Model Organisms News and Research

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Largest, most detailed protein interaction map of multicellular organism

Researchers have built a map that shows how thousands of proteins in a fruit fly cell communicate with each other. This is the largest and most detailed protein interaction map of a multicellular organism, demonstrating how approximately 5000, or one third, of the proteins cooperate to keep life going.

28 Oct 2011

NIH awards Salk Institute $4.5M to establish new Neuroscience Core Center

The National Institutes of Health has announced that the Salk Institute will receive $4.5 million to establish a Neuroscience Core Center, a new research center intended to accelerate brain research that lays the foundation for developing new ways to treat congenital brain defects and neurological diseases.

14 Oct 2011

Three Johns Hopkins scientists receive NIH Director's New Innovator Awards

A pioneer in the field of epigenetics who has been spearheading the use of genome-wide technology for epigenetics research, a researcher who has revealed a weakness in the tuberculosis bacterium that makes it more susceptible to antibiotics, and a scientist who seeks to revolutionize new methods for toxicological testing to improve human health and reduce animal testing have received Director's Awards from the National Institutes of Health.

22 Sep 2011

Single UV laser pulse simultaneously zaps away biological tissue at multiple points

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed a new technique that uses a single UV laser pulse to zap away biological tissue at multiple points simultaneously, a method that could help scientists study the mechanical forces at work as organisms grow and change shape.

14 Sep 2011

Methodist, Philips partner to develop new imaging technology for infectious diseases

The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Philips Healthcare are collaborating to develop new imaging technology that could be used to help identify the start -- and cause -- of an infectious disease epidemic.

From Philips Healthcare 17 Aug 2011

Scientists produce first systematic network map of plant protein interactions

An international consortium of scientists has produced the first systematic network map of interactions that occur between proteins in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

2 Aug 2011

Researchers develop mouse model of rare human birth defect

A team of researchers from the University of Utah and Brigham Young University has developed a mouse model of focal dermal hypoplasia, a rare human birth defect that causes serious skin abnormalities and other medical problems. This animal model not only provides insight into studying the cause of focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH), but also offers a novel way to study a signaling pathway that is crucial for embryonic development.

21 Jul 2011

Arabidopsis thaliana helps scientists to solve puzzles in human health

A tiny plant called Arabidopsis thaliana just helped scientists unearth new clues about the daily cycles of many organisms, including humans. This is the latest in a long line of research, much of it supported by the National Institutes of Health, that uses plants to solve puzzles in human health.

14 Jul 2011

Variation in DNA sequence linked to increased risk of sudden cardiac death

In a large and comprehensive investigation into the underlying causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) - a surreptitious killer of hundreds of thousands annually in the United States - researchers have discovered a variation in the genome's DNA sequence that is linked to a significant increase in a person's risk of SCD.

13 Jul 2011

Genes in Tasmanian Devil give new hope to children with cancer

Cancer researchers have generated a genetic blueprint of the Tasmanian Devil genome, revealing cancer-associated genes that may answer important questions about adult and childhood cancer.

30 Jun 2011

Imec, VIB and KU Leuven join forces in pioneering brain research at NERF and in the Human Brain Project

Today, Flanders' ambitious brain research that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of brain disease, new prosthesis technologies for patients with a disability, a new generation of more intelligent robots, etc. switches into higher gear. In the presence of Ingrid Lieten, Flemish Minister of Innovation, Public Procurement, the Media and Combatting Poverty, imec, VIB and K.U.Leuven officially inaugurated the NERF (Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders) labs on the Imec campus in Leuven. The Human Brain Project was also launched on this occasion, one of the projects on the shortlist of the prestigious European Flagship Programme. Through NERF and the participation of Flanders' research institutes in the Human Brain Project, Flanders shows that it is putting progressive brain research high on its research agenda.

16 May 2011

Sea squirt study unravels complex mechanisms underlying heart defects

Each year in the U.S., approximately 40,000 babies are born with a heart defect. Without the proper diagnosis and treatment, many of these babies would die before their first birthday, according to Dr. Scott Klewer, a cardiologist at the UA's College of Medicine.

12 Apr 2011

New study provides insights into epiboly mechanisms linked with wound healing, cancer

Avian embryos could join the list of model organisms used to study a specific type of cell migration called epiboly, thanks to the results of a study published this month in the journal Developmental Dynamics.

24 Mar 2011

Affymetrix introduces new GeneChip miRNA 2.0 Array

Affymetrix, Inc. today launched the GeneChip miRNA 2.0 Array. This enhanced version of its best-in-class microRNA interrogation solution will support the research community's pursuit of personalized medicine by accelerating the identification of biomarkers and gene expression signatures associated with disease.

28 Feb 2011

Mechanism of cancer treatment related to infertility in women

Chemotherapeutic agents, used in cancer treatment, destroy not only cancer cells but also healthy cells, thus affecting germ cells as well. Consequently, after surviving cancer many female patients are confronted with the diagnosis: infertility. For a long time a relationship between infertility and chemotherapeutic agents has been assumed, but until now, the exact mechanism was not known.

23 Feb 2011

Johns Hopkins funds 12 research groups to launch new BSi program on cognitive disorders

The Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute has funded a total of $5 million to 12 different research groups at Hopkins to launch the new Synapses, Circuits and Cognitive Disorders Program. The new BSi program aims to understand the fundamentals of brain function by focusing on the synapse — the point of contact between two nerve cells — to better understand cognitive disorders.

9 Feb 2011

SAGE Labs, Cofactor Genomics partner to sequence genomes for six widely used rat strains

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services business of Sigma-Aldrich®, today announced that its SAGE Labs initiative has partnered with Cofactor Genomics in an effort to sequence genomes for six of the most widely used strains of rat.

3 Feb 2011

New laboratory manual on imaging in developmental biology

Imaging technologies have revolutionized the study of developmental biology and are now essential tools for researchers in the field. A newly released laboratory manual, Imaging in Developmental Biology, presents a comprehensive set of visualization methods specifically for developmental biologists. It is the newest volume in a series of imaging manuals published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

5 Jan 2011

Researchers develop microfluidic device to orient hundreds of embryos for research

Researchers have developed a microfluidic device that automatically orients hundreds of fruit fly and other embryos to prepare them for research. The device could facilitate the study of such issues as how organisms develop their complex structures from single cells -- one of the most fascinating aspects of biology.

27 Dec 2010

Catalogs of fruit fly and roundworm's functional genomic elements

Scientists today published catalogs of the fruit fly and roundworm's functional genomic elements: DNA sequences in the genome that carry the instructions and determine which genes are turned on and off at various times in different cells.

23 Dec 2010