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Stopping the death of synapses: an interview with Dr Soledad Galli

Synapses are the sites that connect neurons – sites where information is passed from one neuron to another. They are highly specialized structures and synaptic function is crucial for normal brain function.

11 Nov 2014

Leading causes of blindness can be detected by looking at how eyes respond to watching TV

One of the leading causes of blindness worldwide could be detected by how our eyes respond to watching TV according to a new study from researchers at City University London.

11 Nov 2014

UCSD researchers implicate new gene in idiopathic or non-syndromic autism

With the help of mouse models, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the "tooth fairy," researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have implicated a new gene in idiopathic or non-syndromic autism. The gene is associated with Rett syndrome, a syndromic form of autism, suggesting that different types of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may share similar molecular pathways.

11 Nov 2014

FDA accepts Amgen's evolocumab BLA for review

Amgen today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review Amgen's Biologics License Application (BLA) for evolocumab for the treatment of high cholesterol.

11 Nov 2014

Endothelin gene expression linked to vision loss in premature babies

A gene known to play a major role in constricting blood vessels also appears to be a major player in the aberrant blood vessel growth that can destroy the vision of premature babies.

11 Nov 2014

Researchers find way to defeat elusive target proteins in cancer cells

Researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center have found a way to defeat one of the most tantalizing yet elusive target proteins in cancer cells - employing a strategy that turns the protein's own molecular machinations against it.

9 Nov 2014

Scientists may have discovered new way to repair damaged tissue

By transforming human scar cells into blood vessel cells, scientists at Houston Methodist may have discovered a new way to repair damaged tissue. The method, described in an upcoming issue of Circulation (early online), appeared to improve blood flow, oxygenation, and nutrition to areas in need.

9 Nov 2014

Induced neural stem cells hold promise for therapeutic transplantation

Induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) created from adult cells hold promise for therapeutic transplantation, but their potential in this capacity has been limited by failed efforts to maintain such cells in the desirable multi-potent NSC state without continuous expression of the transcription factors used initially to reprogram them.

7 Nov 2014

Findings pave way for personalized probiotic therapies for obesity-related diseases

Our genetic makeup influences whether we are fat or thin by shaping which types of microbes thrive in our body, according to a Cornell-led study published today in the journal Cell.

7 Nov 2014

Researchers obtain detailed picture of how Gas5 RNA interacts with steroid hormone receptors

It arises from what scientists previously described as "junk DNA" or "the dark matter of the genome," but this gene is definitely not junk.

7 Nov 2014

Zinc supplements more beneficial for some people with diabetes

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and elsewhere have found that genetic differences may account for why zinc supplements are more beneficial to some people than to others for the prevention and control of diabetes. The results of their pilot study of a population of Old Order Amish is believed to be the first to point out the relevance of small genetic differences in response to zinc supplementation at play in diabetes management.

7 Nov 2014

Genetically diverse mouse model can predict human response to chemical exposures

A genetically diverse mouse model is able to predict the range of response to chemical exposures that might be observed in human populations, researchers from the National Institutes of Health have found. Like humans, each Diversity Outbred mouse is genetically unique, and the extent of genetic variability among these mice is similar to the genetic variation seen among humans.

7 Nov 2014

Salk Institute researchers heal injured hearts of living mice

Researchers at the Salk Institute have healed injured hearts of living mice by reactivating long dormant molecular machinery found in the animals' cells, a finding that could help pave the way to new therapies for heart disorders in humans.

7 Nov 2014

Cue processing altered in siblings of schizophrenia patients

The siblings of patients with schizophrenia have altered activity in the ventral striatum during reward anticipation and receipt, a study shows.

6 Nov 2014

U-M researchers show how neurons perform multiple functions

Researchers at the University of Michigan have shown how a single neuron can perform multiple functions in a model organism, illuminating for the first time this fundamental biological mechanism and shedding light on the human brain.

6 Nov 2014

Joslin researcher identifies molecular pathway that causes neural tube defects in diabetic pregnancies

Mary R. Loeken, Ph.D., Investigator in the Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology at Joslin Diabetes Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has discovered a molecular pathway responsible for neural tube defects in diabetic pregnancies. Her latest research findings in this pathway were published in the October issue of Diabetes.

6 Nov 2014

OGT workshop to focus on using latest genomic technologies for accelerating cancer research

Oxford Gene Technology, The Molecular Genetics Company, will present a workshop titled ‘An Integrated Genomic Approach to Tumor Profiling’ at the Association for Molecular Pathology annual meeting on the 12-15th November at National Harbor, MD.

From Oxford Gene Technology 6 Nov 2014

New study finds link between conflict and reinforcement learning

We celebrate our triumphs over adversity, but let's face it: We'd rather not experience difficulty at all. A new study ties that behavioral inclination to learning: When researchers added a bit of conflict to make a learning task more difficult, that additional conflict biased learning by reducing the influence of reward and increasing the influence of aversion to punishment.

6 Nov 2014

Researchers develop mouse model that reproduces most typical features of Noonan syndrome

Noonan syndrome is a rare disease that is characterised by a set of pathologies, including heart, facial and skeletal alterations, pulmonary stenosis, short stature, and a greater incidence of haematological problems (mainly juvenile myeloid leukaemia, or childhood leukaemia).

6 Nov 2014

Epilepsy: A true window on the brain

Rapidly emerging technologies, novel imaging techniques, the development of new therapies and new genes, have given researchers and clinicians an extraordinary ability to explore the brain at the cellular, genetic and neural levels. While current epilepsy research may seem like it's ripped from the pages of a science fiction novel, it's real—and even pretty cool.

6 Nov 2014