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New insights into Pemphigus

Pemphigus is a deadly skin blistering disease that occurs when patients' produce antibodies that attack proteins in their own cells – called autoantibodies.

28 Mar 2005

New weapon for asthmatics to combat winter asthma attacks

A British team from the University of Southampton, led by the world-acknowledged asthma experts, Professor Stephen Holgate and Professor Donna Davies, has identified a therapy used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) as a potential novel treatment to reduce asthma attacks caused by the common cold virus.

23 Mar 2005

Degradable glass to help new bone growth

The University of Kent is collaborating with research teams from the University of Warwick, Imperial College London and University College London (UCL) to develop novel forms of degradable glass for a variety of medical applications, including new bone growth.

23 Mar 2005

Smart nanocarrier technology will cancer treatment

A ‘smart’ nanocarrier technology developed by a team of researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) is set to vastly improve the way cancer patients are treated.

22 Mar 2005

Time for ethical reflection is before experimentation begins

The time for ethical reflection is before experimentation begins, especially in the case of potential new methods for creating human embryos for research, according to bioethicists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic in the spring issue of Ethics & Medicine.

16 Mar 2005

Brewing up potential anti-cancer drugs from green tea

Drinking green tea has a protective effect against some forms of cancer but drinking large amounts can increase the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida – according to previous epidemiological studies.

15 Mar 2005

Association between prolonged residential radon exposure and lung cancer risk

Two University of Iowa researchers were part of a large multi-center study that provides compelling direct evidence of an association between prolonged residential radon exposure and lung cancer risk.

14 Mar 2005

Discovery may provide a new target to treat sepsis

Part of the immune system's pro-inflammatory response to bacterial invasion is to increase nitric oxide levels with an enzyme called inducible nitric oxide synthase.

14 Mar 2005

HIV virus removed from fathers sperm

27 babies in Japan have been born virus-free after the virus was removed from the the sperm of HIV-positive fathers.

7 Mar 2005

New compounds for the treatment of HIV/AIDS

Scientists from Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd. presented data on several new compounds for the treatment of HIV/AIDS at the 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), held February 22-25 in Boston, MA, USA.

27 Feb 2005

Scientists have replicated hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the laboratory

For the first time, scientists have replicated hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the laboratory. The ability to replicate HCV in cell culture will allow researchers to better study the life cycle and biology of this virus and to test potential antiviral compounds, which may lead to new therapies for the liver disease that results from infection with HCV.

22 Feb 2005

Better ways to heal and regenerate bones using microcomputed tomography imaging

Tissue engineers can choose from a wide range of living cells, biomaterials and proteins to repair a bone defect. But finding the optimum combination requires improved methods for tracking the healing process.

20 Feb 2005

Americans support appropriate use of reproductive genetic testing

A majority of Americans believes it is appropriate to use reproductive genetic testing to avoid having a child with a life-threatening disease, or to test embryos to see if they will be a good match to provide cells to help a sick sibling, a new report of the Genetics and Public Policy Center reveals.

20 Feb 2005

American Fertility Association alarmed by Judge's embryo ruling

The recent ruling in favor of a Chicago couple, who sued for wrongful death when their fertility clinic failed to preserve an embryo, raises great concerns for fertility patients across the United States.

13 Feb 2005

Researchers have discovered an ample source of stem cells in an uncharted part of the umbilical cord

The study, published in the February issue of Stem Cells, outlines how researchers discovered that the jelly-like connective tissue surrounding the blood vessels of the human umbilical cord, the so-called "Wharton's Jelly," is rich in mesenchymal progenitor cells – cells that generate bone, cartilage and other tissues – and can be harvested to generate an abundant supply in a short amount of time.

9 Feb 2005

Racial differences may play a significant role in determining a patient's response to asthma medications

A new study in the February issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that asthmatic and nonasthmatic African-Americans required higher doses of glucocorticoids to suppress lymphocytes, which play an important role in airway inflammation.

7 Feb 2005

Significant advance toward understanding lifelong process of blood cell formation

A research study published in the February issue of Developmental Cell expands on previous studies by using adult animals to examine the role of a key gene known to be required for blood cell formation. Information gained from this research will be useful for future studies aimed at directing stem cell differentiation in a variety of potential therapeutic contexts.

31 Jan 2005

New highly active agents against leishmaniasis

Parasitic diseases, especially leishmaniases and trypanosomiases, kill hundreds of thousands of people every year in the world, mainly in the countries of the South. The most severe form of leishmaniosis (kala-azar, the visceral form), induced by Leishmania donovani and L. infantum, affects about 500 000 people per year and proves fatal if no treatment is given.

25 Jan 2005

New insight into how tumor cells can become resistant to anti-cancer therapy

The scientists observed that a protein called P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which causes resistance to chemotherapy in many tumor types, is able to physically “jump” or transfer between tumor cells and retain its functional properties, protecting otherwise sensitive cells from the effects of anti-cancer treatment in vivo and in vitro.

18 Jan 2005

Molecular Devices introduces fatty acid uptake assay to target metabolic diseases

Molecular Devices Corporation announced the launch of its QBT Fatty Acid Uptake Assay Kit, the first assay kit that addresses the need for a single-step, homogenous in vitro assay for fatty acid uptake for use in high- throughput screening and metabolic disease research.

12 Jan 2005