Developmental Biology News and Research

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Researchers use fruit fly for cancer research

SMALL and with a life cycle of just two weeks, fruit flies are seen by many as pests and a problem all year round. However, for nearly a century, the humble insect, officially known as Drosophila melanogaster, which measures no more than 3mm, has performed a vital role in genetics and developmental biology.Fruit flies are genetically diverse and easy to use in research, helping scientists in a variety of studies, from how the brain functions to how cancer develops.

22 Oct 2010

Mirna announces USPTO allows claims to therapeutic application of let-7 miRNA

Mirna Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the USPTO has allowed claims related to the therapeutic application of let-7 in the regulation of oncogenes. The claims derive from a patent application that was submitted by Yale University and exclusively licensed to Mirna related to the pioneering work of Dr. Frank Slack, Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

20 Oct 2010

Novel bioelectric signals can cause stem cells to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells

Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that a change in membrane voltage in newly identified "instructor cells" can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells. The Tufts team also found that this metastatic transformation is due to changes in serotonin transport. The discovery could aid in the prevention and treatment of diseases like cancer and vitiligo as well as birth defects.

19 Oct 2010

Scientists discover mechanism of anticancer drug to kill cancer cells

A potent drug derived from an evergreen tree may soon save the lives of some patients with the deadliest form of breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer will claim approximately 40,000 lives in the U.S. this year.

15 Oct 2010

New York Stem Cell Foundation names first six NYSCF Investigators

In an expansion of its ongoing effort to promote the next generation of stem cell scientists, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) today named the first six NYSCF Investigators. Each of the NYSCF-Robertson and NYSCF-Helmsley Investigators will receive up to $1.5 million over the next five years to expand their own laboratories, train other scientists and foster innovative high-risk/high reward research to explore the therapeutic potential of stem cells derived from humans and model organisms.

13 Oct 2010

Matchmaker function may help cardiologists understand the natural repair process after heart attacks

Heart muscle cells do not normally replicate in adult tissue, but multiply with abandoned during development. This is why the loss of heart muscle after a heart attack is so dire-you can't grow enough new heart muscle to make up for the loss.

8 Oct 2010

PDGF identified as key factor in proliferation and transformation of epicardial cells

In research that one day may lead to the discovery of how to regenerate tissue damaged by heart disease, investigators at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles have identified PDGF as a key factor in the proliferation and transformation of epicardial cells, one type of cell that surrounds heart muscle and contributes to vessels.

6 Oct 2010

Platelet derived growth factor plays role in heart regeneration

6 Oct 2010

Washington University receives award to develop diagnostic tools for heart, lung diseases using nanotechnology

An $18 million research program headed by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will research therapies and diagnostic tools for heart and lung diseases that use nanotechnology.

30 Sep 2010

NIH awards $2.4 million to help disabled students for careers in neuroscience

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded nearly $2.4 million Friday to University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus researcher Diego Restrepo and Elba Serrano of New Mexico State University Las Cruces to help them prepare minority students and those with disabilities for careers in neuroscience.

27 Sep 2010

Researchers report MALAT1 gene regulates pre-mRNA splicing in cancer

Researchers report this month that MALAT1, a long non-coding RNA that is implicated in certain cancers, regulates pre-mRNA splicing a critical step in the earliest stage of protein production. Their study appears in the journal Molecular Cell.

24 Sep 2010

NIGMS director wins 2011 ASBMB Public Service Award

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has named Jeremy M. Berg, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the winner of the nonprofit's 2011 ASBMB Howard K. Schachman Public Service Award. Berg will receive the award this evening at an ASBMB Public Affairs Advisory Committee meeting in Arlington, Va.

21 Sep 2010

NIH awards second $8 million grant for research into health effects of botanical estrogens

An ongoing research initiative into the health effects of botanical estrogens will get an $8 million boost from the National Institutes of Health.

9 Sep 2010

Ataxin 2 gene mutation contributes to Lou Gehrig's disease: Research

An international study led by biologists and neuroscientists from the University of Pennsylvania has identified a new genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

26 Aug 2010

APC dysfunction prevents synapse function required for learning, memory: Study

A clue to the causes of autism and mental retardation lies in the synapse, the tiny intercellular junction that rapidly transfers information from one neuron to the next. According to neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine, with students from the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, a protein called APC plays a key role in synapse maturation, and APC dysfunction prevents the synapse function required for typical learning and memory.

23 Aug 2010

Study finds abnormal expression of miRNAs can contribute to human diseases

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center have identified an RNA sequence that promotes increased numbers of specific microRNAs (miRNAs), molecules that regulate cell growth, development, and stress response. The discovery helps researchers understand the links between miRNA expression and disease, including heart disease and cancer. The findings are published in the August 13 issue of Molecular Cell.

17 Aug 2010

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls.

17 Aug 2010

Study reveals how galectin-3 carbohydrate-binding protein promotes angiogenesis

A new study describes how a carbohydrate-binding protein, galectin-3, promotes angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels. Targeting the protein, scientists identified two approaches that significantly reduced angiogenesis in mice. These discoveries, published online August 16 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, may lead to novel treatments for diseases caused by excessive angiogenesis, including age-related macular degeneration, cancer, and diabetes.

16 Aug 2010

New familial link in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia discovered

A UCSF-led team has discovered a direct link between an inherited genetic mutation, a set of developmental abnormalities and a rare form of childhood leukemia called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, or JMML. The study demonstrates a new familial link in JMML and has significant implications, the researchers say, for improving the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

9 Aug 2010

UC Riverside scientists secure grants for tobacco control research

Tobacco-related disease kills more people worldwide than any other single factor. To help address this problem, the University of California, Riverside has received six grants from the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), the most TRDRP grants the campus has received in any year.

6 Aug 2010