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Research findings may lead to potential treatments for inherited diseases

New research from the University of California, Davis, shows that the tiny proportion of a cell's DNA that is located outside the cell nucleus has a disproportionately large effect on a cell's metabolism.

12 Oct 2013

Noninvasive tool created to detect pancreatic cancer through risk assessment test using saliva

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Most of those with the disease will die within the first year of diagnosis, and just 6 percent will survive five years.

10 Oct 2013

NAC amino acid may offer new treatment options for psychiatric disorders

Improved understanding of the roles of inflammation and oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders has generated new leads in the search for novel therapies. One such investigative compound currently in clinical trials is an amino acid, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), which appears to reduce the core symptoms of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, autism and cravings in addictions including cocaine, cannabis abuse and cigarette smoking.

8 Oct 2013

New biomarker for pancreatic cancer effectively targets potential therapy for small survival rate

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have discovered a biomarker, known as phosphatidylserine (PS), for pancreatic cancer that could be effectively targeted, creating a potential therapy for a condition that has a small survival rate.

5 Oct 2013

Individuals diagnosed with ASD more likely to have gene deletions, shows analysis

Using powerful genetic sequencing technology, a team of investigators, led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, scanned the genome of hundreds of individuals, and discovered those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were more likely to have gene deletions than were people without the disorder.

4 Oct 2013

Pitt scientists open door to potential research into cures for Parkinson's disease

A mix of serendipity and dogged laboratory work allowed a diverse team of University of Pittsburgh scientists to report in the Oct. 1 issue of Nature Cell Biology that they had solved the mystery of a basic biological function essential to cellular health.

1 Oct 2013

Dynamics of the mitochondria linked to obesity

Becoming obese or remaining lean can depend on the dynamics of the mitochondria, the body's energy-producing "battery," according to two new studies by Yale School of Medicine researchers featured as the cover story in the Sept. 26 issue of the journal Cell.

27 Sep 2013

New regulatory mechanism could help develop novel therapies for cancer

Molecular microbiologists at the University of Southern California (USC) have uncovered intricate regulatory mechanisms within the cell that could lead to novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

23 Sep 2013

Wistar Institute receives $1.5M grant to prepare potential new prostate cancer drug for clinical use

To prepare a potential new prostate cancer drug, called Gamitrinib, for trial in humans, The Wistar Institute has received a $1.5 million grant from the US Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

13 Sep 2013

Disease Twofer: Parkin Problem Leads To Parkinson’S And Impairs Response To TB

University of California, San Francisco researchers report that a key protein associated with Parkinson's disease also plays a major role in the destruction of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis.

5 Sep 2013

BESTCILIA project aims to improve screening, treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia is mainly a lung disease: a rare, genetically heterogeneous disorder resulting from dysfunction of small hair-like organelles (cilia) that clean the upper and lower airways. It can also affect multiple organs beside the respiratory system, and may cause serious impairment and lower quality of life. Its prevalence is estimated to be about 1 in 16,000.

26 Aug 2013

Kinetin stops the effects of Parkinson's disease on brain cells, say scientists

The active ingredient in an over-the-counter skin cream might do more than prevent wrinkles. Scientists have discovered that the drug, called kinetin, also slows or stops the effects of Parkinson's disease on brain cells.

16 Aug 2013

New treatment technique uses nanoparticles to attack cancer

Researchers at the University of Georgia are developing a new treatment technique that uses nanoparticles to reprogram immune cells so they are able to recognize and attack cancer. The findings were published recently in the early online edition of ACS Nano.

16 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

Scientists discover molecular switch that determines death or survival of cell

The study is the result of a collaboration of scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, University of Michigan, and University of California San Diego, USA, who were interested in finding out whether autophagy can be affected by events in the cell nucleus. Surprisingly, they discovered that a signal chain in the nucleus serves as a kind of molecular switch that determines whether the cell dies or survives.

19 Jul 2013

Scientists uncover easy strategies to prevent harmful side-effects of antibiotics responses

A team of scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has discovered why long-term treatment with many common antibiotics can cause harmful side effects-and they have uncovered two easy strategies that could help prevent these dangerous responses.

4 Jul 2013

Researchers reveal how disease mutations affect the stability and function of Parkin protein

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the United Kingdom have determined the crystal structure of Parkin, a protein found in cells that when mutated can lead to a hereditary form of Parkinson's disease.

3 Jun 2013

Scientists discover new function of an enzyme that disposes of superfluous proteins

Cells have a sophisticated system to control and dispose of defective, superfluous proteins and thus to prevent damage to the body. Dr. Katrin Bagola and Professor Thomas Sommer of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch as well as Professor Michael Glickman and Professor Aaron Ciechanover of Technion, the Technical University of Israel in Haifa, have now discovered a new function of an enzyme that is involved in this vital process.

29 May 2013

EGFR gums up cell's miRNA-processing machinery under oxygen starvation conditions

Even while being dragged to its destruction inside a cell, a cancer-promoting growth factor receptor fires away, sending signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs before it's dissolved, researchers reported in an early online publication at Nature.

24 May 2013

New research shows dysfunctional mitochondria in brain cells can lead to learning disabilities

Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken of VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and KU Leuven has shown for the first time that dysfunctional mitochondria in brain cells can lead to learning disabilities.

17 May 2013