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Scientists identify role of PNPASE in regulating RNA import into mitochondria

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have uncovered a role for an essential cell protein in shuttling RNA into the mitochondria, the energy-producing "power plant" of the cell. The import of nucleus-encoded small RNAs into mitochondria is essential for the replication, transcription and translation of the mitochondrial genome, but the mechanisms that deliver RNA into mitochondria remain poorly understood.

7 Aug 2010

Research establishes bases of possible future pharmaceutical drugs to combat AIDS virus

The doors are closing on the AIDS virus. The scientific community continues to strive to find the formula that will halt the advance of one of the viruses that has sparked most scientific interest over recent years. A study by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient-ficas (CSIC) and led by Mr F-lix Go-i, director of the Biophysics Unit at the CSIC-University of the Basque Country Mixed Centre, has developed a method of attack against the AIDS virus The method involves creating a prevention system, i.e. an 'armour' in the cells that are likely to be infected and thus impede, de facto, the virus from accessing them and starting to act on their immunological system.

31 Jul 2010

Study on role of nucleolinus in cell cycle regulation

When searching for long-lost treasure, sometimes all you need is a good flashlight.Such a "flashlight," developed at the Marine Biological Laboratory's Josephine Bay Paul Center, has been used to illuminate a long-neglected cellular component - the nucleolinus - and confirm its role in cell division.

23 Jul 2010

Penn researchers reverse cognitive decline in fruit flies with Alzheimer's gene mutation

Investigators have found that fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) males -- in which the activity of an Alzheimer's disease protein is reduced by 50 percent -- show impairments in learning and memory as they age. What's more, the researchers were able to prevent the age-related deficits by treating the flies with drugs such as lithium, or by genetic manipulations that reduced nerve-cell signaling.

16 Jul 2010

New use of green fluorescent protein

Scientists are reporting discovery of a way to help proteins such as the new generation of protein-based drugs -- sometimes heralded as tomorrow's potential "miracle cures" -- get past the biochemical "Entrance Forbidden" barrier that keeps them from entering cells and doing their work. The new technique, described in the monthly journal, ACS Chemical Biology, represents a new use for an engineered form of green fluorescent protein, the topic of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry that is one of the most important research tools in biosciences.

15 Jul 2010

Report investigates clear cell ICC

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile duct in the liver. The clear cell subtype of ICC is a rare cancer; until now, only 8 cases have been reported. The number of reports is so small that a detail description of clear cell ICC is valuable.

8 Jul 2010

Scientists discover nanoparticle to deliver DNA with minimum toxic effect

In lab experiments, the researchers have found that this device, a vector, is able to deliver DNA deeply enough into a cell to allow genetic material to be activated - a critical step in gene therapy. This vector is between 2 - and 10 times more effective than other experimental materials, according to the research.

7 Jul 2010

Case report on clear cell ICC

3 Jun 2010

Roche, ATCC partner to research real-time endogenous GPCR function with xCELLigence System

G-coupled protein receptors (GPCRs), also known as 7-transmembrane proteins, constitute the single largest class of therapeutic targets for clinical and investigational drugs. There are ~800 predicted members of this class in the human genome, involved in diverse signaling pathways in a wide array of cells and tissue types. Modulation of GPCR function has proven to have therapeutic benefit in a wide variety of diseases in immunology, neurology, cardiology, and oncology.

2 Jun 2010

Scientists discover key mechanism of cancer cells

Many tumor cells would not be viable due to aberrant chromosome distribution if they had not developed a special trick. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have investigated which genes are responsible for this survival strategy of cancer cells.

2 Jun 2010

Carolina Conceptions receives IRB approval to study on new egg freezing technology

Carolina Conceptions, an infertility practice in Raleigh, NC, announces IRB approval to commence a study on egg freezing - a newer technology that is growing in demand. While embryo and sperm freezing have been the standard of care for decades, egg freezing has been slower to achieve the same level of success.

26 May 2010

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office grants patent to Historx's AQUA technology

HistoRx , Inc., announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent protecting the company's methods for determining a cancer patient's prognosis based on sub-cellular localization of biomarkers.

15 May 2010

Cancer research at Georgia Tech: Report

Cancer treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or biological therapy. An oncologist may use one therapy or a combination of methods, depending on the type and location of the cancer, whether the disease has spread, the patient's age and general health, and other factors.

3 Apr 2010

Discovery of novel cellular mechanism may help develop new treatments for cancer

A research team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has discovered a previously unknown cellular "switch" that may provide researchers with a new means of triggering programmed cell death, findings with implications for treating cancer.

12 Mar 2010

Cytokeratins 8 and 18 can strongly enhance breast cancer drug fulvestrant's anti-estrogenic activity

Women's responsiveness to the second-line breast cancer drug fulvestrant may depend on whether the cancer cells are expressing two key proteins, Indiana University Bloomington scientists report in this month's Cancer Biology & Therapy.

11 Mar 2010

Genoptix signs multi-year licensing agreement with HistoRx for AQUA technology

Genoptix, Inc., a specialized laboratory service provider, and HistoRx, Inc. (privately held), a diagnostics company, today announced a multi-year licensing agreement for AQUA® technology and several diagnostic assays based on it.

19 Feb 2010

ATM tumor-suppressor also recognizes damage caused by ROS and orders autophagy

ATM, a protein that reacts to DNA damage by ordering repairs or the suicide of the defective cell, plays a similar, previously unknown role in response to oxidative damage outside of the nucleus, researchers report this week in the online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

19 Feb 2010

Cellular metabolism plays a key role in cancer development

It is not unusual to hear people blame their metabolism after gaining a few pounds. But changes in metabolism - the process that shapes how our bodies turn food into energy -- can have much more sinister effects than making it hard to fit into your favorite jeans.

19 Feb 2010

Directing gold nanoparticles into nucleus can kill cancer cells

Taking gold nanoparticles to the cancer cell and hitting them with a laser has been shown to be a promising tool in fighting cancer, but what about cancers that occur in places where a laser light can't reach? Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have shown that by directing gold nanoparticles into the nuclei of cancer cells, they can not only prevent them from multiplying, but can kill them where they lurk. The research appeared as a communication in the February 10 edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

17 Feb 2010

Research findings may open door to new therapeutic strategies for serious health problems

Drugs that target the way cells convert nutrients into energy could offer new approaches to treating a range of conditions including heart attack and stroke. Using a new way to screen for potential drugs, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has identified several FDA-approved agents, including an over-the-counter anti-nausea drug, that can shift cellular energy metabolism processes in animals.

15 Feb 2010