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New hope for Huntington disease cure

Researchers provide ground-breaking evidence for a cure for Huntington disease in a mouse offering hope that this disease can be relieved in humans.

18 Jun 2006

Scientists cracking virus protection shield

Scientists reveal the structure of a protein that packages the viral genome and helps viruses to replicate while avoiding human immune reactions

18 Jun 2006

From DNA to RNA to protein

Of the thousands of proteins produced in our cells, few are as important as the enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP), which has the unique ability to faithfully copy genetic information from DNA.

18 Jun 2006

Fly research sheds light on sleep regulation and its role in memory

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a brain region previously known for its role in learning and memory also serves as the location of sleep regulation in fruit flies.

18 Jun 2006

Researchers identify new keys to regulation of bacterial gene expression

The cellular process of transcription, in which the enzyme RNA polymerase constructs chains of RNA from information contained in DNA, depends upon previously underappreciated sections of both the DNA promoter region and RNA polymerase

18 Jun 2006

Discovery of gene behind iron accumulation in brain has implications for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have identified the gene behind a group of rare, progressive childhood disorders caused by an abnormal buildup of iron in the brain.

18 Jun 2006

Most head lice are resistant to a common treatment

According to new research the British school nurse has her work cut out because it appears that most head lice are resistant to a common treatment used to eradicate them.

18 Jun 2006

Dasatinib offers new options for leukemia patients

Dasatinib, an experimental drug under development by Bristol-Myers Squibb, reverses the signs and symptoms of patients whose chronic myeloid leukemia has failed to respond to Gleevec, which is considered the standard of treatment for the disorder.

14 Jun 2006

New diabetic drugs could change the future for sufferers

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes affects as many as 21 million Americans increasing their risk of heart attacks, kidney disease and blindness.

13 Jun 2006

Coffee may help prevent cirrhosis of the liver

Researchers in the U.S. suggest that drinking coffee may help protect against alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.

12 Jun 2006

Mechanism for neurodenegerative diseases linked to transport proteins

Hampering the transport of proteins within cells may underlie several adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's, ALS and Kennedy disease. Understanding how this cell transport is blocked in these diseases may offer targets for future therapy.

9 Jun 2006

COX enzymes work together in ways that suggest new biological roles

COX enzymes - well-known for their contrasting role in cardiovascular biology - interact physically to form a previously unrecognized biochemical partnership and function in the development of blood vessels in a mouse model.

9 Jun 2006

How cancer cells stay young and aggressive

Some of the cancer cells' closest allies have been unveiled. Fortunately, the researchers from BRIC (Biotech Research & Innovation Centre) at University of Copenhagen have also discovered how to beat them.

7 Jun 2006

Black women have fewer breast cancers than white women, but their mortality is worse

For decades, researchers have tried to understand why breast cancer in younger black women is such a significant public health problem.

7 Jun 2006

First analysis of the genes of a community of human microbes

Researchers have completed the first analysis of the genes of a community of human microbes, an accomplishment that has far-reaching implications for clinical diagnosis and treatment of many human diseases.

7 Jun 2006

Impact of obesity on treatment of chronic hepatitis C

According to a new study, obese patients chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and treated with combination drug therapy may have better outcomes if the underlying abnormalities caused by excessive fat tissue are corrected.

6 Jun 2006

Long-term benefits of imatinib for patients newly diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia

The overall survival of most people with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib (Gleevec, STI-571) is extremely high and the relapse rate is quite low, according to new data from a study out of the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute.

6 Jun 2006

Gardenia fruit compound helps treat the symptoms of type 2 diabetes

A Gardenia fruit extract traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat the symptoms of type 2 diabetes does indeed contain a chemical that reverses some of the pancreatic dysfunctions that underlie the disease, researchers report in Cell Metabolism.

6 Jun 2006

Discovery of protein associated with severe preeclampsia

Researchers have identified a second protein which, in combination with sFlt1, escalates preeclampsia to a severe - and life-threatening - state.

6 Jun 2006

Study confirms Gleevec's long-term benefits in treating advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors

People with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) who take Gleevec (imatinib) for prolonged periods continue to benefit from the drug, according to a five-year study by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.

6 Jun 2006