Transgenic News and Research

RSS

Study shows beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, announced today the publication of collaborative research in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology entitled, "TGF-beta driven lung fibrosis is macrophage dependent and blocked by Serum amyloid P."

14 Feb 2011

Gene-transfer system may control mosquito-borne diseases without pesticides

Scientists have modeled a system that may be used to control mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit, without the use of pesticides. In the proposed system, mosquitoes are engineered to carry two genes. The first gene causes males to transmit a toxin to females through their semen. The second gene, when expressed in females, makes them immune to this toxin.

14 Feb 2011

Study reveals beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in TGFβ1-induced lung disease

11 Feb 2011

Researchers identify enzyme that protects against inflammation, joint destruction

A team of researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has identified an enzyme that protects against inflammation and joint destruction. Made when the researchers blocked production of the enzyme GGTase-I in transgenic mice, this unexpected discovery could lead to the identification of new mechanisms that control the development of inflammatory disorders, as well as new medicines.

8 Feb 2011

Study uncovers genetic hierarchy in plant sperm formation

Biologists at the University of Leicester have published results of a new study into the intricacies of sex in flowering plants.

3 Feb 2011

NINDS awards AndroScience $3.8M cooperative translational research grant for Kennedy's Disease

AndroScience Corp., based in San Diego, California, announced receiving a $3.8 Million, 3-year milestone-driven, cooperative translational research grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Jan 2011

Researchers map complex choreography used by immune system's T cells to recognize pathogens

Researchers have for the first time mapped the complex choreography used by the immune system's T cells to recognize pathogens while avoiding attacks on the body's own cells.

21 Jan 2011

Vasopressin in the brain maintains size of vasopressin neurons even when body fluid becomes more diluted

The anti-diuretic hormone "vasopressin" is released from the brain, and known to work in the kidney, suppressing the diuresis.

21 Jan 2011

Scientists create GM chicken that does not spread bird flu to other chickens

"Scientists have developed genetically modified [GM] chickens that don't transmit bird flu [H5N1] to other chickens," HealthDay News/Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

18 Jan 2011

Study highlights role of SIRT1 protein as tumor suppressor in prostate cancer

Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and two other institutions have discovered new evidence that suggests the "longevity" protein SIRT1, known for its life-spanning effects in different species, can inhibit the development of a known precursor to prostate cancer, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia.

14 Jan 2011

Chicks that don’t pass on bird flu

Influenza from birds, commonly known as H5N1 avian flu, has killed at least 306 people during the past seven years and innumerable birds and poultry. Now a team of scientists in Britain have developed a way to breed poultry that are genetically resistant to H5N1 or any other avian flu virus. The study by Scientists from Cambridge and Edinburgh universities was reported in the Jan. 13 issue of Science.

13 Jan 2011

BIDMC scientist wins 2011 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for cancer research

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center cancer geneticist Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD, is the recipient of the 2011 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR (American Association of Cancer Research) International Award for Cancer Research.

13 Jan 2011

Population of highly active neurons could provide insight into neocortex

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have found that within the brain's neocortex lies a subnetwork of highly active neurons that behave much like people in social networks.

11 Jan 2011

Slowing engines of mitochondria could extend life

In making your pro-longevity resolutions, like drinking more red wine and maintaining a vibrant social network, here's one you likely forgot: dialing down your mitochondria. It turns out that slowing the engines of these tiny cellular factories could extend your life-an observation relevant not only to aging research but to our understanding of how cells communicate with each another.

10 Jan 2011

Mutated TDP-43 can cause neurons to die: Study

Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration are characterized by protein clumps in brain and spinal-cord cells that include an RNA-binding protein called TDP-43. This protein is the major building block of the lesions formed by these clumps.

6 Jan 2011

Scientists pinpoint brain site where leptin hormone may trigger onset of puberty

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have pinpointed a tiny site in the brain where the hormone leptin may help trigger the onset of puberty.

23 Dec 2010

Study reveals novel role of adenosine signaling in sickle cell disease

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics, biomarker discovery and analysis, announces the publication of "Novel Role of Adenosine Signaling in Sickle Cell Disease", in Nature Medicine. Application of non-targeted biochemical profiling (metabolomics) to a mouse model of sickle cell disease (SCD) revealed a detrimental role of adenosine signaling in SCD and suggested novel therapeutic targets. The study was carried out in collaboration with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

21 Dec 2010

Over expression of transcription factor improves neurological function in HD transgenic mice models

Over expressing a transcription factor that promotes the increase in number of mitochondria greatly improves the neurological function of transgenic mice models for Huntington's disease, researchers today told the American Society of Cell Biology's 50th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

15 Dec 2010

Study shows breast inflammation promotes development and progression of cancer

It took 12 years and a creation of a highly sophisticated transgenic mouse, but researchers at Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have finally proven a long suspected theory: Inflammation in the breast is key to the development and progression of breast cancer.