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Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

New research indicates molecular signaling from end to end in peripheral nerve cells

When the longest cells in the body are injured at their farthest reaches, coordinating the cells' repair is no easy task. This is in part because these peripheral nerve cells can be extremely long - up to one meter in adult humans - which is a lot of distance for a molecular distress signal to cover in order to reach the "command center" of the cell's nucleus.

30 Jul 2012

Progress with GSK in advancing VaxiRNA technology earns Alnylam $3.2M milestone payment

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has earned a development milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline, totaling $3.2 million. The milestone payment is related to progress in the companies' collaboration on the use of VaxiRNA technology for the production of GSK influenza vaccine.

30 Jul 2012

Bruker introduces high-resolution microscope for research in biological dynamics

At the Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) 2012 Annual Meeting, Bruker today announced the Dimension FastScan Bio™ Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), which enables high-resolution microscopy research in biological dynamics.

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 30 Jul 2012

Study validates importin beta1 protein's crucial role in nerve repair

Several years ago, Prof. Michael Fainzilber and his group in the Biological Chemistry Department made a surprising discovery: Proteins thought to exist only near the cell nucleus could also be found in the far-off regions of the body's longest cells - peripheral nerve cells that extend processes called axons, reaching up to a meter in length in adult humans.

27 Jul 2012

Lymphoma drug dislodges hidden virus in HIV patients

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have published pioneering research showing that a drug used to treat certain types of lymphoma was able to dislodge hidden virus in patients receiving treatment for HIV.

27 Jul 2012

Bone marrow transplant eradicates traces of HIV in men

Two men with longstanding HIV infections no longer have detectable HIV in their blood cells following bone marrow transplants. The virus was easily detected in blood lymphocytes of both men prior to their transplants but became undetectable by eight months post-transplant. The men, who were treated at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), have remained on anti-retroviral therapy.

27 Jul 2012

Gilead Sciences second quarter total revenues increase 13% to $2.41 billion

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today its results of operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

26 Jul 2012

Vitamin B12 supplements and hepatitis C treatment: an interview with Gerardo Nardone and Alba Rocco

Since its discovery in 1989, hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been recognized as a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The most recent WHO estimate of the prevalence of HCV infection is 2%, representing . about 150 million people. Every year, 3–4 million new people are infected with the hepatitis C virus, of those, approximately 60–80% develop chronic hepatitis, and 30% of them progress to cirrhosis and to end-stage liver disease.

26 Jul 2012

Community health campaigns reduce incidence of HIV virus levels in rural Uganda

Population-wide levels of HIV virus dropped substantially between 2011 and May 2012 in a rural part of southwestern Uganda, the site of two community health campaigns led by doctors at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

25 Jul 2012

Rutgers cell biologist to receive Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Fewer than 100 researchers nationwide are chosen each year to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and this year Dr. Nihal Altan-Bonnet is one of the 96 to receive this honor.

25 Jul 2012

Favorable results from BioCryst’s ulodesine plus allopurinol Phase 2b trial on gout

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced favorable 52-week safety results and sustained efficacy from the extension phase of its randomized Phase 2b trial of ulodesine (BCX4208) added to allopurinol in patients with gout who had failed to reach the serum uric acid (sUA) therapeutic goal of <6 mg/dL on allopurinol alone, as well as positive Phase 2 safety results in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment.

25 Jul 2012

Human brown fat may actually be beige

Beige fat cells are more closely related to white than brown fat cells, say researchers who found that brown fat deposits in humans appear to be composed of beige cells.

24 Jul 2012

PAMAM G-3 actually prevents activation of the process that leads to thrombosis

A compound that mops up debris of damaged cells from the bloodstream may be the first in a new class of drugs designed to address one of medicine's most difficult challenges -- stopping the formation of blood clots without triggering equally threatening bleeding.

24 Jul 2012

Illumina sues IBS and Qiagen for infringement of three patents

Illumina, Inc. today announced that the company has sought leave to file counterclaims against Intelligent Bio-Systems, Inc. and Qiagen NV, which recently acquired IBS, in response to the patent lawsuit brought by Columbia University and IBS on March 26, 2012 in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.

From Illumina, Inc. 23 Jul 2012

Protein associated with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases has several brain-specific forms

A protein essential for metabolism and recently associated with neurodegenerative diseases also occurs in several brain-specific forms. This discovery emerged in the course of a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the findings of which have now been published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

23 Jul 2012

Herbal therapy no alternative in HCV infection

The commonly used herbal remedy, silymarin, offers no benefit to patients with treatment-resistant hepatitis C virus infection, a study shows.

23 Jul 2012

All adult patients with HIV should be offered ART: International Antiviral Society-USA panel

Included in the 2012 International Antiviral Society-USA panel recommendations for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patient care is that all adult patients, regardless of CD4 cell count, should be offered antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to an article in the July 25 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on HIV/AIDS.

23 Jul 2012

Researchers identify several gene mutations responsible for medulloblastoma

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have identified several gene mutations responsible for the most common childhood brain tumor, called medulloblastoma, adding evidence to the theory that the diagnosis is a group of genetically distinct cancers with different prognoses. These and accompanying findings are likely to lead to less-toxic, better-targeted treatment approaches over the next two years, the researchers said.

23 Jul 2012

Experts examine host recognition of Staphylococcus and E.coli bacteria

We are surrounded by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The fact that we nevertheless do not fall prey to infections is thanks to certain cellular sensor molecules such as toll-like receptors (TLR), which recognize the molecular structure of pathogens and intercede by ensuring an often completely unnoticeable elimination of the invaders. Their immune-activating abilities were only detected in 1998, a discovery which was awarded with the Nobel Prize

21 Jul 2012

Researchers discover potential drug targets that might reduce ventilator-induced lung inflammation

When hospital patients need assistance breathing and are placed on a mechanical ventilator for days at a time, their lungs react to the pressure generated by the ventilator with an out-of-control immune response that can lead to excessive inflammation, new research suggests.

19 Jul 2012

RNA News and Research

Further Reading

New research indicates molecular signaling from end to end in peripheral nerve cells

Progress with GSK in advancing VaxiRNA technology earns Alnylam $3.2M milestone payment

Bruker introduces high-resolution microscope for research in biological dynamics

Study validates importin beta1 protein's crucial role in nerve repair

Lymphoma drug dislodges hidden virus in HIV patients

Bone marrow transplant eradicates traces of HIV in men

Gilead Sciences second quarter total revenues increase 13% to $2.41 billion

Vitamin B12 supplements and hepatitis C treatment: an interview with Gerardo Nardone and Alba Rocco

Community health campaigns reduce incidence of HIV virus levels in rural Uganda

Rutgers cell biologist to receive Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Favorable results from BioCryst’s ulodesine plus allopurinol Phase 2b trial on gout

Human brown fat may actually be beige

PAMAM G-3 actually prevents activation of the process that leads to thrombosis

Illumina sues IBS and Qiagen for infringement of three patents

Protein associated with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases has several brain-specific forms

Herbal therapy no alternative in HCV infection

All adult patients with HIV should be offered ART: International Antiviral Society-USA panel

Researchers identify several gene mutations responsible for medulloblastoma

Experts examine host recognition of Staphylococcus and E.coli bacteria

Researchers discover potential drug targets that might reduce ventilator-induced lung inflammation

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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