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NEP successfully inserts specific doses of anti-cancer gene into leukemia cells

For the first time, researchers have found a way to inject a precise dose of a gene therapy agent directly into a single living cell without a needle.

18 Oct 2011

Link between auditory working memory, musical aptitude and reading ability

Auditory working memory and attention, for example the ability to hear and then remember instructions while completing a task, are a necessary part of musical ability. But musical ability is also related to verbal memory and literacy in childhood. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions shows how auditory working memory and musical aptitude are intrinsically related to reading ability, and provides a biological basis for this link.

18 Oct 2011

Molecular switch activates anti-viral innate immune response

When a thief breaks into a bank vault, sensors are activated and the alarm is raised. Cells have their own early-warning system for intruders, and scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Grenoble, France, have discovered how a particular protein sounds that alarm when it detects invading viruses.

15 Oct 2011

New book investigates what fuels the passion for science

On April 8, 1982, alone in a laboratory, chemist Dan Shechtman looked through an electron microscope and saw an impossible pattern. He had discovered quasicrystals. But his groundbreaking findings were rejected, even mocked, by the scientific establishment for years.

15 Oct 2011

Research provides data on nutritional content of broccoli for breeders

Research performed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and published recently in the journal Crop Science has demonstrated that mineral levels in new varieties of broccoli have not declined since 1975, and that the broccoli contains the same levels of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and other minerals that have made the vegetable a healthy staple of American diets for decades.

14 Oct 2011

ESCs express genes linked with early germ cell specification

Ordinarily, embryonic stem cells exist only a day or two as they begin the formation of the embryo itself. Then they are gone. In the laboratory dish, however, they act more like perpetual stem cells - renewing themselves and exhibiting the ability to form cells of almost any type, a status called totipotency.

14 Oct 2011

AiC: Health Research receives U.S. Army grant for neuroimaging studies of human performance

The Arlington Innovation Center: Health Research (AiC: Health Research), of Virginia Tech's National Capital Region, has been awarded a $1.5 million cooperative research and development agreement from the U.S. Army for neuroimaging studies of human performance.

14 Oct 2011

Women to benefit from new TFRI ovarian cancer initiative

Women throughout the world will benefit from a new, pan-Canadian Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) initiative that aims to change the way in which ovarian cancer is diagnosed and managed.

14 Oct 2011

Potential new protein target for sickle cell disease

National Institutes of Health-funded scientists have corrected sickle cell disease in adult laboratory mice by activating production of a special blood component normally produced before, but not after, birth.

14 Oct 2011

WuXi PharmaTech announces acquisition of Abgent

WuXi PharmaTech Inc., a leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device research and development services company with operations in China and the United States, today announced the acquisition of Abgent, Inc., a provider of biological research reagent products and services based in Suzhou, China, and San Diego, California.

14 Oct 2011

Laser-based analysis method can detect optical pressure differences in blood cells

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory researchers Dr. Sean J. Hart, Dr. Colin G. Hebert and Mr. Alex Terray have developed a laser-based analysis method that can detect optical pressure differences between populations or classes of blood cells that does not rely on prior knowledge, antibodies, or fluorescent labels for discrimination.

13 Oct 2011

Scientists reprogram skin cells of patients with mental disorders into brain cells

For many poorly understood mental disorders, such as schizophrenia or autism, scientists have wished they could uncover what goes wrong inside the brain before damage ensues.

13 Oct 2011

Cigarette smoke interferes with Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator protein

If you smoke cigarettes, you have more in common with someone who has cystic fibrosis than you think. A new research report appearing online in the FASEB Journal shows that smoking cigarettes affects the lungs in a way that is very similar to cystic fibrosis, a life threatening disease affecting the lungs and other organs.

13 Oct 2011

RAZCER (Rapid Astrazeneca and CARO Evaluation of Radio-modifiers) awards announced - five Canadians win

Five leading Canadian radiation oncologists receive RAZCER Awards of $22,727 each for novel studies of radiation-drug interactions that have the potential to either protect normal tissues or sensitize tumours, and thus to enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer patients. A selection committee of members of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) selected the 2011 recipients from among a field of 12 applicants. Astrazeneca provides the funds for the RAZCER Award as an educational grant.

13 Oct 2011

Scientists sequence complete genome of naked mole rat

Scientists have sequenced the complete genome of the naked mole rat, a pivotal step to understanding the animal's extraordinarily long life and good health. A colony of more than 2,000 naked mole rats at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio contributed to the findings, published today in the journal Nature.

13 Oct 2011

GeneDx launches new genetic test to accurately diagnose rare diseases

At the joint conference of the American Society of Human Genetics/International Congress on Human Genetics in Montreal on October 12, GeneDx, one of the foremost genetics laboratories in the world and a subsidiary of Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc., is announcing a first-of-its-kind test that will enable physicians and patients to more accurately identify the genetic cause of rare diseases.

13 Oct 2011

UCSB receives Dow Chemical grant to create new materials institute

The Dow Chemical Company has awarded UC Santa Barbara up to $15 million to establish a collaborative research initiative that will help shape the future of technology in areas that will benefit society.

12 Oct 2011

Incoming dean of Weill Cornell receives 2011 ICS Honorary Lifetime Membership

Dr. Laurie Glimcher, the incoming dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, has received the 2011 International Cytokine Society (ICS) Honorary Lifetime Membership, the Society's highest honor, for her pivotal contributions to cytokine research, particularly as it relates to immune response.

12 Oct 2011

CU Cancer Center test identifies key biomarkers in advanced lung cancer

Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center have developed a test that identifies key biomarkers in advanced lung cancer that helped reduce the risk of death by 36 percent over a 30- month period in a recent clinical trial.

12 Oct 2011

Life Technologies launches Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Panel

Life Technologies Corporation today announced the launch of the Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Panel, enabling scientists to sequence dozens of genes in cancer research samples using a simple workflow.

12 Oct 2011