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Biotech experts to establish ethical guidelines in cellular biotechnology at BEINGS 2015

In May 2015 Atlanta will host Biotechnology and the Ethical Imagination: A Global Summit (BEINGS), an international summit drawing together the world's thought leaders on the highly debated issues of cellular biotechnology.

13 Feb 2015

SRI Biosciences awarded contract to develop novel polymers to neutralize chemical, biological threats

SRI Biosciences, a division of SRI International, has been awarded a $10 million contract under a DARPA program to reimagine how proteins are constructed and to develop novel medicines and diagnostics as countermeasures to chemical and biological threats.

12 Feb 2015

Health Canada: Parents advised not to feed honey to infants less than one year old

In Canada, honey is the only food which has been linked to infant botulism – a rare but serious illness that is caused by ingesting the bacterium C. botulinum.

12 Feb 2015

New study suggests that e-cigarette vapors can damage lungs

Do electronic cigarettes help people quit smoking? As the debate continues on that point, a new University of Rochester study suggests that e-cigarettes are likely a toxic replacement for tobacco products.

8 Feb 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers reveal that e-cigarettes weaken immune system

In a study with mice, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers have found that e-cigarettes compromise the immune system in the lungs and generate some of the same potentially dangerous chemicals found in traditional nicotine cigarettes.

5 Feb 2015

Three Keck Medicine scientists of USC receive $4.3 million from CIRM for stem cell research

Three scientists from Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California have won grants exceeding $4.3 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for research that includes creating a temporary liver for transplant patients, finding novel ways to treat immune disorders and blood diseases and developing a new animal model for exploring diseases like heart failure, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

5 Feb 2015

Research shows olfactory proxy detection is a phenomenon in both insects and humans

Antioxidants are natural food ingredients that protect cells from harmful influences. Their main task is to neutralize so-called "free radicals" which are produced in the process of oxidation and which are responsible for cell degeneration.

2 Feb 2015

TAU researchers identify novel proteins capable of stymieing growth in antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant infections are on the rise, foiling efforts to reduce death rates in developing countries where uncontrolled use of antibiotics and poor sanitation run amok. The epidemic of "superbugs," bacteria resistant to antibiotics, knows no borders -- presenting a clear and present danger around the globe.

31 Jan 2015

Day-to-day chemical exposures linked to earlier menopause

Women whose bodies have high levels of chemicals found in plastics, personal-care products, common household items and the environment experience menopause two to four years earlier than women with lower levels of these chemicals, according to a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

29 Jan 2015

Luminex's xMAP Biothreat Toxin Panel now available for detecting dangerous biotoxins

Quickly detecting and identifying dangerous biotoxins is now a reality, thanks to the xMAP Biothreat Toxin Panel (BTP) by Luminex. The xMAP Biothreat Toxin Panel is the first multiplex assay to rapidly detect and identify the six most easily acquired and most dangerous biotoxins. All six of these biotoxins are on the US government's list of most dangerous substances.

From Luminex 21 Jan 2015

Researchers identify novel signaling pathway that triggers allergic asthma response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with collaborators in Korea and Scotland, have identified a novel signaling pathway critical to the immune response of cells associated with the initiation of allergic asthma.

20 Jan 2015

Vitamin B counteracts levels of DDT in women who are more likely to get, stay pregnant

Women who have adequate levels of B vitamins in their bodies are more likely to get and stay pregnant even when they also have high levels of a common pesticide known to have detrimental reproductive effects, according to new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research.

5 Jan 2015

Conference raises concerns regarding lack of scientific data on products containing botanicals

The challenges related to assessing the safety of botanicals in foods and food supplements and regulating their use were highlighted at a conference held in Denmark in November 2014.

23 Dec 2014

Offspring of mice treated with drug had delayed onset, reduced symptoms of Huntington's disease

Famine, drug abuse and even stress can "silence" certain genes, causing health problems in generations to come. Now scientists are wondering—could therapies that change gene expression in parents help their children?

23 Dec 2014

Study: Older adults with high blood pressure appear to have good kidney health after donation

With proper monitoring, kidney donation may be safe for individuals with high blood pressure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The study found that while hypertension can have negative effects on the kidneys, older adults with the condition appear to have good kidney health following donation.

19 Dec 2014

Tel Aviv University study throws spotlight on gene mutation responsible for premature ovarian failure

Premature ovarian failure, also known as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), affects 1% of all women worldwide. In most cases, the exact cause of the condition, which is often associated with infertility, is difficult to determine.

18 Dec 2014

Brunel scientists find way to target hard-to-reach cancers using 'Trojan horse' nanoparticles

Scientists at Brunel University London have found a way of targeting hard-to-reach cancers and degenerative diseases using nanoparticles, but without causing the damaging side effects the treatment normally brings.

12 Dec 2014

Researchers develop new method to track movement of carcinogenic PAHs in the human body

Researchers for the first time have developed a method to track through the human body the movement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, as extraordinarily tiny amounts of these potential carcinogens are biologically processed and eliminated.

11 Dec 2014

Children living in non-redeveloped public housing more likely to take repeated trips to emergency rooms

San Francisco children living in non-redeveloped public housing are 39 percent more likely to repeatedly visit emergency rooms, according to new research from UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley.

9 Dec 2014

Three IU researchers receive $2.1 million to develop computational biology models of liver toxicity

Three Indiana University professors have received $2.1 million to develop a computational model of acetaminophen-induced liver failure -- the leading cause of liver failure in the United States -- by using advanced microscopic and computational technologies that allow scientists to see into the liver of a living animal.

5 Dec 2014