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Scientists identify brain circuits that 'decide' how much we eat

Scientists have identified the brain circuits that 'decide' how much we eat. Using live brain scanning techniques and an innovative study design, researchers have discovered how the brain controls food intake in humans. Their findings are published in Nature.

15 Oct 2007

Researchers focus on neuregulin gene and schizophrenia

Queen's scientists have started research on a human gene that will lead to a better understanding of schizophrenia.

12 Oct 2007

Research shows how stem cells decide to become either skeletal or smooth muscle

Researchers have discovered a key protein that controls how stem cells "choose" to become either skeletal muscle cells that move limbs, or smooth muscle cells that support blood vessels, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

11 Oct 2007

Volcanic ash and human health - new way of estimating risk

A new, rapid and cheap way of estimating the potential risk posed to human health by volcanic ash has been devised by a Durham University expert.

10 Oct 2007

Folic acid supplements dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in those exposed to contaminated water

A new study conducted in Bangladesh finds that folic acid supplements can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals chronically exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water.

10 Oct 2007

HIV drug designed for children wins FDA approval

A pill containing 3 anti-HIV drugs designed specifically for children has been given tentative approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its use in Sub-Saharan Africa will benefit thousands of children living with HIV.

10 Oct 2007

Broncus Technologies reports positive results for airway bypass procedure for the treatment of emphysema

Broncus Technologies, Inc., a medical device company investigating the airway bypass procedure for the treatment of emphysema, has announced that the results of its open-label Exhale Drug-Eluting Stent feasibility study have been published in the October issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

10 Oct 2007

Paving the way for future pan-European clinical trials

Pan-European collaboration is important for many clinical trials and essential for trials that are investigating treatments for rare diseases.

10 Oct 2007

Mario Capecchi shares Nobel Prize in medicine for knockout mice technology

Mario R. Capecchi, Ph.D., distinguished professor of human genetics and biology at the University of Utah's Eccles Institute of Human Genetics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, has won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

9 Oct 2007

Sir Martin Evans wins Nobel prize for stem cell research

Medical Research Council funded scientist Sir Martin Evans, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2007 alongside Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of "principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells".

9 Oct 2007

Genes that increase rheumatoid arthritis risk found

Researchers in the United States and Sweden have identified a genetic region associated with increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic and debilitating inflammatory disease of the joints that affects an estimated 2.1 million Americans.

8 Oct 2007

Sex after chronic heart failure

Although medication can help extend the lives of men with chronic heart failure, several factors associated with this disease can interfere with a person's ability to engage in and enjoy sexual activities.

4 Oct 2007

Donepezil no better than placebo to treat behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer's

New research has found that donepezil (known commercially as Aricept©) is no more effective than a placebo at tackling the agitation which often accompanies Alzheimer's disease.

4 Oct 2007

Discovery offers hope of halting motor neurone disease progression

Scientists have discovered a causal link between the gene for a small protein involved in the formation of blood vessels and the development of some forms of motor neurone disease.

4 Oct 2007

Cell's cytoskeleton may hold key to overcoming drug resistance in cancer

Researchers have uncovered a new way in which a cell protein protects cancer cells from a wide range of chemotherapeutic drugs, identifying a possible target for improving treatment outcomes for patients.

4 Oct 2007

Judge acquits Canadian doctors, U.S. drug company in tainted blood case

A Canadian judge on Monday acquitted New Jersey-based Armour Pharmaceutical Company and four Canadian doctors -- including the former medical director of the Canadian Red Cross and two government officials -- of charges related to blood products contaminated with HIV and hepatitis C, the New York Times reports (Austen, New York Times, 10/2).

2 Oct 2007

Dietary calcium could possibly prevent spread of breast cancer to bone

A strong skeleton is less likely to be penetrated by metastasizing cancer cells, so a fortified glass of milk might be the way to block cancer's spread, according to researchers at the ANZAC Research Institute in Concord, Australia.

2 Oct 2007

BioNanomatrix and Complete Genomics form joint venture after NIST grant awarded

BioNanomatrix, Inc. and Complete Genomics Inc. (CGI) have announced that they have formed a joint venture that has received an $8.8 million grant award from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Technology Program (NIST-ATP) to develop a system capable of sequencing the entire human genome in eight hours at a cost of less than $100

29 Sep 2007

Unmasked enzyme may lead to new drugs for type II diabetes

Scientists at the Medical Research Council have made a discovery that could pave the way for better treatments of type II diabetes.

27 Sep 2007

Clinical Trials Directive likely to turn Europe into the poor relation of clinical academic medicine

The Clinical Trials Directive, which came into force in May 2004 in order to create a harmonised framework for clinical drug research across Europe, is still hampering such research, according to new findings presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14).

27 Sep 2007