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Crystal structure of protein AIRs kinase uncovered

Cornell University researchers, who are trying to understand how proteins evolve and function by looking at their structural features, have uncovered the crystal structure of a protein involved in making the building blocks of DNA correctly.

4 Nov 2004

Sperm cells grown in laboratory culture

A team of researchers working with cells from mice has overcome a technical barrier and succeeded in growing sperm progenitor cells in laboratory culture.

4 Nov 2004

Possible treatment for the fatal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

They found that the anti-cancer drug imatinib mesylate — commercially known as Gleevec and produced by Novartis Pharmaceuticals — can target a gene critical to controlling the disease process. Previously, there had been no treatment and patients usually did not survive beyond three years of diagnosis. Now the treatment is undergoing clinical trials at Mayo Clinic.

2 Nov 2004

Marie Curie Cancer Care and Cancer Research Technology extend relationship for cancer patient benefit

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the specialist oncology focussed technology transfer and development company, today announced the completion of a Technology Transfer Agreement with Marie Curie Cancer Care, one of the largest cancer charities in the UK.

2 Nov 2004

New vaccines to counter biological agents such as anthrax

Scientists at Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital are to help develop new vaccines in case of a terrorist release of biological agents such as anthrax.

1 Nov 2004

Domestic ducks may have acquired role in the transmission of H5N1 to other poultry and humans

Countries experiencing outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry need to be aware that domestic ducks may have acquired an important role in the transmission of highly pathogenic H5N1 to other poultry and, possibly, to humans as well.

1 Nov 2004

Expert panel see hope for stem cell use as diabetes cure

A report from a medical panel of academic and community-based endocrinologists and transplant surgeons acknowledged that a recent study supports the use of stem cells as a future cure for type I diabetes.

1 Nov 2004

First home-testing device for phenylketonuria (PKU) patients

Home-testing kits have made it easier for diabetics and hypertension patients to track their conditions, but such self-monitoring hasn’t been possible for people with phenylketonuria (PKU).

1 Nov 2004

Researchers provide concrete evidence about how the human eye evolved

When Darwin's skeptics attack his theory of evolution, they often focus on the eye. Darwin himself confessed that it was "absurd" to propose that the human eye, an "organ of extreme perfection and complication" evolved through spontaneous mutation and natural selection.

1 Nov 2004

Suspected case of Japanese encephalitis in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating a suspected case of Japanese encephalitis (JE) involving a five-year-old boy living in Lau Fau Shan.

1 Nov 2004

Discovery affirms potential of stem cells for the development of possible therapies for spinal cord injury and nervous system disorders

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) have shown that stem cells found in adult skin retain their embryonic capability of making many types of cells.

1 Nov 2004

Scientists decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans

A team of scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has helped decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, an insidious parasite identified as one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential bioterrorist agent.

29 Oct 2004

Red wine delivered though an aerosol for COPD, asthma, and possibly even arthritis

Homing in on mechanisms for the reported effectiveness of resveratrol, which is found in red wine, researchers at Imperial College London, England, confirmed its broad anti-inflammatory action, and found potential for applications in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and possibly even arthritis.

29 Oct 2004