Biotechnology News and Research

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Scientists evolve new proteins from scratch

Nature, through the trial and error of evolution, has discovered a vast diversity of life from what can only presumed to have been a primordial pool of building blocks.

24 May 2007

Peering into the body and visualizing its molecular secrets one step closer to reality

Peering into the body and visualizing its molecular secrets, once the stuff of science fiction, is one step closer to reality with a study from researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

22 May 2007

Researchers use gene therapy to restore sight in mice

University of Florida researchers used gene therapy to restore sight in mice with a form of hereditary blindness, a finding that has bearing on many of the most common blinding diseases.

22 May 2007

New data on natural probiotic bacterial strain of Bifantis shows anti-inflammatory properties

The biotechnology company Alimentary Health today announced results from two studies that demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of a natural probiotic bacterial strain of human origin, Bifantis (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), in models of arthritis and Salmonella infection.

22 May 2007

Decoding gene expression in cancer tumors using noninvasive imaging

By correlating images of cancerous liver tissue with gene expression patterns, a research team led by a radiologist at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has developed tools that may some day allow physicians to view a CT image of a cancer tumor and discern its genetic activity.

22 May 2007

Engineered minichromosomes for medically useful proteins and metabolites

A team of scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia has discovered a way to create engineered minichromosomes in maize and attach genes to those minichromosomes.

16 May 2007

Synthetic hard and soft tissue for humans

Missing bones after an accident? Arteries destroyed by disease? An international team of DCU researchers have begun work on ways of producing synthetic hard and soft tissue for humans that could revolutionise treatment for people affected by disease and trauma.

15 May 2007

Scientists target cancer cells with nanotechnology

A team of Australian scientists have developed a way to deliver lethal drug doses to tumours without causing side-effects, such as nausea and hair loss.

14 May 2007

Researchers discover how antibiotic linezolid inhibits bacterial growth

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in collaboration with research teams from Pharmacia & Upjohn and Pfizer, have discovered precisely how the antibiotic linezolid inhibits bacterial growth.

11 May 2007

Abbott seeks U.S. and E.U. approvals for Humira as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Abbott has announced it has simultaneously submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a Type II Variation to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) seeking approval to market HUMIRA (adalimumab) as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in the U.S. and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in the European Union (EU).

9 May 2007

Senate begins debate on prescription drug user fee act reauthorization bill

The Senate on Monday began debate on a bill (S 1082) that would reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which will expire on Sept. 30, with senators expected to propose a number of amendments to the legislation, the AP/Dallas Morning News reports ( AP/Dallas Morning News , 4/30).

2 May 2007

Spherix starts phase 3 clinical trial of treatment for type 2 diabetes

Spherix Incorporated has announced that it has begun its Phase 3 clinical trial of Naturlose as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes.

2 May 2007

Cancer Research Technology licenses therapeutic antibodies to Peptech

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the oncology-focused development and commercialisation company, today announces it has licensed rights to a panel of cancer therapeutic antibodies to Peptech Limited.

2 May 2007

Lawmakers have proposed 'witch's brew' of biotech bills

Lawmakers in recent months "have stirred up a witch's brew of initiatives that is cause for some concern -- not only for the biotech industry, but for all Americans," James Mullen, president and CEO of Biogen and chair of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

1 May 2007

Virtual reality device helps multiple sclerosis patients walk

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology scientists have created a virtual reality device that combines auditory and visual feedback to improve walking speed and stride length in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease.

1 May 2007

Drama can be an effective mechanism to educate and motivate

Drama certainly has the power to entertain, but can it also change behavior? A play about substance abuse was successful at prompting audience members to participate in substance abuse prevention activities, according to Allyn Howlett, Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

1 May 2007

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes are more closely related at the molecular level than scientists realized

Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, the human version of mad cow disease, and other degenerative diseases are more closely related at the molecular level than scientists realized, a team reports this week in an advanced online publication of the journal Nature.

1 May 2007

New theory of addiction as a disease of learning and memory

Morphine, as little as a single dose, blocks the brain's ability to strengthen connections at inhibitory synapses, according to new Brown University research published in Nature.

26 Apr 2007

New biotech company develops UD-patented technologies for repairing genes

OrphageniX Inc., a new biotechnology company founded by University of Delaware researchers, has been established in Wilmington to develop and commercialize UD-patented technologies for repairing genes that cause rare, hereditary diseases such as sickle cell anemia and spinal muscular atrophy.

25 Apr 2007

Humans should try to increase melatonin consumption through food

The Spanish Ageing Research Network (Red Nacional de Investigaci'n del Envejecimiento), funded by Carlos III Health Institute and headed by professor Dario Acuna Castroviejo, from the University of Granada, is very near to achieving one of today's Science greatest goals: allowing humans to age in the best possible health conditions.

25 Apr 2007