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New research uses Tilman model to study metastasis of prostate cells into bone

The invasion of a new species into an established ecosystem can be directly compared to the steps involved in cancer metastasis. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling uses the Tilman model of competition between invasive species to study the metastasis of prostate cells into bone.

3 Oct 2011

Researchers identify unusual genomic architecture linked with very severe forms of disease

When cells divide normally, DNA gets copied perfectly and distributed among the daughter cells with an even hand. Occasionally though, DNA breaks during division and is rearranged, resulting in duplications or deletions of important parts of the blueprint.

3 Oct 2011

Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael W. Young and Michael Rosbash to receive 2011 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize

Columbia University will award the 2011 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young for their work on the molecular basis of circadian rhythms, the first demonstration of a molecular mechanism for behavior.

1 Oct 2011

Researchers identify gene responsible for starting the biological clock

Ever wondered why you wake up in the morning ---- even when the alarm clock isn't making jarring noises? Wonder no more. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a new component of the biological clock, a gene responsible for starting the clock from its restful state every morning.

1 Oct 2011

DMEI dedicates new $46M research and clinical facility

Officials from the Dean McGee Eye Institute today announced the dedication of the Institute's new $46 million, five-story, 78,000-square-foot, world-class research and clinical facility.

1 Oct 2011

UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center receives NCI grant to renew support for cancer research program

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a five-year, $27.5 million Cancer Center Support Grant from the National Cancer Institute to renew support for its cancer research program through 2016.

1 Oct 2011

Novel bipartite gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa

In a paper published in the October 2011 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, a team of researchers at Columbia University Medical Center led by Stephen Tsang, MD, Ph.D have achieved temporary functional preservation of photoreceptors in a mouse model for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) using novel bipartite gene therapy.

1 Oct 2011

The West Clinic forms new comprehensive breast center

The West Clinic, the Mid-South's premier cancer practice, is pleased to announce the formation of The West Clinic Comprehensive Breast Center, a multidisciplinary breast center, which will be the first center of its kind in the region.

1 Oct 2011

Scientists discover that DNA modifications in brain cells change due to stimulated brain activity

Johns Hopkins scientists investigating chemical modifications across the genomes of adult mice have discovered that DNA modifications in non-dividing brain cells, thought to be inherently stable, instead underwent large-scale dynamic changes as a result of stimulated brain activity.

1 Oct 2011

UCSF protein researcher wins NIH's Early Independence Award

James Fraser, PhD, a protein researcher who studies structural biology at the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is one of 10 recipients of a prestigious award for young scientists given for the first time by the National Institutes of Health.

1 Oct 2011

UCI study shows promise of metabolic therapy for autoimmune diseases

A glucosamine-like dietary supplement suppresses the damaging autoimmune response seen in multiple sclerosis, according to a UC Irvine study.

1 Oct 2011

Researchers examine link between innate exercise capacity and survivability

Aerobic exercise capacity has proven to be a good indicator of health. A recent paper in Circulation Research whose authors include researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's KG Jebsen Center of Exercise in Medicine uses a rat model to show that innate exercise capacity can be linked to longevity.

1 Oct 2011

Researchers discover new inherited disorder that causes mental retardation, liver dysfunction

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new inherited disorder that causes severe mental retardation and liver dysfunction. The disease, adenosine kinase deficiency, is caused by mutations in the ADK gene, which codes for the enzyme adenosine kinase.

1 Oct 2011

Researchers discover 'superfast' muscles in mammals for the first time

As nocturnal animals, bats rely echolocation to navigate and hunt prey. By bouncing sound waves off objects, including the bugs that are their main diet, bats can produce an accurate representation of their environment in total darkness. Now, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Pennsylvania have shown that this amazing ability is enabled by a physical trait never before seen in mammals: so-called "superfast" muscles.

30 Sep 2011

Three Georgia Tech projects to receive NSF's EFRI grants

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $6 million to fund three projects involving researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Each four-year, $2 million grant was awarded through the NSF's Division of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation.

30 Sep 2011

GWAS uncovers new genes associated with type 1 diabetes

The largest-ever analysis of genetic data related to type 1 diabetes has uncovered new genes associated with the common metabolic disease, which affects 200 million people worldwide. The findings add to knowledge of gene networks involved in the origin of this complex disorder, in which patients depend on frequent insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

30 Sep 2011

New technique helps identify how RNA molecules control gene expression

A new technique developed by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine allows researchers to identify the exact DNA sequences and locations bound by regulatory RNAs. This information is necessary to understand how the recently identified RNA molecules control the expression of neighboring and distant genes.

30 Sep 2011

MRI-based technique allows researchers to follow neural stem cells in vivo

Carnegie Mellon University biologists have developed an MRI-based technique that allows researchers to non-invasively follow neural stem cells in vivo.

30 Sep 2011

Study provides insight into earliest stages of some cancers

A novel technique that enables scientists to measure and document tumor-inducing changes in DNA is providing new insight into the earliest events involved in the formation of leukemias, lymphomas and sarcomas, and could potentially lead to the discovery of ways to stop those events.

30 Sep 2011

Lin28/let-7 pathway plays an unexpected key role in type 2 diabetes

A pathway activated in cancer plays an unexpected key role in metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, according to a study by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Evidence that the Lin28/let-7 pathway influences the cellular response to glucose provides a unifying theme to perplexing data that associates human genetic variation with diabetes risk.

30 Sep 2011