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Next generation predictive 3D cell toxicity assays to be developed by Medicyte GmbH and Reinnervate Ltd

Two market leading companies in the field of cell based assays and predictive toxicology today announced a new product collaboration. Medicyte (inventors of the upcyte® technology) and Reinnervate (market leaders in the growing field of 3D cell culture) said they will work together to combine their upcyte® and Alvetex®Scaffold technologies to bring next generation cell bases assays to the biopharma and academic research markets.

9 Jul 2012

Sectioning of bone as a specialist histology specimen

The significance of histological examination in the classification and diagnosis of clinical conditions is reliant on the expertise of the histology laboratory in managing the wide spectrum of specimen types submitted for analysis.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 9 Jul 2012

Does alcohol kill brain cells?

Several origins have been suggested for the idea that alcohol kills brain cells. Some link it to the temperance movement, which called for prohibition of alcohol.

9 Jul 2012

Novel gene therapy approach may treat dysferlinopathies

The challenge of treating patients with genetic disorders in which a single mutated gene is simply too large to be replaced using traditional gene therapy techniques may soon be a thing of the past. A Nationwide Children's Hospital study describes a new gene therapy approach capable of delivering full-length versions of large genes and improving skeletal muscle function. The strategy may hold new hope for treating dysferlinopathies and other muscular dystrophies.

9 Jul 2012

Researchers describe inflammatory mechanism of sunburn

The biological mechanism of sunburn - the reddish, painful, protective immune response from ultraviolet (UV) radiation - is a consequence of RNA damage to skin cells, report researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and elsewhere in the July 8, 2012 Advance Online Publication of Nature Medicine.

9 Jul 2012

New somatostatin vaccines promote weight loss

New vaccines promote weight loss. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, assesses the effectiveness of two somatostatin vaccinations, JH17 and JH18, in reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in mice.

9 Jul 2012

DNA from CF patients with and without chronic infections points to unsuspected mutation

Comparing the DNA from patients at the best and worst extremes of a health condition can reveal genes for resistance and susceptibly. This approach discovered rare variations in the DCTN4 gene among cystic fibrosis patients most prone to early, chronic airway infections.

9 Jul 2012

Targeting double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase could treat inflammation

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that inflammation could be treated by targeting a molecule called the double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase (PKR). These findings are published in the July issue of Nature.

9 Jul 2012

High expression of interleukin-9 in immune cells inhibits melanoma growth

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have made a groundbreaking discovery that will shape the future of melanoma therapy. The team, led by Thomas S. Kupper, MD, chair of the BWH Department of Dermatology, and Rahul Purwar, PhD, found that high expression of a cell-signaling molecule, known as interleukin-9, in immune cells inhibits melanoma growth.

9 Jul 2012

Conference highlights utility of zebrafish for human disorder studies

Zebrafish, popular as aquarium fish, now have an important place in research labs as a model organism for studying human diseases.

8 Jul 2012

Mouse model demonstrates role of AEG-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Researchers have created the first mouse model demonstrating the role of a cancer promoting gene, Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), in hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer. The mouse model represents a critical step in understanding the molecular mechanisms of liver cancer progression and could lead to novel therapies for the disease.

8 Jul 2012

Effect of spaceflight on C. elegans could help it to live longer

The effect of spaceflight on a microscopic worm - Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) - could help it to live longer.

8 Jul 2012

Presence of SPDEF protein may predict prostate cancers that are unable to metastasize

Prostate cancer doesn't kill in the prostate - it's the disease's metastasis to other tissues that can be fatal. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published this week in the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that prostate cancer cells containing the protein SPDEF continue to grow at the same pace as their SPDEF- cousins, but that these SPDEF+ cells are unable to survive at possible sites of metastasis.

8 Jul 2012

Dynorphin plays an important role in weakening anxiety

Feelings of anxiety very effectively prevent people from getting into situations that are too dangerous. Those who have had a terrible experience initially tend to avoid the place of tragedy out of fear. If no other oppressive situation arises, normally the symptoms of fear gradually subside.

7 Jul 2012

Study reveals connection among sugar, cancer, and dependence on breathing machines

A new research report published online in the FASEB Journal reveals a connection among sugar, cancer, and dependence on breathing machines--microRNA-320a.

7 Jul 2012

Key difference between spinal regeneration in fish and mammals

Yona Goldshmit, Ph.D., is a former physical therapist who worked in rehabilitation centers with spinal cord injury patients for many years before deciding to switch her focus to the underlying science.

7 Jul 2012

Protein AMPK protects sensory cells in the inner ear from permanent damage

If you're concerned about losing your hearing because of noise exposure (earbud deafness syndrome), a new discovery published online in the FASEB Journal offers some hope. That's because scientists from Germany and Canada show that the protein, AMPK, which protects cells during a lack of energy, also activates a channel protein in the cell membrane that allows potassium to leave the cell.

7 Jul 2012

New strategy to reduce or eliminate scars on the skin

Whether from surgery or battle wounds, ugly scars can affect body and mind. Now a new research report appearing online in the FASEB Journal offers a new strategy to reduce or eliminate scars on the skin.

7 Jul 2012

New epigenetic path toward a cure for osteoarthritis

In what could be a breakthrough in the practical application of epigenetic science, U.K. scientists used human tissue samples to discover that those with osteoarthritis have a signature epigenetic change (DNA methylation) responsible for switching on and off a gene that produces a destructive enzyme called MMP13.

7 Jul 2012

Biological mechanisms behind appetite-suppressing effects of proteins

Frequently recommended in weight-loss diets, dietary proteins have proven effectiveness thanks to their appetite-suppressing effects. A team led by Gilles Mithieux, Director of Inserm's Unit 855 "Nutrition and the Brain" in Lyon, has managed to explain the biological mechanisms behind these properties.

7 Jul 2012