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Shape of a protein on the surface of pneumonia bacteria helps germs invade the human bloodstream

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that the shape of a protein on the surface of pneumonia bacteria helps these germs invade the human bloodstream.

23 Dec 2004

Needling chromosomes yields insights into cell division

By impaling individual chromosomes with glass needles one thousandth the diameter of a human hair, a Duke University graduate student has tested their "stickiness" to one another during cell division. Her uncanny surgical skills have added a piece to the large and intricate puzzle of how one cell divides into two -- a process fundamental to all organisms.

23 Dec 2004

Bacteria can use a sonar-like system to spot other cells

For the first time, scientists have found that bacteria can use a Sonar-like system to spot other cells (either normal body cells or other bacteria) and target them for destruction.

23 Dec 2004

Evidence suggests that changes in the bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract can intensify the immune system's reaction to common allergens

If you want to avoid allergies or asthma, scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School suggest you start paying more attention to what's in your gut.

23 Dec 2004

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) should prove to be extremely useful in directed protein evolution

Fascinated by the efficient way the human immune system generates a rapid response to create a near-infinite variety of antibodies, researchers have "hijacked" that machinery and used it to evolve a new type of fluorescent protein.

23 Dec 2004

Researchers can now inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip

Devices the size of a pager now have greater capabilities than computers that once occupied an entire room. Similar advances are being made in the emerging field of synthetic biology at the University of Houston, now allowing researchers to inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip.

23 Dec 2004

First assessment tool to evaluate Quebec Platelet Disorder (QPD)

Researchers at McMaster University have developed the first assessment tool of its kind for evaluating risks faced by Canadians suffering from a rare and often fatal bleeding disorder.

22 Dec 2004

Fluorescent colors used to separate cells visually

The latest holiday gifts being offered to the scientific community this season by scientists in the laboratory of Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Roger Y. Tsien come in a dazzling variety of hues -- cherry, strawberry, tangerine, tomato, orange, banana and honeydew. The color spectrum would make Pantone proud.

22 Dec 2004

New DNA sequence translation device

Chemists at New York University have developed a device that allows for the translation of DNA sequences, thereby serving as a factory for assembling the building blocks of new materials.

21 Dec 2004

Study finds new method can improve chemo survival

Seeking to find a way to lessen patients’ vulnerability to deadly infections following chemotherapy, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have figured out a way to boost the immune function in animals following such treatments.

21 Dec 2004

Major step forward in using saliva to detect oral cancer

Scientists funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research reported taking a major step forward in using saliva to detect oral cancer.

21 Dec 2004

Cancer drug paclitaxel may reduce the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease

In a preclinical efficacy trial, the cancer drug paclitaxel (Paxceed)–which exerts its effects by binding to and stabilizing microtubules inside cells–reduced the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology in a mouse model.

20 Dec 2004

Blocking gene's activity may control deadly skin cancer without harming normal cells

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston have discovered that malignant melanoma, the potentially lethal skin cancer, can't grow without a steady supply of a protein that normal cells can do without.

20 Dec 2004

Cherries could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes

Perhaps George Washington wouldn't have chopped down his father's cherry tree if he knew what chemists now know. They have identified a group of naturally occurring chemicals abundant in cherries that could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

20 Dec 2004

DLX5 gene may play a role in the pathology of Rett Syndrome

A research team led by Terumi Kohwi-Shigematsu of the Life Sciences Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has identified a gene, DLX5, that may play a role in the pathology of Rett Syndrome, a devastating neurological disorder diagnosed almost exclusively in girls.

20 Dec 2004

Timing of radiation and antiangiogenic therapy impacts treatment effectiveness

Agents designed to attack blood vessels that feed a growing tumor are effective against tumor growth in laboratory experiments. However, results of early clinical trials with these inhibitors have not yet exhibited the same success observed in animal models.

20 Dec 2004

Messenger RNA not only are measurable in saliva but can indicate a developing tumor

Scientists funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research reported today taking a major step forward in using saliva to detect oral cancer.

20 Dec 2004

Youki spray halts the spread of superbug MRSA bacterium

In wound care treatment bandages and dressings may become archaic tools of the past. The future is in a spray called Youki that accelerates the healing process.

20 Dec 2004

Vaccine against cervical cancer

Dutch researcher Laura Bungener has developed a vaccine against cervical cancer. Vaccinated laboratory animals no longer developed the disease and animals which had already developed a tumour, could be treated with the vaccine.

20 Dec 2004

Rett Syndrome, the first identified epigenetic disease - linked to specific defects in the three-dimensional folding of chromatin

Sometime between the age of 6 and 18 months, after a period of seemingly normal development, girls affected with Rett Syndrome lose interest in play; they gradually become withdrawn and anxious, develop autistic-like behaviors, and acquire specific symptoms like repetitive teeth-grinding and hand-wringing.

20 Dec 2004

Laboratory News and Research

Shape of a protein on the surface of pneumonia bacteria helps germs invade the human bloodstream

Needling chromosomes yields insights into cell division

Bacteria can use a sonar-like system to spot other cells

Evidence suggests that changes in the bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract can intensify the immune system's reaction to common allergens

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) should prove to be extremely useful in directed protein evolution

Researchers can now inexpensively program the chemical synthesis of entire genes on a single microchip

First assessment tool to evaluate Quebec Platelet Disorder (QPD)

Fluorescent colors used to separate cells visually

New DNA sequence translation device

Study finds new method can improve chemo survival

Major step forward in using saliva to detect oral cancer

Cancer drug paclitaxel may reduce the adverse effects of Alzheimer's disease

Blocking gene's activity may control deadly skin cancer without harming normal cells

Cherries could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes

DLX5 gene may play a role in the pathology of Rett Syndrome

Timing of radiation and antiangiogenic therapy impacts treatment effectiveness

Messenger RNA not only are measurable in saliva but can indicate a developing tumor

Youki spray halts the spread of superbug MRSA bacterium

Vaccine against cervical cancer

Rett Syndrome, the first identified epigenetic disease - linked to specific defects in the three-dimensional folding of chromatin

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