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Investigational Alzheimer's compounds may treat neuropathies

Drugs already in development to treat Alzheimer's disease may eventually be tapped for a different purpose altogether: re-growing the ends of injured nerves to relieve pain and paralysis.

15 Apr 2011

Researchers discover new mechanism underlying esophageal cancer

A gene thought to be associated with cancer development can be a tumor suppressor gene in mice, researchers have discovered. Understanding which genes are involved in spreading cancer could lead to future therapies.

12 Apr 2011

Oncologist issues 'Emergency Radiation Medical Handbook'

Quickly responding to international demand due to Japan's disabled nuclear power reactors, James W. Forsythe, M.D., H.M.D., has issued an "Emergency Radiation Medical Handbook" for use worldwide.

2 Apr 2011

AHA to honor BIDMC investigator for groundbreaking Vascular Biology research

Alterations in blood vessel dilation lie at the heart of coronary artery health: When vessels dilate, blood and oxygen supplies successfully reach the heart. When vessels contract, blood and oxygen are diminished, leading to coronary artery disease.

23 Mar 2011

Human growth, height, size: Reasons to be small

Almost everybody these days thinks that it is best to be tall, meaning much taller than the average traditional height of Asian populations, and even taller than the current average height of populations in high-income countries. It is also often believed – though people might be shy to admit this – that tall people are intrinsically superior to short people. The expressions 'look up to' and 'look down on' are significant.

15 Mar 2011

New research: Fzd9 receptor can stimulate bone formation

New research shows that the Wnt receptor Frizzled-9 promotes bone formation, providing a potential new target for the treatment of osteoporosis. The study appears online on March 14 in The Journal of Cell Biology.

15 Mar 2011

Life Technologies receives FDA 510(k) clearance for StemPro MSC SFM device

Life Technologies Corporation today announced it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for StemPro MSC SFM – a first for this next-generation stem cell culture medium that is now cleared as a medical device and satisfies a crucial requirement for researchers involved in clinical trials in the United States.

14 Mar 2011

p53 gene blocks EMT essential to cancer metastasis

Like a bounty hunter returning escapees to custody, a cancer-fighting gene converts organ cells that change into highly mobile stem cells back to their original, stationary state, researchers report online at Nature Cell Biology.

28 Feb 2011

New molecular player responsible for regulation of appetite and metabolism

A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida and Washington University School of Medicine adds a new twist to the body of evidence suggesting human obesity is due in part to genetic factors. While studying hormone receptors in laboratory mice, neuroscientists identified a new molecular player responsible for the regulation of appetite and metabolism.

28 Jan 2011

Aging-associated protein deficiency may lead to positive breast cancer in women

The most common type of breast cancer in older women - estrogen and progesterone receptor positive breast cancer - has been linked to a protein that fends off aging-related cellular damage.

28 Jan 2011

Researchers discover new sensory neurons that mediate BP and metabolism regulation in liver

For 60 years, scientists have puzzled over the possibility of a hepatic osmoreceptor that influences blood pressure regulation. Now, researchers of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch, the Experimental and Clinical Research Center of the MDC and Charit- and the Hannover Medical School appear to have made a breakthrough discovery.

27 Jan 2011

Bax factor that promotes cell death is also involved in regulating mitochondria behavior

New research led by UC Davis scientists provides insight into why some body organs are more susceptible to cell death than others and could eventually lead to advances in treating or preventing heart attack or stroke.

24 Jan 2011

Scientists find ADAR1 enzyme protect against measles virus

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that a known enzyme in cells protects against measles virus, likely by altering the virus's genetic material, RNA. Cells lacking the enzyme become highly vulnerable to the virus's destructive effects. The enzyme also protects against several other respiratory viruses, including influenza A.

21 Jan 2011

Lipoprotein receptor LRP1 also regulates food intake and energy balance in central nervous system: Study

12 Jan 2011

Odyssey Thera granted U.S. Patent for high-throughput screening of proteins

Odyssey Thera, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 7,855,167. The invention describes technologies and high-throughput methods for identifying bimolecular interactions in vivo based on protein-fragment complementation assays.

6 Jan 2011

Genetic variant of brain receptor molecule may contribute to impulsive behavior

A multinational research team led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health has found that a genetic variant of a brain receptor molecule may contribute to violently impulsive behavior when people who carry it are under the influence of alcohol.

23 Dec 2010

Gilenya offers more benefits for MS therapy than previously realized

In September, patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) received the welcome news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved a promising new drug for their condition called Gilenya. Now, a team from The Scripps Research Institute has discovered that this drug's success may involve an unexpected biological mechanism acting within the central nervous system (CNS). This difference may mean that Gilenya offers even more benefits than previously realized and would represent the first MS therapy with direct CNS activities.

21 Dec 2010

Genome is one more factor to blame for unwanted pounds

In addition to fast food, desk jobs, and inertia, there is one more thing to blame for unwanted pounds-our genome, which has apparently not caught up with the fact that we no longer live in the Stone Age.

16 Dec 2010

Today's Opinions: Reviewing judge's ruling on health law's individual mandate

The legal case against it almost certainly will make its way to the Supreme Court before the individual mandate is due to take effect in 2014. But considered in its proper context, it doesn't violate the Constitution (12/15).

15 Dec 2010

OMT announces new human antibody platform using genetically engineered rats expressing human antibodies

Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc. (OMT) today announced its new human antibody platform using the first genetically engineered rats expressing a human antibody repertoire. The company, which also created the first targeted knockout rats in 2009, is now cross-breeding the knockout animals with the rats expressing human antibodies to finalize its platform.

9 Dec 2010