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Researchers discover leptin hormone in fruit flies

Researchers have discovered in fruit flies a key metabolic hormone thought to be the exclusive property of vertebrates. The hormone, leptin, is a nutrient sensor, regulating energy intake and output and ultimately controlling appetite.

28 Sep 2012

Molecular link between spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Researchers of motor neuron diseases have long had a hunch that two fatal diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), might somehow be linked. A new study confirms that this link exists.

28 Sep 2012

Researchers solve key part of muscle regeneration mystery

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have solved a key part of a muscle regeneration mystery plaguing scientists for years, adding strong support to the theory that muscle mass can be built without a complete, fully functional supply of muscle stem cells.

28 Sep 2012

Molecular link between thermogenesis and development of inflammation in fat cells

Flipping a newly discovered molecular switch in white fat cells enabled mice to eat a high-calorie diet without becoming obese or developing the inflammation that causes insulin resistance, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

28 Sep 2012

UNMCC researcher to investigate possible mechanism for cancer tumor development

Most of us think of DNA mutations as the culprits that cause cancer. Scott Ness, PhD, University of New Mexico Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Associate Director at the UNM Cancer Center, thinks there may be another, more elusive culprit. If Dr. Ness is right his research, funded as part of the National Cancer Institute's Provocative Questions Project, might open a whole new arena in which to target anticancer drugs.

28 Sep 2012

OncoGenex commences custirsen Phase 3 trial in non-small cell lung cancer

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of ENSPIRIT, a Phase 3 trial evaluating custirsen for the treatment of advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients who have progressed after initial chemotherapy treatment has failed.

28 Sep 2012

Key bacterial protein structures reveal one of the biochemical secrets behind multi-drug tolerance

The structures of key bacterial proteins have revealed one of the biochemical secrets that enables bacteria to outwit antibiotics.

27 Sep 2012

Nottingham expert to study impact of gluten intolerance on patients in the UK

A University of Nottingham expert has been awarded -80,000 by two national charities to study the impact of gluten intolerance on patients in the UK.

27 Sep 2012

Combination of two neuroprotective therapies shows promise against Alzheimer's

The combination of two neuroprotective therapies, voluntary physical exercise, and the daily intake of melatonin has been shown to have a synergistic effect against brain deterioration in rodents with three different mutations of Alzheimer's disease.

27 Sep 2012

Article reveals biochemical chain of events involved in penile erection

For two decades, scientists have known the biochemical factors that trigger penile erection, but not what's needed to maintain one. Now an article by Johns Hopkins researchers, scheduled to be published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), uncovers the biochemical chain of events involved in that process.

27 Sep 2012

DNp63a protein employs epigenetics to keep cancer cells alive

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is diagnosed in about 700,000 people in the United States every year. Commonly contributing to SCC is a protein called DNp63a - it goes abnormally high and the ability of a patient's body to kill cancer cells goes abnormally low. In many cases of SCC, it's just that simple. And science thought the function of DNp63a was simple, as well: the tumor suppressor gene p53 is responsible for recognizing and killing cancer cells, and in SCC, it's usually inactivated. It looked like high DNp63a repressed p53, made SCC.

27 Sep 2012

Karolinska Institutet scientists discover new approach to treat type II diabetes

An international team of scientists, led from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, have discovered an entirely new approach to the treatment of type II diabetes. The therapy involves the blockade of signalling by a protein known as VEGF-B and this prevents fat from accumulating in the 'wrong' places, such as in muscles and in the heart. As a result the cells within these tissues are once again able to respond to insulin.

27 Sep 2012

New understanding about functionality of CFTR protein

CFTR is an important protein that, when mutated, causes the life-threatening genetic disease cystic fibrosis. A study in The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) details how an accidental discovery has provided new understanding about CFTR functionality.

27 Sep 2012

Positive results from Sobi, Biogen Idec's rFIXFc Phase 3 trial on hemophilia B

Biogen Idec and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi) today announced positive results from B-LONG, a clinical study that evaluated a new long-lasting clotting factor candidate in people with hemophilia B. Hemophilia B is a rare inherited disorder that impairs blood coagulation.

27 Sep 2012

Enrollment complete in Resverlogix‘s RVX-208 Phase 2b trial on cardiovascular disease

Resverlogix Corp. today announced that it has completed enrollment in ASSURE, a Phase 2b clinical trial targeting high-risk cardiovascular disease patients.

27 Sep 2012

CSL develops new drug candidate against type 2 diabetes

CSL Limited has developed a new drug candidate that is able to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and reverse its progression in animal models of the disease.

27 Sep 2012

Tight-junction proteins could help pin down hemorrhagic transformation risk

Study findings suggest that measuring levels of tight-junction proteins in the blood of patients with stroke may help to gauge their risk for hemorrhagic transformation.

26 Sep 2012

Blood test for monitoring Huntington’s disease may be possible in future

Measuring blood levels of mutant huntingtin protein may provide an alternative approach of determining the onset of Huntington’s disease in known carriers, researchers report.

26 Sep 2012

Researchers identify mechanism that appears to underlie non-familial form of Parkinson's

Researchers in the Taub Institute at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a mechanism that appears to underlie the common sporadic (non-familial) form of Parkinson's disease, the progressive movement disorder.

26 Sep 2012

New technique can manipulate and measure magnetic particles without contact

If you throw a ball underwater, you'll find that the smaller it is, the faster it moves: A larger cross-section greatly increases the water's resistance. Now, a team of MIT researchers has figured out a way to use this basic principle, on a microscopic scale, to carry out biomedical tests that could eventually lead to fast, compact and versatile medical-testing devices.

26 Sep 2012