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Researchers reveal newest weapon to visualize shape and motion of RNA

Qi Zhang sees himself as a warrior. In his lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he wages war on genetic diseases such as cancer and heart disease on a battlefield measured with single atoms.

10 Jan 2014

A new health insurer raises funds after rapid growth

A new health insurer is betting that it can enter a crowded, but lucrative market. In the meantime, health care stocks helped markets surge Tuesday.

8 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 8, 2014

Today's headlines include news from Capitol Hill about how current events offer a window into the dynamics of the 2014 campaign season.

8 Jan 2014

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center receives $90M in new financial support from Ludwig

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, along with five other elite academic institutions, will share an unprecedented total of $540 million in new financial support from Ludwig Cancer Research, on behalf of its founder Daniel K. Ludwig. Announced today, the gift is among the largest publicly recorded gifts to cancer research made by a private organization, bringing the total funding to date for Ludwig Centers and endowed professorships at the six institutions to $900 million.

7 Jan 2014

Study uncovers how enzymes could be used to identify predisposition to ROS-related diseases

A UT Arlington chemist doing National Science Foundation-funded research on enzymes that regulate human biology has uncovered characteristics that could be used to identify predisposition to conditions such as heart disease, diabetic ulcers and some types of cancer.

6 Jan 2014

Boston College researchers combine two catalytic reactions to produce highly reactive compounds

Boston College chemists have developed a new chemical synthesis methodology that converts chemicals known as alpha-olefins into new organic compounds.

20 Dec 2013

Potential pathway for drug development using photoreactions

For chemists, natural substances are compounds formed by organisms to fulfill the myriad biological functions. This biological activity makes them very interesting for industrial applications, for example as active agents in medication or as plant protection agents.

18 Dec 2013

Scientists back ovarian cancer preventative surgery to improve survival

A study by Manchester scientists backs preventative surgery to improve survival for women who are at greater risk of getting ovarian cancer and suggests it appears helpful for women at risk of getting breast cancer because of genetic faults.

18 Dec 2013

New projects advance treatments for radiation syndrome, cardiac arrest-induced brain injury and rare blood disorder

The National Institutes of Health today has launched three pre-clinical projects to advance potential new treatments for acute radiation syndrome, brain injury following cardiac arrest and a rare blood disorder called beta thalassemia.

17 Dec 2013

Unnecessary cesarean section rates rising at both rural and urban hospitals

Rates of unnecessary cesarean section and other potentially risky obstetric procedures show some significant differences between rural and urban hospitals in the United States, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

13 Dec 2013

Nurse-led initiatives in Indiana improve patient outcomes

Nurse-led initiatives in Indiana measurably improved patient outcomes while demonstrating anticipated financial savings of more than $5.2 million to their organizations, according to initial results from a hospital-based nurse leadership and innovation training program launched last year by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

6 Dec 2013

Top cancer research centers to establish new biotechnology company focused on cancer immunotherapy

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), along with pediatric partner Seattle Children's Research Institute, have joined forces to launch Juno Therapeutics Inc., a new biotechnology company focused on bringing forward novel immunotherapies for cancer.

4 Dec 2013

Apollo Endosurgery acquires the obesity intervention division of Allergan

Apollo Endosurgery, Inc., a leading developer of medical devices for endoscopic surgical procedures, today announced the completion of the acquisition of the obesity intervention division of Allergan, Inc., which manufactures and sells weight loss solutions comprised of the LAP-BAND adjustable gastric banding system and the ORBERA intra-gastric balloon system.

3 Dec 2013

Researchers develop series of techniques to create active iron-based catalysts

University of Toronto researchers have developed a series of techniques to create a variety of very active iron-based catalysts necessary to produce the alcohols and amines used in the drug and perfume industry. The new synthetic methods promise to be safer and more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional industrial processes.

30 Nov 2013

Edison initiates coverage of biotechnology company focused on adult stem therapies

Edison Investment Research, a leading international investment research firm, announces the initiation of coverage of Mesoblast (MSB: ASX), an Australian-headquartered biotechnology company focused on adult stem therapies.

27 Nov 2013

New concept outlines steps to tackle neglected tropical diseases, expedite poverty reduction efforts

A new concept and policy framework published in PLOS NTDs outlines concrete steps for the global development community as it works to synthesize health goals with economic, environmental and social priorities.

26 Nov 2013

Board of Visitors approves resolution to create Faculty of Health Sciences

At its quarterly meeting this week, Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors approved a resolution to create a Faculty of Health Sciences.

22 Nov 2013

Atopix recruits first patient in OC459 Phase 2 trial for treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopix Therapeutics Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative CRTH2 antagonists for allergic disease, announced the recruitment of the first patient in a six month Phase 2 clinical trial of its lead compound OC459 in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (eczema).

19 Nov 2013

Early detection of breast cancer could soon be possible with blood test

What could someday be the first blood test for the early detection of breast cancer was shown in preliminary studies to successfully identify the presence of breast cancer cells from serum biomarkers, say the Houston Methodist Research Institute scientists who are developing the technology.

15 Nov 2013

Researchers use new approach to parse roles of key mutated protein that causes familial AD

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used genetic engineering of human induced pluripotent stem cells to specifically and precisely parse the roles of a key mutated protein in causing familial Alzheimer's disease, discovering that simple loss-of-function does not contribute to the inherited form of the neurodegenerative disorder.