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Breakthrough discovery could help young girls suffering from rare form of epilepsy

An international team, led by a University of Adelaide genetics expert, has made a breakthrough discovery which is expected to help thousands of young girls worldwide who are suffering from a rare yet debilitating form of epilepsy.

7 Jul 2015

Common arthritis drug could help to treat patients with blood cancers

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have discovered that a common drug given to arthritis sufferers could also help to treat patients with blood cancers.

7 Jul 2015

Researchers unravel mechanisms that enable accumulation of tumour promoting protease in stressed cancer cells

A mechanism beyond the level of gene regulation, which is often the underlying reason for changes in protein levels, does enable the strong accumulation of a tumour promoting protease in stressed cancer cells. The group of BIOSS researcher Prof. Dr. Thomas Reinheckel teamed up with BIOSS investigator Prof. Dr. Sabine Rospert and their colleagues from the University Medical Center Freiburg, Prof. Dr. Elmar Stickeler and Dr. Peter Bronsert, in order to unravel mechanisms by which stress-resistant production of cancer promoting proteins occurs.

6 Jul 2015

Umeå University researchers capture and describe 'invisible' protein structure

A research group at Umeå University in Sweden has managed to capture and describe a protein structure that, until now, has been impossible to study. The discovery lays the base for developing designed enzymes as catalysts to new chemical reactions for instance in biotechnological applications.

3 Jul 2015

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

To observe the brain in action, scientists and physicians use imaging techniques, among which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the best known. These techniques are not based on direct observations of electric impulses from activated neurons, but on one of their consequences. Indeed, this stimulation triggers physiological modifications in the activated cerebral region, changes that become visible by imaging.

3 Jul 2015

Harvard Medical School scientists reveal structure of vesicular stomatitis virus protein

Viruses need us. In order to multiply, viruses have to invade a host cell and copy their genetic information. To do so, viruses encode their own replication machinery or components that subvert the host replication machinery to their advantage.

3 Jul 2015

Two new studies show that fecal transplantation may help fight against ulcerative colitis

Two new studies led by researchers from the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute at McMaster University show that transplantation of fecal matter may be a useful tool in the fight against ulcerative colitis (UC).

3 Jul 2015

Researchers compare effectiveness of two stem cell types in treating retinal degeneration

By growing two types of stem cells in a "3-D culture" and measuring their ability to produce retinal cells, a team lead by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital researchers has found one cell type to be better at producing retinal cells.

3 Jul 2015

Imaging proteasome complex helps show target site for potential cancer drugs

Scientists have pioneered the use of a high-powered imaging technique to picture in exquisite detail one of the central proteins of life - a cellular recycling unit with a role in many diseases.

3 Jul 2015

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

A new study suggests that genes may not be to blame for the increased risk of heart disease some studies have shown in people with migraine, especially those with migraine with aura. The research is published during Headache/Migraine Awareness Month in the inaugural issue of the journal Neurology Genetics, an open access, or free to the public, online-only, peer-reviewed journal from the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jul 2015

SkylineDx’s MMprofiler test helps predict prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma

SkylineDx, an innovative biotechnology company specialising in the development and commercialization of genetic tests, is today launching its MMprofiler assay. This test enables clinicians to more accurately predict the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer) than traditional methods.

3 Jul 2015

Penn study suggests future precision medicine approach to treating diabetes, other metabolic disorders

In the first study of its kind, Penn researchers have shown how an anti-diabetic drug can have variable effects depending on small natural differences in DNA sequence between individuals. Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Raymond Soccio, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, aim to apply this knowledge to develop personalized approaches to treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

3 Jul 2015

Research shows how prion-like proteins critical for maintaining long-term memories

Research from Eric Kandel's lab at Columbia University Medical Center has uncovered further evidence of a system in the brain that persistently maintains memories for long periods of time. And paradoxically, it works in the same way as mechanisms that cause mad cow disease, kuru, and other degenerative brain diseases.

3 Jul 2015

Review article provides in depth survey of studies focusing on retinoblastoma protein's role in apoptosis

Retinoblastoma protein RB1, which is named after a form of pediatric tumor of the eye, is among the most common genetically regulated cellular proteins to malfunction in human cancer. RB1 was also the first tumor suppressor gene to be identified and its modes of inactivation in retinoblastoma tumors provided the basis for the ground-breaking two-hit hypothesis by the geneticist Alfred G. Knudson in the 70s, according to which cancer is due to the accumulation of multiple 'hits' or mutations in certain genes.

3 Jul 2015

Combination of exercise and artificial gravity may reduce effects of extended weightlessness in space

Astronauts on the International Space Station have a number of exercise options, including a mechanical bicycle bolted to the floor, a weightlifting machine strapped to the wall, and a strap-down treadmill. They spend a significant portion of each day working out to ward off the long-term effects of weightlessness, but many still suffer bone loss, muscle atrophy, and issues with balance and their cardiovascular systems.

3 Jul 2015

Scientists to discuss the possibility of predicting evolution at scientific conference in Portugal

Is it possible to predict the evolution of the influenza virus? Or how rapidly bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics? Or even how cancer cells spread inside a human being? These are some of the main topics of discussion that bring together renowned scientists from all over the world at the scientific conference "Forecasting evolution?" held at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG; Portugal) from 8th to 11th July.

3 Jul 2015

DTC genetic testing has negative consequences in children

A woman coping with the burden of familial breast cancer can't help but wonder if her young daughter will suffer the same fate. Has she inherited the same disease-causing mutation? Is it best to be prepared for the future, or to wait? During the last decade, genetic tests have been through a sea change, both in their availability and the technologies behind them. Today there are at least 34 companies that offer direct to consumer (DTC) DNA testing, some of which return health results. And now it is possible to sequence someone's entire genetic code for the price of a laptop.

3 Jul 2015

Researchers explore how Sox9 protein regulates production of cartilage

Cartilage does a lot more than determine the shapes of people's ears and noses. It also enables people to breathe and to form healthy bones -- two processes essential to life. In a study published in Cell Reports, USC Stem Cell researcher Xinjun He and University of Tokyo researcher Shinsuke Ohba explore how a protein called Sox9 regulates the production of cartilage.

3 Jul 2015

HKUST scientists find way to stimulate growth of corticospinal tract axons

Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have found a way to stimulate the growth of axons, which may spell the dawn of a new beginning on chronic SCI treatments.

3 Jul 2015

Researchers discover link between acute liver failure and specific gene mutations in young children

Acute liver failure is a rare yet life-threatening disease for young children. It often occurs extremely rapidly, for example, when a child has a fever. Yet in around 50 percent of cases it is unclear as to why this happens. Now, a team of researchers working on an international research project headed by Technische Universität München, the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich and Heidelberg University Hospital have discovered a link between the disease and mutations in a specific gene.

3 Jul 2015

Medical Science News

Breakthrough discovery could help young girls suffering from rare form of epilepsy

Common arthritis drug could help to treat patients with blood cancers

Researchers unravel mechanisms that enable accumulation of tumour promoting protease in stressed cancer cells

Umeå University researchers capture and describe 'invisible' protein structure

Discovery reveals possibility of using water for finer analysis of the brain's functioning

Harvard Medical School scientists reveal structure of vesicular stomatitis virus protein

Two new studies show that fecal transplantation may help fight against ulcerative colitis

Researchers compare effectiveness of two stem cell types in treating retinal degeneration

Imaging proteasome complex helps show target site for potential cancer drugs

Study: Genes may not trigger heart disease in people suffering from migraine with aura

SkylineDx’s MMprofiler test helps predict prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma

Penn study suggests future precision medicine approach to treating diabetes, other metabolic disorders

Research shows how prion-like proteins critical for maintaining long-term memories

Review article provides in depth survey of studies focusing on retinoblastoma protein's role in apoptosis

Combination of exercise and artificial gravity may reduce effects of extended weightlessness in space

Scientists to discuss the possibility of predicting evolution at scientific conference in Portugal

DTC genetic testing has negative consequences in children

Researchers explore how Sox9 protein regulates production of cartilage

HKUST scientists find way to stimulate growth of corticospinal tract axons

Researchers discover link between acute liver failure and specific gene mutations in young children

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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