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Cinnamon's role as an insulin substitute in type II diabetes

Cinnamon may be more than a spice – it may have a medical application in preventing and combating diabetes. Cinnamon may help by playing the role of an insulin substitute in type II diabetes, according to cellular and molecular studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

14 Apr 2004

Autism gene discovered

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are first to strongly link a specific gene with autism. While earlier studies have found rare genetic mutations in single families, a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry is the first to identify a gene that increases susceptibility to autism in a broad population.

14 Apr 2004

Researchers have developed a new method for finding antigens

Researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center have developed a method for finding the molecular targets of the immune system, known as antigens.

13 Apr 2004

New research into Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the second-most prevalent cancer in women and, despite encouraging improvements in screening leading to earlier detection, cervical cancer still kills many women every year. The risk of cervical cancer is increased by infection with certain types of human papilloma virus (HPV).

12 Apr 2004

Magnetic tweezers that can manipulate strands of DNA

An array of magnetic traps designed for manipulating individual biomolecules and measuring the ultrasmall forces that affect their behavior has been demonstrated by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

9 Apr 2004

Genetic trick makes gene therapy vectors more versatile

A genetic trick used by viruses to replicate themselves has been adapted for laboratory use to build complex protein structures required by immune system cells, according to investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

7 Apr 2004

A protein involved in the release of neurotransmitters in the brain is essential to learning and memory

A study published today in Neuron offers the first evidence that lack of this protein - known as RIM1 alpha - causes profound deficits in the learning process. The discovery is a major step in understanding the molecular events that underlie learning and memory - complex processes that can be impaired in human neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, mental retardation and schizophrenia.

7 Apr 2004

Completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature.

7 Apr 2004

Fluorescent molecule used to examine real time chemical reactions that result in smooth-muscle contraction

Smooth muscle, found in the walls of blood vessels and in internal organs such as lungs, stomach and the bladder, contracts as the end result of a series of chemical reactions. In a new study, UT Southwestern researchers report that one set of chemical reactions resulting in the contraction of the smooth-muscle cells is augmented by a second chemical pathway that kicks in when the first pathway is limited.

5 Apr 2004

Collaboration to create a series of small molecule drugs leads against a Takeda target

Array BioPharma Inc. today announced the commencement of a drug discovery collaboration with Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. to create a series of small molecule drug leads against a Takeda target. This collaboration is in addition to Array's existing research agreement with Takeda that began in 2001.

5 Apr 2004

New software promises to speed drug development

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute today announced the release of a software program capable of quickly identifying molecules that show promise for future medicines. The software program enables drug makers to comb through enormous databases of potential molecules and identify the ones that have sound medicinal properties.

3 Apr 2004

T-cells in lupus patients avoid apoptosis and are stimulated to produce antibodies against the patients own DNA

Researchers studying autoimmune diseases have found a molecular mechanism that explains how T-cells in lupus patients avoid apoptosis and are stimulated to produce antibodies against the patients own DNA.

1 Apr 2004

GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance to form strategic alliance

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) and Theravance, Inc., a privately-held pharmaceutical company, announced today that they have entered into an innovative broad-based strategic alliance to develop and commercialise novel medicines across a variety of important therapeutic areas, including bacterial infection, respiratory, urinary incontinence and gastrointestinal.

31 Mar 2004

Gene-rich human Chromosome 19 sequence completed

31 Mar 2004

Research team has found a new way to streamline gene isolation to determine their functions

A single strand of plant or animal DNA may contain tens of thousands of genes, each programmed to produce a specific protein essential for the growth or survival of the organism. The challenge for geneticists is to isolate individual genes and determine their function -- a painstaking process often requiring years of laboratory trial and error.

31 Mar 2004

First patient dosed with Tesmilifene in pivotal breast cancer study

YM BioSciences Inc., the cancer drug development company, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in its 700 patient Phase III registration trial.

31 Mar 2004

Drug, Nembutal can suppress activity in colon cancer cells

A barbiturate once commonly used to treat anxiety may play a role in controlling the spread of colon cancer, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

30 Mar 2004

Faster new cloning technique - transcript-based cloning

A single strand of plant or animal DNA may contain tens of thousands of genes, each programmed to produce a specific protein essential for the growth or survival of the organism. The challenge for geneticists is to isolate individual genes and determine their function – a painstaking process often requiring years of laboratory trial and error.

30 Mar 2004

Human Genome Sciences can begin cardiovascular disease research

Human Genome Sciences, Inc.announced today that it has received a clinical development milestone payment from its partner, GlaxoSmithKline, related to the initiation of Phase 1 clinical trials of 677116 for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. 677116 is a small-molecule inhibitor of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), an enzyme associated with the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

30 Mar 2004

Researchers find new purpose for existing drugs to suppress colon cancer metastasis, secure post-radiation brain function, and trick tumors

Drugs approved for treatment of specific maladies sometimes show unexpected benefits. Researchers at the 95th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research demonstrated highlighted how some drugs may one day offer previously unforeseen benefits for patients.

30 Mar 2004