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Study explains how circadian rhythms can drive feeding and metabolism behaviors

One of the pioneers in research on sleep:wake circadian genes, Amita Sehgal, Ph.D., has discovered that fruit flies' appetite and consumption are controlled by two rival sets of clocks, one in neurons and the other in the fly fat body, which is analogous to the liver.

6 Dec 2009

Health experts available to discuss health care reform

Edward D. Miller was named chief executive officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine, the 13th dean of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and vice president for medicine of The Johns Hopkins University in January 1997.

5 Dec 2009

Study on fruit flies may help in understanding the root cause of stem cell diseases

The body is a battle zone. Cells constantly compete with one another for space and dominance. Though the manner in which some cells win this competition is well known to be the survival of the fittest, how stem cells duke it out for space and survival is not as clear.

5 Dec 2009

Fluxion Biosciences signs distribution agreement with DI Biotech and Novel Science

Fluxion Biosciences announced today that it has expanded its sales and service network into Asia. The company signed a distribution agreement for its BioFlux™ line with Korea-based DI Biotech. A second agreement with Novel Science covers sales of both the BioFlux and IonFlux™ platforms in Japan. Fluxion has also sold its first BioFlux 1000 system into China.

From Fluxion Biosciences 4 Dec 2009

Research study shows usage of stem cell-based therapies for treating age-related macular degeneration

An international team of scientists has rescued visual function in laboratory rats with eye disease by using cells similar to stem cells. The research shows the potential for stem cell-based therapies to treat age-related macular degeneration in humans.

4 Dec 2009

TGen scientists win $1,000 prize for best scientific paper presented at BIBM09

A team of scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) won a $1,000 prize for best scientific paper presented at BIBM09, a premier bioinformatics and biomedicine conference.

3 Dec 2009

Human Melanoma Research Team pursuing identification of anti-tumor prognostic markers and drugs

The constant increase in the rate of cutaneous melanoma over recent years and its resistance to anti-tumour pharmaceutical drugs has meant that the study of cutaneous melanoma is one of the greatest scientific challenges in the field of cancer. The Human Melanoma research team at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is focusing on this study.

2 Dec 2009

DFG approves establishment of new CRCs; research topics range from modern prostheses to political reforms to marine bacteria

The DFG has approved the establishment of 17 new Collaborative Research Centres as of 1 January 2010. This decision was made recently by the relevant Grants Committee in Bonn.

1 Dec 2009

Copper sequestering drug tetrathiomolybdate shown to be effective in treating Wilson disease

The copper sequestering drug tetrathiomolybdate (TM) has been shown in studies to be effective in the treatment of Wilson disease, a disease caused by an overload of copper, and certain metastatic cancers.

27 Nov 2009

Whitehead researchers develop new type of genetic screen for human cells

Whitehead researchers have developed a new type of genetic screen for human cells to pinpoint specific genes and proteins used by pathogens, according to their paper in Science.

27 Nov 2009

Researchers uncover atomic-level action of ring-shaped protein motors

The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS).

25 Nov 2009

NIGMS invests $42.3 million in "Grand Opportunities" grant

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is investing $42.3 million for grants in scientific areas it identified as "Grand Opportunities (GO)." NIH developed the GO grant program to stimulate biomedical research and the economy using funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act).

24 Nov 2009

Foods rich in antioxidant substances could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the production of the brain's stem cells -neurogenesis- and strengthens their differentiation in different types of neuron cells.

23 Nov 2009

Image of a water flea wins top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition

A glowing, eerily beautiful image of a water flea with its radiant green "crown of thorns" took top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition®, the world's foremost forum for showcasing microscope photos and movies of life science subjects. Dr. Jan Michels, a zoologist at the University of Albrecht, Kiel, Germany, took top honors for the image of a water flea, with its defensive "crown of thorns" to protect it against predators. The image reveals not only the exoskeleton, but also interior detail down to the nuclei within its cells, seen as tiny, glowing blue dots. This

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 20 Nov 2009

I-STEM team succeeds in recreating a whole epidermis from hES cells

Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.

20 Nov 2009

BIMR wins a GO grant from the National Institute of Mental Health

Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the California Bipolar Foundation (CBF) to post-doctoral research fellow Dr. Illyas Singec at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (BIMR), a research team headed by Dr. Evan Snyder (along with co-investigators Drs. Dieter Wolfe and Lawrence Brill), was able to accumulate sufficient preliminary data to win an extremely competitive Grand Opportunities (GO) grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to explore the molecular basis of Bipolar Disorder (BPD).

19 Nov 2009

MPI scientists identify mechanism that demonstrates immune cell movement on diverse surfaces

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now deciphered the mechanism that illustrates how these mobile cells move on diverse surfaces. "Similar to a car, these cells have an engine, a clutch and wheels which provide the necessary friction," explains Michael Sixt, a research group leader at the MPI of Biochemistry.

18 Nov 2009

Non-clinical data from Cytokinetics' smooth muscle contractility program presented

Cytokinetics, Incorporated announced today that three abstracts summarizing non-clinical data regarding its smooth muscle contractility program were presented at the 2009 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

17 Nov 2009

Fate Therapeutics announces the completion of $30 million Series B financing

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has completed a $30 million Series B financing led by OVP Venture Partners. Joining OVP Venture Partners in the financing is a syndicate of corporate investors, including Astellas Venture Management, Genzyme Ventures and a third undisclosed corporate investor.

16 Nov 2009

Cytoskeleton plays a critical role to bring chromosome pairs together: Study

Meiosis - the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell - is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet, how the cell precisely choreographs these chromosomal interactions is a long-standing question.