Molecule News and Research

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Research looks at link between normal and cancer stem cells

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have answered a central question in cancer biology: whether normal stem cells can give rise to tumors.

17 Dec 2008

Real-time gene monitoring

Imagine having GeneVision: the uncanny ability to view the activity of any chosen gene in real time through a specially modified camera.

16 Dec 2008

Evolutionary roots of ancient bacteria may open new line of attack on cystic fibrosis

The redox-active pigments responsible for the blue-green stain of the mucus that clogs the lungs of children and adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) are primarily signaling molecules that allow large clusters of the opportunistic infection agent, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to organize themselves into structured communities.

16 Dec 2008

Study of placenta unexpectedly leads to cancer gene

University of Rochester Medical Center scientists discovered a gene mutation that impairs the placenta and also is influential in cancer development, according to a study published online December 16, 2008, in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology.

16 Dec 2008

Researchers create new family of fluorescent probes called hydrocyanines to detect reactive oxygen species in vivo

Researchers have created a new family of fluorescent probes called hydrocyanines that can be used to detect and measure the presence of reactive oxygen species.

15 Dec 2008

Receptor for prostaglandin-E2 plays key role in atherosclerosis development

Atherosclerosis - a disease that includes the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-laden lumps of cells inside the artery wall - is the underlying cause of heart attacks and strokes.

15 Dec 2008

Research aims to reduce scarring from heart attacks

A heart damaged by heart attack is usually broken, at least partially, for good.

14 Dec 2008

Exparel (DepoBupivacaine) shows promise in hernia repair

A Phase II trial of a single intraoperative administration of Exparel (DepoBupivacaine) resulted in significantly reduced pain with activity in the first 8 to 24 hours following surgery, when pain is generally greatest, compared to conventional treatment.

14 Dec 2008

Carbon nanotube sensors for cancer drugs

MIT engineers have developed carbon nanotubes into sensors for cancer drugs and other DNA-damaging agents inside living cells.

14 Dec 2008

Exciting cancer discovery

Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to spread from a primary site, to form tumours at distant sites.

14 Dec 2008

Potential new avenue for altering lung development in the embryo - will help premature babies

Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have identified a potential new avenue for altering lung development in the embryo which may help to improve the outcome for very premature babies.

14 Dec 2008

Researchers find tamoxifen's power comes from endoxifen

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that a chemical known as endoxifen appears to be the primary metabolite responsible for the effectiveness of tamoxifen in treating breast cancer, and that it works against cancer in an entirely unexpected way.

12 Dec 2008

Gene therapy used to treat periodontal disease

Scientists at the University of Michigan have shown that gene therapy can be used to successfully stop the development of periodontal disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

12 Dec 2008

Neither vitamin E nor selenium reduce risk of prostate cancer

In perhaps the largest cancer chemoprevention trial ever conducted, researchers have found that supplementation with vitamin E or selenium, alone or in combination, was not associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer or other cancers.

10 Dec 2008

New research points to possible treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease

There are many ways to die, but amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease must be one of the worst.

10 Dec 2008

Brain deletion of FK506-binding protein enhances repetitive behaviors in mice

A new study reveals a link between dysregulation of a common signaling pathway and repetitive behaviors similar to those associated with multiple neurological and neurodegenerative disorders including, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Huntington's disease.

10 Dec 2008

Blocking immune receptor molecule improves response to HIV-like virus, prolongs survival in monkeys

By blocking PD-1 (programmed death-1), an immune receptor molecule known to inhibit the immune response to chronic viral infections, scientists have safely and significantly reduced the plasma viral load and also prolonged survival of rhesus macaque monkeys severely infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the nonhuman primate version of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

10 Dec 2008

Controlling the building blocks of life

A simple and reliable method for converting one of the simplest chemical entities into one of the most difficult-to-make molecular building blocks of life, with complete control over its shape, is reported by scientists at the University of Bristol in this week's Nature.

10 Dec 2008

Protein could prevent blocked arteries

For the first time, researchers have found that a modified form of a naturally occurring protein, N-cadherin, could prevent blocked arteries. Blocked arteries are a major cause of heart attacks and strokes.

10 Dec 2008

Vaccine against malaria could be ready in 5 years

Malaria kills more than one million people every year so the news that an effective vaccine could be available within five years is more than welcome.

9 Dec 2008