Animal Model News and Research

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Herpes infection may be symbiotic

Mice with chronic herpes virus infections can better resist the bacterium that causes plague and a bacterium that causes one kind of food poisoning, researchers report in Nature.

17 May 2007

Cocoa extract may be an effective natural alternative to fluoride in toothpaste

For a healthy smile brush between meals, floss regularly and eat plenty of chocolate.

17 May 2007

Exercise shows beneficial effects in patients with Parkinson's disease

A new study from researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) shows that treadmill exercises may benefit patients with Parkinson's Disease and those with similar movement disorders.

16 May 2007

Cells that cause Ewing's sarcoma identified

Inserm researchers at the Institut Curie have identified the cells that cause Ewing’s sarcoma.

16 May 2007

Oncolytic viruses deliver a knockout punch to cancers

New scientific evidence is helping to build a compelling case for oncolytic viruses as a first-line and adjunctive treatment for many cancers.

11 May 2007

Diabetes drug rosiglitazone boosts power of platinum chemotherapy

A widely used diabetes drug dramatically boosted the potency of platinum-based cancer drugs when administered together to a variety of cancer cell lines and to mice with tumors, scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report.

8 May 2007

Renewal of Echinacea and St John's Wort research

A five-year-old research center dedicated to understanding and improving Echinacea and Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) has received $4.4 million in continuation funding from the National Institutes of Health. The renewal is for three years.

4 May 2007

Study shows effectiveness of Peramivir in mouse model of H5N1 virus infection

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has announced that investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, reported favorable results evaluating peramivir treatment in an animal model of influenza using a highly virulent strain of H5N1 virus (an avian influenza strain that had caused fatal human infection in Viet Nam).

4 May 2007

Gene malfunctions cause schizophrenia, depression symptoms in mice

Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that malfunction of a gene that had been associated with schizophrenia and depression does indeed cause symptoms of those disorders.

4 May 2007

Cause of gender differences in high blood pressure and related kidney disease

While men and women both get high blood pressure and related kidney disease, the path to get there is shorter, steeper and just different for men, researchers say.

4 May 2007

BioMarin starts phase 2a study of 6R-BH4 in sickle cell disease

BioMarin Pharmaceutical has announced that the first patient has initiated treatment in the Phase 2a clinical study of 6R-BH4 (sapropterin dihydrochloride) for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD).

4 May 2007

Diesel exhaust fumes affect bone marrow blood flow

A new study finds that exposure to a chemical component of diesel exhaust particles can compromise the ability of resistance arteries to regulate blood flow to bone marrow.

2 May 2007

Chronic alcohol consumption increases tumor growth and amgiogenesis of breast cancer in female mice

For the first time, scientists have used a laboratory mouse model to mimic the development of human alcohol-induced breast cancer.

30 Apr 2007

Oxytocin affects the heart's response to social isolation

A team of researchers investigating the effects of oxytocin, a peptide produced by the brain that regulates social behavior, has found that it can prevent detrimental cardiac responses in adult female animals exposed to social isolation.

30 Apr 2007

Researchers have developed an animal model of infantile spasms

Researchers have developed an animal model of infantile spasms, improving the likelihood of finding new treatments for the thousands of young children who suffer from these catastrophic epilepsy seizures, according to research to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28, May 5, 2007.

26 Apr 2007

Researchers study the possible use of carboranes

When protein plaque builds up in the blood, it can result in serious diseases such as heart disease and Alzheimer's.

25 Apr 2007

Impaired intestinal metabolic function plays a critical role in the development of cardiovascular disease

Nutritional scientists at the University of Alberta are the first to establish a connection between high insulin levels and dysfunction of intestinal lipid metabolism in an animal model.

25 Apr 2007

Muscle restoration in an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Using a new type of drug that targets a specific genetic defect, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, along with colleagues at PTC Therapeutics Inc. and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, have for the first time demonstrated restoration of muscle function in a mouse model of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD).

24 Apr 2007

M. D. Anderson wins $8.3-million to research environmental causes of major diseases

An $8.3-million federal grant to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Science Park - Research Division addresses the complex interplay between such varied factors as genetics, diet, and environmental exposure to toxins that cause cancer, asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases.

21 Apr 2007

Green tea may help protect against Sjogren's syndrome

They found significantly less salivary gland damage in a group treated with green tea extract, suggesting a reduction of the Sjogren's symptom commonly referred to as dry mouth. Dry mouth can also be caused by certain drugs, radiation and other diseases.

20 Apr 2007