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Targeted therapy based on molecular signatures for treating lung cancer

The first lung cancer clinical trial to guide targeted therapies to patients based on molecular signatures in tumor biopsies is a step toward personalized care and more effective, efficient clinical trials for new drugs, study leaders reported today during the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

24 Apr 2010

New blood test to determine patients at low risk for rejection of transplanted hearts

After his heart transplant in 2005, Ramon Llenado underwent a biopsy every week, then every month, then every three months. Most heart transplant patients face a lifetime of these invasive tests, which involve snipping out tiny pieces of heart to check for possible organ rejection.

23 Apr 2010

World's smallest and lightest microscope for telemedicine applications

Aydogan Ozcan, whose invention of a novel lensless imaging technology for use in telemedicine could radically transform global health care, has now taken his work a step further ― or tinier: The UCLA engineer has created a miniature microscope, the world's smallest and lightest for telemedicine applications.

23 Apr 2010

Genetic tests that may replace biopsies

Genetic tests conducted on blood samples may replace the current biopsies when it comes to checking if immune systems are rejecting new organs of heart transplant patients. The test would be far less invasive and uncomfortable as compared to the biopsies, not to mention more affordable.

23 Apr 2010

Ovale malaria is two similar but distinct species that do not reproduce with each other: Research

Scientists investigating ovale malaria, a form of the disease thought to be caused by a single species of parasite, have confirmed that the parasite is actually two similar but distinct species which do not reproduce with each other, according to research published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

20 Apr 2010

LifeSpan BioSciences increases number of catalogued, validated IHC-plus antibodies to over 3,500

LifeSpan BioSciences, Inc., a leading provider of antibodies for thousands of researchers worldwide, has increased the number of validated IHC-plus™ antibodies available in its catalog to more than 3,500. With this increase, LifeSpan is well on its way to building the world's largest catalog of well characterized, IHC-validated reagent antibodies. Overall, LifeSpan has a catalog of more than 82,000 antibodies.

20 Apr 2010

Structure of Amyloid fibers surprises researchers

The Atomic Force Microscope depicts on its screen the few nanometer thick and few micrometer long fibers as white flexible sticks, crisscrossing the surface on which they are deposited. The very peculiar property of these proteins lies in fact that they can self assemble into complex ribbon-like twisted fibers.

19 Apr 2010

Clues to molecular markers on breast tumors that may predict spread of lymph node cancer

Predicting breast cancer spread from a sentinel lymph node removed during surgery is a hit or miss affair, say researchers: there are still many false negatives, which means the node, when analyzed under a microscope, appears clean of cancer cells, but metastasis can still occur in the patient. The sentinel node is the first lymph node in the axilla that cancer spreads to.

19 Apr 2010

New technique improves cosmetic breast reconstruction in athletic cancer patients

A new technique using tissue from those below-the-waist "love handles" improves cosmetic breast reconstruction in slim, athletic cancer patients without adequate fat sources elsewhere, a small Johns Hopkins study has found. The method also turns out to be less complicated than other options for surgeons as well, the research shows.

15 Apr 2010

ICGC: New era of personalised medicine for cancer patients

Published online today in Nature, a paper authored by over 200 members of the International Cancer Genome Consortium describes the beginnings of a Brave New World, a new era of personalised medicine for cancer patients.

15 Apr 2010

New report questions the kinetics of T cell receptors

T cell receptors are among the most important molecules in the immune system because of their role in recognizing the antigens that signal such threats as viruses and cancer. The receptors must also distinguish these threats from the body's own cells to avoid triggering an unwanted immune system response.

5 Apr 2010

Kinetics of T cell receptors: New findings could lead to reevaluation of earlier conclusions

3 Apr 2010

New automated technology may help detect pathogens in food and water

Detecting one of the world's most common pathogens in drinking water soon may no longer be bottle-necked under a laboratory microscope.

3 Apr 2010

EMBL scientists identify genes involved in human cell division

Name a human gene, and you'll find a movie online showing you what happens to cells when it is switched off. This is the resource that researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and their collaborators in the Mitocheck consortium are making freely available, as the result of a study in which they have identified the genes involved in mitosis - the most common form of cell division - in humans.

1 Apr 2010

Nonprofit hospitals come under congressional scrutiny

A bipartisan effort is being made in Congress to crack down on nonprofit hospitals that refuse to offer charity care. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) are leading the effort.

31 Mar 2010

Virginia Tech professor receives NSF CAREER award for research on cancer therapies using nanotechnology

Preliminary research on cancer treatments using nanotechnology and laser therapy has led to a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award for Marissa Nichole Rylander, Virginia Tech assistant professor jointly appointed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (SBES).

30 Mar 2010

Biophotonics: Light to cure disease

Biophotonics, or photomedicine, is a relatively unknown discipline, though it has existed for years now. You may have even benefited from it without realizing it. Some of the greatest advances of this field can be found in applications for the areas of oncology, dermatology, ophthalmology, surgery and cardiology.

27 Mar 2010

MGH to create registry of patients who had OCT of coronary arteries

Massachusetts General Hospital, together with a coalition of 20 international sites in five countries, will create the world's largest registry of patients who have had optical coherence tomography of the coronary arteries.

26 Mar 2010

Study on zebrafish regenerate tissues links human heart implications

In a paper published in the March 25, 2010 issue of Nature, researchers working at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB) identified a fish heart cell population that is the source of this astonishing healing feat, a finding that could provide insight into how mammalian hearts might be coaxed into repairing themselves after injury brought on by heart attack.

25 Mar 2010

US patent reinforces Ikonisys' position in digital image-analysis industry

Ikonisys, Inc., a leading provider of next-generation, cell-based diagnostic solutions, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company United States Patent No. 7,660,454 entitled “Process for identifying FISH signals.”

25 Mar 2010