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Cells' adaptations to low oxygen conditions inside tumors promote breast cancer's spread

Biologists at The Johns Hopkins University have discovered that low oxygen conditions, which often persist inside tumors, are sufficient to initiate a molecular chain of events that transforms breast cancer cells from being rigid and stationery to mobile and invasive.

27 Dec 2013

Stem cell-based gene therapy shows long-term outcomes for treatment of genetic skin diseases

Stem cell-based gene therapy holds promise for the treatment of devastating genetic skin diseases, but the long-term clinical outcomes of this approach have been unclear.

27 Dec 2013

Scientists find inhibiting action of BRD4 protein may eradicate rare type of soft-tissue cancer

A deadly, rare type of soft-tissue cancer may be completely eradicated simply by inhibiting a key protein involved in its growth, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

27 Dec 2013

Survey shows 75% of individuals committed to improving overall fitness in new year

As holiday festivities come to an end with full stomachs and fear of the scale, attention turns to the start of 2014 and another year of making resolutions that typically fail.

26 Dec 2013

Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis contributes to biology and drug discovery

The results of the largest international study to date into the genetic basis of rheumatoid arthritis shed light on the biology of the disease and provide evidence that large-scale genetic studies can assist in the identification of new drugs for complex disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

26 Dec 2013

Researchers complete genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations

Researchers from the Boston area, Mexico, and Norway have completed a comprehensive genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations. The study identified recurrent genetic mutations not previously found in cervical cancer, including at least one for which targeted treatments have been approved for other forms of cancer.

25 Dec 2013

Cell transplantation, gene therapy combination to open new therapeutic avenues for Alzheimer's disease

In a recent study published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 33, 2013), Prof. Feng Li and team from Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University in China, synthesized a 19-nt oligonucleotide targeting BACE1, the key enzyme in amyloid beta protein (Aβ) production, and introduced it into the pSilenCircle vector to construct a short hairpin (shRNA) expression plasmid against the BACE1 gene.

24 Dec 2013

Fluidigm announces universal sample prep workflow for single-cell DNA sequencing

Fluidigm Corporation today announced a universal sample prep workflow for single-cell DNA sequencing that runs on its C1TM Single-Cell Auto Prep System. This workflow streamlines targeted, whole exome and whole genome sequencing in heterogeneous cell populations and enables researchers to discover and screen somatic mutations, such as SNP, small indels, and translocations.

24 Dec 2013

Concordia Healthcare acquires Pinnacle Biologics

Concordia Healthcare Corp., an integrated, specialty healthcare company focused on the acquisition of legacy pharmaceutical products and medical devices and the acquisition and/or development of orphan drugs, announced today that it has acquired Pinnacle Biologics, Inc., a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in legacy pharmaceuticals which have the potential for development as orphan drugs to treat cancer indications in addition to those for which they have previously been approved.

24 Dec 2013

Schizophrenia brain marker matches genetic risk

Polygenic risk for schizophrenia correlates with neural inefficiency in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, say researchers.

24 Dec 2013

Transplanting self-donated Schwann cells aids hind limb functional recovery

A study carried out at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for "The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis" has found that transplanting self-donated Schwann cells (SCs, the principal ensheathing cells of the nervous system) that are elongated so as to bridge scar tissue in the injured spinal cord, aids hind limb functional recovery in rats modeled with spinal cord injury.

24 Dec 2013

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's David Perlin explains how fungal infections can become deadly

Ask someone what the term 'fungus' brings to mind, and chances are it will be an image of something that smells or looks disgusting. Ask David Perlin, executive director of the Public Health Research Institute at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and the response will be far more somber - because he knows how deadly fungi can be.

24 Dec 2013

Changes to LZTR1 gene predispose people to develop schwannomas

Changes to a gene called LZTR1 predispose people to develop a rare disorder where multiple tumors called schwannomas form near nerve pathways, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Genetics and led by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

24 Dec 2013

Researchers report new gene delivery method that targets tumor blood vessels

Working in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report developing a gene delivery method long sought in the field of gene therapy: a deactivated virus carrying a gene of interest that can be injected into the bloodstream and make its way to the right cells.

24 Dec 2013

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition beneficial to cardiac regeneration

Cell-based therapies have been shown to enhance cardiac regeneration, but autologous (patient self-donated) cells have produced only "modest results." In an effort to improve myocardial regeneration through cell transplantation, a research team from Germany has taken epithelial cells from placenta (amniotic epithelial cells, or AECs) and converted them into mesenchymal cells. After transplanting the transitioned cells into mice modelling a myocardial infarction, the researchers found that the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition was beneficial to cardiac regeneration by lowering infarct size.

24 Dec 2013

Research findings reveal how immune system responds to respiratory viral infections

An antibody that blocks a component of a key signaling pathway in the respiratory airways could help the immune system rid the body of the influenza virus, a new study suggests. The findings, from a team at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, not only offer a new approach to treating the flu, but also add new information about how the immune system responds to respiratory viral infections.

24 Dec 2013

Genetic screening identifies genes driving resistance with guide RNA library

Researchers have developed a method to create a comprehensive library of mutations across all genes in the mouse genome. This library can be used to examine the role of every gene in different cell types.

23 Dec 2013

Reflux disease diagnosis: an interview with Professor Peter Dettmar, Managing Director of RD Biomed Limited

Generally speaking, reflux has been a major chronic issue for probably the last 40 or 50 years. When you look at the global population, depending on which country we're talking about, around 20% to 40% of individuals have reflux disease within their populations.

23 Dec 2013

Elsevier launches open access journal

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information, products and solutions announces the launch of open access journal, Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management.

23 Dec 2013

Finding suggests new route for packaging RNA molecules of interest into nanovesicles

The role of microRNAs is fundamental for the correct moment-to-moment adjustment in the expression of target genes. "Before this study, we already knew that these small molecules could be packaged into small vesicles and exported to the extracellular space, to be later captured by other cells and in this way play an important role in intercellular communication," explains CNIC researcher Carolina Villarroya, the first author on the study.

23 Dec 2013

B Cell News and Research

Cells' adaptations to low oxygen conditions inside tumors promote breast cancer's spread

Stem cell-based gene therapy shows long-term outcomes for treatment of genetic skin diseases

Scientists find inhibiting action of BRD4 protein may eradicate rare type of soft-tissue cancer

Survey shows 75% of individuals committed to improving overall fitness in new year

Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis contributes to biology and drug discovery

Researchers complete genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations

Cell transplantation, gene therapy combination to open new therapeutic avenues for Alzheimer's disease

Fluidigm announces universal sample prep workflow for single-cell DNA sequencing

Concordia Healthcare acquires Pinnacle Biologics

Schizophrenia brain marker matches genetic risk

Transplanting self-donated Schwann cells aids hind limb functional recovery

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's David Perlin explains how fungal infections can become deadly

Changes to LZTR1 gene predispose people to develop schwannomas

Researchers report new gene delivery method that targets tumor blood vessels

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition beneficial to cardiac regeneration

Research findings reveal how immune system responds to respiratory viral infections

Genetic screening identifies genes driving resistance with guide RNA library

Reflux disease diagnosis: an interview with Professor Peter Dettmar, Managing Director of RD Biomed Limited

Elsevier launches open access journal

Finding suggests new route for packaging RNA molecules of interest into nanovesicles

Using single B cell screening to boost antibody discovery eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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