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New target for muscular dystrophy drug therapy

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report how the gene for utrophin, which codes for a protein very similar to dystrophin, the defective protein in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), puts the brakes on its own expression in muscle cells, thereby suggesting a new target for treatment.

13 Jul 2007

UAB receives grants to investigate novel approaches to treat Parkinson's disease

The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has awarded two research grants to UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) researchers to investigate novel approaches to treat Parkinson's disease.

13 Jul 2007

Eye lens and nose cells for smelling have same origin

A team of researchers at Umeå University in Sweden have discovered a unique mechanism by which the same signal molecule determines the formation of the both the lens of the eye and the olfactory cells of the nose.

13 Jul 2007

Scientists discover human genes hover between "on"and "off" in any given cell

Biologists have long thought that a simple on/off switch controls most genes in human cells.

13 Jul 2007

Bak protein's deadly double whammy

When a cell is seriously stressed, say by a heart attack, stroke or cancer, a protein called Bak just may set it up for suicide, researchers have found.

13 Jul 2007

Wilmot Cancer Center studies new chemo pill for lymphoma

Doctors at the University of Rochester's James P. Wilmot Cancer Center are first in the world to study a new, targeted agent that zeroes-in on B-cell lymphomas. The new twice-a-day pill offers patients with recurrent disease another choice as their options grow thin.

12 Jul 2007

New data about the laws governing embryo development in organisms

Research aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying embryo development has taken a step forward thanks to collaborative work between biologists specialized in the study of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and scientists specialized in the design of mathematical models that simulate the functioning of biological systems.

12 Jul 2007

Startling discovery on the development of human embryonic stem cells

In this week's Nature, researchers of the McMaster Cancer and Stem Cell Research Institute show that human embryonic stem (ES) cells can actually produce distinctive niche cells, which then release stem-cell nourishing proteins to help keep their parents ticking over.

12 Jul 2007

Chemically-modified mitochondrial toxin could lead to a new molecularly-targeted chemo drug

A chemically-modified version of a mitochondrial toxin long used to control species of invasive fish in lakes has been found to selectively inhibit two "survival proteins" in cancer cells.

12 Jul 2007

New method to estimate sickle cell disease severity

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have developed a method to estimate sickle cell disease severity and predict the risk of death in people with this disease.

12 Jul 2007

How many simple objects can you think about at once?

Even though people feel they have rich visual experiences, researchers have found that the average person is only aware of about four items at a time.

12 Jul 2007

Chemotherapy may benefit all women with a BRCA1 mutation

Breast cancer patients who possess one of the so-called "breast cancer" or BRCA genetic mutations do not have a higher risk of dying than patients with no BRCA mutations, according to a detailed study by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Toronto.

12 Jul 2007

New advance in search for effective treatment for human liver cancer

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine report a significant new advance in the search for an effective treatment for human liver cancer in the July issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

12 Jul 2007

Ago2 and hematopoiesis

Argonaute 2 (Ago2) is unique among its family: It is the only one of the four mammalian Argonaute proteins that exhibits endonuclease 'slicer' activity (facilitation of miRNA-guided cleavage of target mRNA).

12 Jul 2007

How immune cells catch pathogens

To protect us from disease our immune system employs macrophages, cells that roam our body in search of disease-causing bacteria.

12 Jul 2007

New use for a cell toxin found to inhibit survival proteins in cancer cells

A chemically-modified version of a mitochondrial toxin long used to control species of invasive fish in lakes has been found to selectively inhibit two "survival proteins" in cancer cells.

11 Jul 2007

Cancer-causing enzyme could be stopped

Scientists from the MRC's Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have discovered a way to stop an enzyme responsible for many cancers.

11 Jul 2007

White blood cells are picky about sugar

Biology textbooks are blunt - neutrophils are mindless killers. These white blood cells patrol the body and guard against infection by bacteria and fungi, identifying and destroying any invaders that cross their path. But new evidence, which may lead to better drugs to fight deadly pathogens, indicates that neutrophils might actually distinguish among their targets.

11 Jul 2007

New genetic function involved in embryo development in organisms

11 Jul 2007

Master switch for the production of brown fat discovered

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a long-sought "master switch" in mice for the production of brown fat, a type of adipose tissue that generates heat and counters obesity caused by overeating.

11 Jul 2007