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Gold nanostars can deliver drug directly to cancer cell nucleus

Nanotechnology offers powerful new possibilities for targeted cancer therapies, but the design challenges are many. Northwestern University scientists now are the first to develop a simple but specialized nanoparticle that can deliver a drug directly to a cancer cell's nucleus -- an important feature for effective treatment.

6 Apr 2012

New microfluidics-based microarray can accurately detect breast cancer

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. The earlier cancer is detected, the better the chance of successful treatment and long-term survival. However, early cancer diagnosis is still challenging as testing by mammography remains cumbersome, costly, and in many cases, cancer can only be detected at an advanced stage.

6 Apr 2012

USPTO issues patent to ChromaDex’s pterostilbene

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent #8,133,917 pertaining to the ingredient pterostilbene, which is licensed exclusively to ChromaDex Corp., an innovative natural products company that provides proprietary, science-based solutions and ingredients to the dietary supplement, food & beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, and marketer of BluScience, its new line of dietary supplements.

6 Apr 2012

Financial incentives for purchasing a healthier food option

The aging baby boomers and subsequent generations will be looking to the food industry to provide products that can help them live longer, healthier and more active lives than previous generations, according to research presented at the Institute of Food Technologists' Wellness 12 meeting.

5 Apr 2012

Vaccination most promising against asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory and respiratory disease caused by an abnormal reactivity to allergens in the environment. Of the several avenues of exploration that are currently being developed, vaccination appears to be the most promising approach.

5 Apr 2012

HSP27 protein can indicate lung damage during early stages of COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a widespread disease. In Austria alone, there are between 500,000 and 600,000 sufferers; around ninety per cent of cases are the result of smoking. Now, under the leadership of Hendrik Jan Ankersmit, a research team from the University Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna and the Christian Doppler Laboratory for the Diagnosis and Regeneration of Heart and Thorax Diseases has discovered a protein marker in the blood that can already indicate lung damage during the early stages of COPD, before a decrease in lung volume is detected by a pulmonary function test.

5 Apr 2012

Novel approach to kill acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Nora Heisterkamp, PhD, and Reshmi Parameswaran, PhD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, have found a novel approach to killing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Using a fusion toxin that specifically targets cancer cells, this novel therapeutic may offer a future alternative to patients who become resistant to chemotherapy.

5 Apr 2012

UH to host 'Science Impacting Health and Society' lecture series

A new lecture series at the University of Houston (UH) will give Houstonians an opportunity to learn how science is making a difference in health and medicine. The first of five lectures will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 25 at the Hilton University of Houston.

5 Apr 2012

Applied BioCode receives U.S. patent titled, ‘Light Transmitted Assay Beads’

Applied BioCode, Inc. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent #8,148,139 "Light Transmitted Assay Beads," describing the method of use and manufacturing of its Barcoded Magnetic Beads (BMB) products.

5 Apr 2012

UV light-activated on-off switch for Morpholinos

University of Oregon scientists collaborating with an Oregon company that synthesizes antisense Morpholinos for genetic research have developed a UV light-activated on-off switch for the vital gene-blocking molecule. Based on initial testing in zebra-fish embryos, the enhanced molecule promises to deliver new insights for developmental biologists and brain researchers.

5 Apr 2012

Soy may effectively reduce menopausal hot flashes

In the most comprehensive study to date to examine the effects of soy on menopause, researchers have found that two daily servings of soy can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes by up to 26 percent, compared to a placebo.

5 Apr 2012

Crizotinib reduces testosterone levels in men with ALK positive lung cancer

Men experience a marked drop in their testosterone levels when taking a targeted therapy to control a specific type of lung cancer. That's according to a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the April issue of Cancer, the official journal of the American Cancer Society.

5 Apr 2012

CHD8, SNC2A and KATNAL2 gene mutations lead to ASDs

Mutations in three new genes have been linked to autism, according to new studies including one with investigators at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. All three studies include lead investigators of the Autism Sequencing Consortium.

5 Apr 2012

New cell and animal model of IBC

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a very aggressive, often misunderstood type of cancer that is diagnosed more frequently in younger women compared with other types of breast cancer. The five-year survival rate is between 25 and 50 percent-significantly lower than the survival rate for other types of breast cancer. The reason for the poor prognosis is that IBC usually grows rapidly and often spreads quickly to other parts of the body, including the brain, bone and lymph nodes.

5 Apr 2012

Fathers more likely to transmit spontaneous mutations to children with ASDs

Researchers have turned up a new clue to the workings of a possible environmental factor in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): fathers were four times more likely than mothers to transmit tiny, spontaneous mutations to their children with the disorders. Moreover, the number of such transmitted genetic glitches increased with paternal age. The discovery may help to explain earlier evidence linking autism risk to older fathers.

5 Apr 2012

Scientists uncover structure and operating mechanism of TPPII

Uncontrolled or inaccurate degradation of cellular proteins can lead to diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's disease. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now uncovered the structure and the operating mechanism of an important component of the human cellular degradation machinery, tripeptidyl peptidase II.

5 Apr 2012

Scripps Florida scientists to create new screening tests for HCV treatment discovery

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have been awarded just over $1 million from the National Institutes of Health for a three-year study to develop new high-throughput screening tests to find compounds that disable a protein essential to hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication.

5 Apr 2012

Ventria completes VEN100 phase 2 trial on antibiotic-associated diarrhea

Ventria Bioscience has announced the successful completion of a phase 2 clinical trial of its lead therapeutic candidate, VEN100. The study was conducted by a team of investigators from the Department of Epidemiology, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Division of Geriatric Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

5 Apr 2012

Researchers uncover mechanism that explains link between autoimmunity and atherosclerosis

Patients with autoimmune diseases often show a predisposition to develop "hardening of the arteries" or atherosclerosis. LMU researchers have now uncovered a mechanism that establishes a causal link between the two disorders.

5 Apr 2012

New SORL1 gene causes early-onset Alzheimer's

A new gene that causes early-onset of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by the research team of Dominique Campion at the Insert unit 1079 "Genetics of cancer and neuropsychiatric diseases" in Rouen.

5 Apr 2012