Developmental Biology News and Research

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APC dysfunction prevents synapse function required for learning, memory: Study

A clue to the causes of autism and mental retardation lies in the synapse, the tiny intercellular junction that rapidly transfers information from one neuron to the next. According to neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine, with students from the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, a protein called APC plays a key role in synapse maturation, and APC dysfunction prevents the synapse function required for typical learning and memory.

23 Aug 2010

Study finds abnormal expression of miRNAs can contribute to human diseases

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center have identified an RNA sequence that promotes increased numbers of specific microRNAs (miRNAs), molecules that regulate cell growth, development, and stress response. The discovery helps researchers understand the links between miRNA expression and disease, including heart disease and cancer. The findings are published in the August 13 issue of Molecular Cell.

17 Aug 2010

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls.

17 Aug 2010

Study reveals how galectin-3 carbohydrate-binding protein promotes angiogenesis

A new study describes how a carbohydrate-binding protein, galectin-3, promotes angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels. Targeting the protein, scientists identified two approaches that significantly reduced angiogenesis in mice. These discoveries, published online August 16 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, may lead to novel treatments for diseases caused by excessive angiogenesis, including age-related macular degeneration, cancer, and diabetes.

16 Aug 2010

New familial link in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia discovered

A UCSF-led team has discovered a direct link between an inherited genetic mutation, a set of developmental abnormalities and a rare form of childhood leukemia called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, or JMML. The study demonstrates a new familial link in JMML and has significant implications, the researchers say, for improving the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

9 Aug 2010

UC Riverside scientists secure grants for tobacco control research

Tobacco-related disease kills more people worldwide than any other single factor. To help address this problem, the University of California, Riverside has received six grants from the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), the most TRDRP grants the campus has received in any year.

6 Aug 2010

Increased SIRT1 protein can delay delay aging, extend lifespan

Researchers watched two groups of mice, both nearing the end of a two-day fast. One group was quietly huddled together, but the other group was active and alert. The difference? The second set of mice had been engineered so their brains produced more SIRT1, a protein known to play a role in aging and longevity.

29 Jul 2010

Cage type affects laboratory mice brain

Researchers at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus have found the brains of mice used in laboratories worldwide can be profoundly affected by the type of cage they are kept in, a breakthrough that may require scientists to reevaluate the way they conduct future experiments.

17 Jul 2010

NanoString Technologies increases throughput of nCounter Analysis System

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held life sciences company marketing a novel digital molecular barcoding technology for detecting and counting large sets of targets in biological samples, today announced that it has increased the throughput of its nCounter Analysis System by expanding its multiplexing capacity to 800 gene transcripts per reaction.

From NanoString Technologies 15 Jul 2010

New research focuses on calcium channels in lysosome membrane

In cells, as in cities, disposing of garbage and recycling anything that can be reused is an essential service. In both city and cell, health problems can arise when the process breaks down.

15 Jul 2010

Researchers explore range of potential new fuel sources in nature

On the long and difficult road toward a carbon-neutral source of transportation fuels, the U.S. Department of Energy is pursuing a diversified approach. This effort involves exploring a range of potential new fuel sources in nature: from plants that may serve as cellulosic feedstocks-fast-growing trees and perennial grasses on land-to oil-producing organisms in aquatic and other environments, such as algae and bacteria.

12 Jul 2010

Histone H1 phosphorylation involved in control of ribosomal RNA gene transcription

A protein that helps pack DNA into the cell nucleus has an important role in regulating gene activity, scientists report. The researchers found that the protein, histone H1, also takes part in the formation of ribosomes, the cellular workbenches on which all proteins are made.

2 Jul 2010

Specific virus can interact with mutation in host's genes to trigger diseases: Scientists

Scientists have shown that a specific virus can interact with a mutation in the host's genes to trigger disease. The observation may help explain why many people with disease risk genes do not actually develop disease.

25 Jun 2010

Hamilton Thorne announces launch of Staccato multi-pulse laser system at 8th ISSCR Annual Meeting

Hamilton Thorne Ltd., a leading provider of advanced laser systems and instruments for the stem cell research and fertility clinic markets, today announced the launch of the Staccato(TM) multi-pulse laser system at the 8th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), June 16-19, 2010, in San Francisco, CA. Staccato(TM) will add to the functionality of the XYClone(R) laser system, providing the ability of near-continuous application of the laser to the sample through rapid pulsing of the beam.

16 Jun 2010

Tel Aviv University researchers invent new tool to control risk of runaway stem cells

Stem cell research holds promise for improving the quality of human life ― especially embryonic stem cells, which can potentially develop into any tissue in the human body. However, basic scientific problems still remain unresolved -- but Tel Aviv University researchers are leading the way to inventive solutions.

9 Jun 2010

New UNC-Olympus Research Imaging Center opens doors

The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill today opened the doors of a new facility designed to be one of the world's most sophisticated research centers devoted to life science imaging. The new UNC-Olympus Research Imaging Center provides researchers with advanced microscopes and camera equipment, software, consultation and expertise, in an environment intended to encourage the highest levels of scientific inquiry.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 4 Jun 2010

Researchers discover relationship between DNA methylation and positioning of nucleosomes

A previously unknown pattern in DNA methylation - an event that affects cell function by altering gene expression - has been uncovered for the first time by stem cell researchers at UCLA, a finding that could have implications in preventing some cancers and correcting defects in human stem cell lines.

3 Jun 2010

Weill Cornell Medical College commences construction of 18-story, $650 million Medical Research Building

Weill Cornell Medical College today celebrated the start of construction on its new Medical Research Building, a state-of-the-art facility that will more than double the institution's existing research space. The 18-story, $650 million building is the centerpiece of Weill Cornell's $1.3 billion Discoveries that Make a Difference Campaign, the country's largest for a medical college. A total of $1 billion has been raised toward this goal in a record time of less than four years.

27 May 2010

Researchers discover genetic variant that raises risk of CHD

Although congenital heart disease represents the most common major birth defect, scientists have not previously identified the common variation in the genes that give rise to it. Now genetics and cardiology researchers, two of them brothers, have discovered a genetic variant on chromosome 5 that strongly raises the risk of congenital heart disease.

27 May 2010

Researchers describe carcinogenic effects of EDCs

Longtime environmental health researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine describe the carcinogenic effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, ubiquitous chemicals that have hormone-like effects in the body. In a review article published online May 25 in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, the researchers express the need for more complex strategies for studying how these chemicals affect health but report that ample evidence already supports changing public health and environmental policies to protect the public from exposure to EDCs.

26 May 2010