Model Organisms News and Research

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G-bor Bal-zsi's innovative research in drug resistance earns select honor

A unique approach to understanding how cells develop resistance to drugs has won a scientist at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center a New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health.

26 Sep 2009

New study on behaviour of telomeres during cell division in cancerous human cells

A process that limits the number of times a cell divides works much differently than had been thought, opening the door to potential new anticancer therapies, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report in the Aug. 7 issue of the journal Cell.

2 Sep 2009

Study on basic mechanisms that control fertility in worms may help to know how some woman regain their fertility after cancer treatment

Scientific dogma has long asserted that females are born with their entire lifetime's supply of eggs, and once they're gone, they're gone. New findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online Aug. 27 in Science, suggest that in nematode worms, at least, this does not hold true.

28 Aug 2009

Research suggests core nuclear pore elements shared by all eukaryotes

For perhaps 1.8 billion years after life first emerged on Earth, a sort of evolutionary writer's block stalled the development of organisms more complicated than single cells. Then, a burst of experimental creativity about 1.7 billion years ago brought the cell nucleus onto the scene, stashing the cell's genetic material inside a protective inner membrane and setting the stage for the evolution of more sophisticated creatures from yeast, say, to plants and human beings.

12 Jul 2009

Cancer drugs erlotinib and gefitinib might treat alcoholism

A class of drugs already approved as cancer treatments might also help to beat alcohol addiction. That's the conclusion of a discovery in flies of a gene, dubbed happyhour, that has an important and previously unknown role in controlling the insects' response to alcohol.

22 May 2009

Scientists develop whole-genome sequencing approach to mapping mutations in fruit flies

The Stowers Institute's Hawley Lab and Molecular Biology Facility have developed a "whole-genome sequencing approach" to mapping mutations in fruit flies.

5 May 2009

Discovery of common genetic variation associated with colorectal cancer

Genetics plays a key role in determining risk for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

23 Apr 2009

NextBio receives phase II SBIR grant to add new genomic and proteomic content

NextBio has announced the receipt of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

14 Apr 2009

Gene targeting discovery opens door for vaccines and drugs

In a genetic leap that could help fast track vaccine and drug development to prevent or tame serious global diseases, DMS researchers have discovered how to destroy a key DNA pathway in a wily and widespread human parasite.

13 Apr 2009

New technique for creating authentic embryonic stem cells from rats

Stem Cell Sciences plc has announced that pioneering research describing a technique for creating authentic embryonic stem (ES) cells from rats has been published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal, Cell.

30 Dec 2008

Scientists show how "junk" DNA may be a major driver for evolution

In a paper published in Genome Research on Nov. 4, scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) report that what was previously believed to be "junk" DNA is one of the important ingredients distinguishing humans from other species.

5 Nov 2008

New biomarker for early cancer detection? Research reveals that 'microRNA' may fit the bill

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered that microRNAs - molecular workhorses that regulate gene expression - are released by cancer cells and circulate in the blood, which gives them the potential to become a new class of biomarkers to detect cancer at its earliest stages. Muneesh Tewari, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues describe their findings in the July 28 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Jul 2008

Stem cell chicken and egg debate moves to unlikely arena: the testes

Logic says it has to be the niche. As air and water preceded life, so the niche, that hospitable environment that shelters adult stem cells in many tissues and provides factors necessary to keep them young and vital, must have emerged before its stem cell dependents.

20 Jul 2008

Personal genomes may lead to personalized vitamin supplements

As the cost of sequencing a single human genome drops rapidly, with one company predicting a price of $100 per person in five years, soon the only reason not to look at your "personal genome" will be fear of what bad news lies in your genes.

2 Jun 2008

Newly identified gene may prompt pancreas cells to form

Before a pancreas is a pancreas, it?s part of the endoderm, one of three layers of cells in a developing embryo that eventually form its organs.

2 Apr 2008

New discovery on how gene-regulatory networks govern metabolism

Metabolism is a central feature of life - a myriad of biochemical processes that, together, enable organisms to nourish and sustain themselves.

26 Feb 2008

Malaysia Genome Institute advances bioinformatics research using SGI Technology

To create an optimal workflow that encompasses the diverse computing requirements of bioinformatics research, the Malaysia Genomics Institute (MGI) selected SGI to design a unique SGI hybrid computing solution.

21 Feb 2008

Scientists identifiy elusive telomere RNA subunit in single cell model

The Stowers Institute's Baumann Lab has identified the long-sought telomerase RNA gene in a single-cell research model.

28 Dec 2007

Complex path to cell death shown by identification of new genes

Can a tiny winged insect's salivary glands really tell us about processes relevant to human disease? Yes, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), who gained new insights into autophagy - a cellular degradation process associated with a form of programmed cell death - by studying the salivary gland cells of the fruit fly.

17 Dec 2007

Lithium commonly used to treat bi-polar disorder increases lifespan in Nematode worms

Nematode worms treated with lithium show a 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the tantalizing question of whether humans taking the mood affecting drug are also taking an anti-aging medication.

31 Oct 2007