks that allow us to interpret the world around us, plan for the future, and control our actions and movements. MIT neuroscientist Sebastian Seung wants to map those networks, creating a wiring diagram of the brain that could help scientists learn how we each become our unique selves.

8 Aug 2013

New studies in mice support toxic role of aluminum in neurodegenerative conditions

Investigators have linked aluminum accumulation in the brain as a possible contributing factor to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. A new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience sheds light on the mechanism underlying aluminum-induced neuronal cell death and identifies necrostatin-1 as a substance which counteracts several of aluminum's neurotoxic effects.

6 Aug 2013

NIH-funded study of aquaporin proteins could hold clues to cataract

Researchers have achieved dynamic, atomic-scale views of a protein needed to maintain the transparency of the lens in the human eye. The work, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, could lead to new insights and drugs for treating cataract and a variety of other health conditions.

6 Aug 2013

Necrostatin-1: A substance which counteracts several of aluminum's neurotoxic effects

New Studies in Mice Support Toxic Role of Aluminum in Neurodegenerative Conditions, According to Report in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience

3 Aug 2013

Scientists solve structure of infection tool used by Yersinia bacterium

Abdominal pain, fever, diarrhoea -- these symptoms could point to an infection with the bacterium Yersinia. The bacterium's pathogenic potential is based on a syringe-like injection apparatus called injectisome.

1 Aug 2013

METH use can make person more susceptible to fungal lung infection

Methamphetamine use can make a person more susceptible to the lung infection cryptococcosis, according to a study published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

30 Jul 2013

Researchers discover solution to long-standing medical mystery in Huntington's disease

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a solution to a long-standing medical mystery in Huntington's disease (HD). HD is a brain disease that can affect 1 in about 7,000 people in mid-life, causing an increasing loss of brain cells at the centre of the brain.

30 Jul 2013

Non-invasive optical techniques use LED, laser to view beneath skin

Impressive examples of new non-invasive optical techniques using lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and spectroscopic methods to probe and render images from beneath the surface of the skin are featured in a newly completed special section in the Journal of Biomedical Optics published by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

26 Jul 2013