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Interaction between fat cells and bacterial toxins can lead to chronic inflammation

Making fat cells immortal might seem like a bad idea to most people, but for a team of University of Iowa scientists it was the ideal way to study how the interaction between bacteria and fat cells might contribute to diabetes.

31 Oct 2013

Scientists discover critical regulator for directing pluripotent stem cells to make blood-forming stem cells

Stem cell scientists have moved one step closer to producing blood-forming stem cells in a Petri dish by identifying a key regulator controlling their formation in the early embryo, shows research published online today in Cell.

27 Sep 2013

Dog food preservative may prevent nerve damage in patients taking chemotherapy

Working with cells in test tubes and in mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that a chemical commonly used as a dog food preservative may prevent the kind of painful nerve damage found in the hands and feet of four out of five cancer patients taking the chemotherapy drug Taxol.

20 Sep 2013

NHCS researchers discover potential cure for long QT syndrome 2

The National Heart Centre Singapore research team has successfully and completely reversed the effects of the hERG (human ether-a-go-go-related gene) mutation in long QT syndrome 2 in patient-specific heart cells, scoring a world's first.

18 Sep 2013

Researchers discover how Yersinia immobilizes immune system to spread within organs

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts have identified how one type of bacteria, Yersinia, immobilizes the immune system in order to grow in the organs of mice. To do so, the researchers extended the use of a technique and suggest that it could be used to study other bacteria that use the same or similar means of infection.

17 Sep 2013

Research findings raise hope for new heart therapies

Many people who survive a heart attack find themselves back in the hospital with a failing heart just years later. And the outcome often is unfavorable, owing to limited treatment options. But scientists at Temple University School of Medicine's Cardiovascular Research Center recently found hope in an unlikely source - stem cells in cortical, or compact, bone.

5 Sep 2013

NIH-funded study finds zebrafish model may help identify treatments for childhood epilepsy

According to new research on epilepsy, zebrafish have certainly earned their stripes. Results of a study in Nature Communications suggest that zebrafish carrying a specific mutation may help researchers discover treatments for Dravet syndrome (DS), a severe form of pediatric epilepsy that results in drug-resistant seizures and developmental delays.

4 Sep 2013

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) research: an interview with Dr. Griffin Rodgers, NIDDK director

Chronic granulomatous disease, or CGD, is a diverse group of inherited diseases in which certain cells of the immune system have difficulty forming reactive oxygen compounds, most importantly superoxide radicals. These are used by these white blood cells to kill certain bacteria.

3 Sep 2013

Research findings lay foundation for regenerating damaged heart muscle

In the aftermath of a heart attack, cells within the region most affected shut down. They stop beating. And they become entombed in scar tissue. But now, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have demonstrated that this damage need not be permanent-by finding a way to transform the class of cells that form human scar tissue into those that closely resemble beating heart cells.

23 Aug 2013

Kentucky researcher uses advanced biomedical technology to study HMPV

You may not know the human metapneumovirus by name, but chances are that you have met somewhere before.

22 Aug 2013

New treatment technique uses nanoparticles to attack cancer

Researchers at the University of Georgia are developing a new treatment technique that uses nanoparticles to reprogram immune cells so they are able to recognize and attack cancer. The findings were published recently in the early online edition of ACS Nano.

16 Aug 2013

Nano-machine cell killer offers new insight into fight against pathogens

This is a veritable mechanics of aggression on the nanoscale. Certain bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, have the ability to deploy tiny darts. This biological weapon kills the host cell by piercing the membrane.

5 Aug 2013

New findings may lead to first new animal model for hepatitis C virus

By differentiating monkey stem cells into liver cells and inducing successful infection, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have shown for the first time that the hepatitis C virus can replicate in monkeys, according to research published in the journal Gastroenterology.

3 Aug 2013

3-D hydrogel approach to study aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer

Human glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most common, aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer, is notoriously difficult to study. Scientists have traditionally studied cancer cells in petri dishes, which have none of the properties of the brain tissues in which these cancers grow, or in expensive animal models.

24 Jul 2013

Research: Sharp edged graphene sheets can easily pierce cell membranes

Researchers from Brown University have shown how tiny graphene microsheets - ultra-thin materials with a number of commercial applications - could be big trouble for human cells.

12 Jul 2013

Children born after mothers hormonal fertility treatment have increased risk of mental disorders

Whether a child is conceived naturally or in a Petri dish in an incubator has no bearing at all on the child's mental health. However, researchers have identified a small but increased risk of developing a mental disorder such as autism, ADHD or behavioural problems in children whose mothers only received medical treatment to stimulate ovulation and egg development before insemination.

11 Jul 2013

Human gene expression mechanism opens new therapeutic strategies against neurological disease

In a study that could change the way scientists view the process of protein production in humans, University of Chicago researchers have found a single gene that encodes two separate proteins from the same sequence of messenger RNA.

4 Jul 2013

Study: Different strains of alpha-synuclein may contribute to different types of brain diseases

It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch, and the same may be true of certain proteins in the brain. Studies have suggested that just one rogue protein (in this case, a protein that is misfolded or shaped the wrong way) can act as a seed, leading to the misfolding of nearby proteins.

4 Jul 2013

State highlights: Calif. bill to fine firms with workers on Medi-Cal fails; Pa. eyes disallowing apologies used against doctors in court-proceedings

A California proposal to fine large companies that have workers on Medi-Cal came up short in an initial vote in the Assembly amid strong business opposition. The proposed fines could reach about $5,000 per full-time employee who receives Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program for the poor. The bill, AB 880, garnered 46 votes in the 80-member chamber Thursday, short of the 54 votes, or two-thirds majority, needed. The measure could come up for reconsideration as early as next week (Terhune, 6/27).

2 Jul 2013

Scientists find new links in gene networks that control movement

The idea that worms can be seen as waveforms allowed scientists at Rice University to find new links in gene networks that control movement.

2 Jul 2013

Petri Dish News and Research

Interaction between fat cells and bacterial toxins can lead to chronic inflammation

Scientists discover critical regulator for directing pluripotent stem cells to make blood-forming stem cells

Dog food preservative may prevent nerve damage in patients taking chemotherapy

NHCS researchers discover potential cure for long QT syndrome 2

Researchers discover how Yersinia immobilizes immune system to spread within organs

Research findings raise hope for new heart therapies

NIH-funded study finds zebrafish model may help identify treatments for childhood epilepsy

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) research: an interview with Dr. Griffin Rodgers, NIDDK director

Research findings lay foundation for regenerating damaged heart muscle

Kentucky researcher uses advanced biomedical technology to study HMPV

New treatment technique uses nanoparticles to attack cancer

Nano-machine cell killer offers new insight into fight against pathogens

New findings may lead to first new animal model for hepatitis C virus

3-D hydrogel approach to study aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer

Research: Sharp edged graphene sheets can easily pierce cell membranes

Children born after mothers hormonal fertility treatment have increased risk of mental disorders

Human gene expression mechanism opens new therapeutic strategies against neurological disease

Study: Different strains of alpha-synuclein may contribute to different types of brain diseases

State highlights: Calif. bill to fine firms with workers on Medi-Cal fails; Pa. eyes disallowing apologies used against doctors in court-proceedings

Scientists find new links in gene networks that control movement

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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