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Study: New gene therapy safe, effective for patients with hemophilia B

A multi-year, ongoing study suggests that a new kind of gene therapy for hemophilia B could be safe and effective for human patients. Published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the research showed that a reprogrammed retrovirus could successfully transfer new factor IX (clotting) genes into animals with hemophilia B to dramatically decrease spontaneous bleeding.

12 Mar 2015

Finding could lead to more effective, less invasive treatment for 'bubble boy' disease

For infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), something as simple as a common cold or ear infection can be fatal. Born with an incomplete immune system, kids who have SCID--also known as "bubble boy" or "bubble baby" disease--can't fight off even the mildest of germs.

12 Mar 2015

Penn researcher named a recipient of 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

University of Pennsylvania cancer and HIV expert Carl June, MD, has been named one of two recipients of the 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for his outstanding work in cancer immunotherapy. Since 1952, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize has been awarded to scientists who have made great advancements in the fields in which Paul Ehrlich worked, in particular immunology, cancer research, microbiology, and chemotherapy.

12 Mar 2015

Melbourne researchers develop new genome editing technology to kill blood cancer cells

Melbourne researchers have developed a new genome editing technology that can target and kill blood cancer cells with high accuracy.

12 Mar 2015

Slow-growing tumors have treatment-resistant stem cells, shows study

Scientists are eager to make use of stem cells' extraordinary power to transform into nearly any kind of cell, but that ability also is cause for concern in cancer treatment.

12 Mar 2015

McGill researchers identify key mechanism by which environmental factors influence traits

Until now scientists have believed that the variations in traits such as our height, skin colour, tendency to gain weight or not, intelligence, tendency to develop certain diseases, etc., all of them traits that exist along a continuum, were a result of both genetic and environmental factors. But they didn't know how exactly these things worked together.

12 Mar 2015

Medicine-loaded nanoparticles could help patients achieve corneal transplant success

There are about 48,000 corneal transplants done each year in the U.S., compared to approximately 16,000 kidney transplants and 2,100 heart transplants. Out of the 48,000 corneal transplants done, 10 percent of them end up in rejection, largely due to poor medication compliance. This costs the health care system and puts undue strain on clinicians, patients and their families.

12 Mar 2015

Washington University researchers develop way to apply light-based therapy to reach deep tumors

Light long has been used to treat cancer. But phototherapy is only effective where light easily can reach, limiting its use to cancers of the skin and in areas accessible with an endoscope, such as the gastrointestinal tract.

12 Mar 2015

TSRI chemists develop innovative method for building new drug molecules

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a broadly useful technique for building new drug molecules and other chemical products.

12 Mar 2015

More research needed to explore toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals, says Virginia Tech scientist

Are cellulose nanocrystals harmful to human health? The answer might depend on the route of exposure, according to a review of the literature by a Virginia Tech scientist, but there have been few studies and many questions remain.

12 Mar 2015

Organ-on-a-chip could replace use of animals to test drugs for safety and efficacy

When University of California, Berkeley, bioengineers say they are holding their hearts in the palms of their hands, they are not talking about emotional vulnerability.

12 Mar 2015

New method could help understand functions of gut microbiome

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Columbia University in the United States have developed a way to study the functions of hard-to-grow bacteria that contribute to the composition of the gut microbiome. The new method is published in the journal Molecular Systems Biology.

12 Mar 2015

European scientists identify gene linked with certain types of early-onset epilepsy

Certain types of early-onset epilepsy are caused by previously unknown mutations of a potassium channel gene, KCNA2. The mutations disrupt the electrical balance in the brain in two ways. In some patients, the flow of potassium is greatly reduced; while in others, it is raised enormously. Both states can lead to hard-to-treat epileptic seizures. Mental and motor development can come to a stop, or even to regress.

12 Mar 2015

Scientists find strong association between MAIT lymphocytes and metabolic dysfunctions

Scientists at Institut Cochin (CNRS/Inserm/Université Paris Descartes) and ICAN - Institute of Cardiometabolism And NutritionInserm/UPMC/AP-HP) have discovered that a class of inflammatory cells, MAIT lymphocytes1, is deregulated in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes and obesity.

12 Mar 2015

TSRI researchers create picture of whole dynein-dynactin structure

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has determined the basic structural organization of a molecular motor that hauls cargoes and performs other critical functions within cells.

12 Mar 2015

Tetanus booster shot enhances effect of vaccine therapy for lethal brain tumors

An innovative approach using a tetanus booster to prime the immune system enhances the effect of a vaccine therapy for lethal brain tumors, dramatically improving patient survival, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers.

12 Mar 2015

Physical activity may protect older people from effects of brain damage

Older people who are physically active may be protecting themselves from the effects of small areas of brain damage that can affect their movement abilities, according to a new study published in the March 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Mar 2015

Brazil's first open-access research facility to be established at UNICAMP

Open-access research into drug discovery has arrived in South America, with a ground-breaking collaboration between leading scientists in North America, Europe and Brazil to provide completely free and open research results to the world.

12 Mar 2015

Researchers gain new insights into molecular mechanisms affected by weight gain

Until now there have been few molecular epidemiological studies regarding the effects of weight changes on metabolism in the general population. In a recent study conducted and funded within the framework of the Competence Network Obesity, researchers at the Institute of Epidemiology II at Helmholtz Zentrum München evaluated molecular data of the KORA study.

12 Mar 2015

NYU researchers devise computer model to explain how neural circuit learns to categorize

New York University researchers have devised a computer model to explain how a neural circuit learns to classify sensory stimuli into discrete categories, such as "car vs. motorcycle." Their findings, which appear in the journal Nature Communications, shed new light on the brain processes underpinning judgments we make on a daily basis.

12 Mar 2015

Medical Science News

Study: New gene therapy safe, effective for patients with hemophilia B

Finding could lead to more effective, less invasive treatment for 'bubble boy' disease

Penn researcher named a recipient of 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

Melbourne researchers develop new genome editing technology to kill blood cancer cells

Slow-growing tumors have treatment-resistant stem cells, shows study

McGill researchers identify key mechanism by which environmental factors influence traits

Medicine-loaded nanoparticles could help patients achieve corneal transplant success

Washington University researchers develop way to apply light-based therapy to reach deep tumors

TSRI chemists develop innovative method for building new drug molecules

More research needed to explore toxicity of cellulose nanocrystals, says Virginia Tech scientist

Organ-on-a-chip could replace use of animals to test drugs for safety and efficacy

New method could help understand functions of gut microbiome

European scientists identify gene linked with certain types of early-onset epilepsy

Scientists find strong association between MAIT lymphocytes and metabolic dysfunctions

TSRI researchers create picture of whole dynein-dynactin structure

Tetanus booster shot enhances effect of vaccine therapy for lethal brain tumors

Physical activity may protect older people from effects of brain damage

Brazil's first open-access research facility to be established at UNICAMP

Researchers gain new insights into molecular mechanisms affected by weight gain

NYU researchers devise computer model to explain how neural circuit learns to categorize

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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