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Scientists propose new theory of the brain activity behind arm movements

Unlike their visual cousins, the neurons that control movement are not a predictable bunch. Scientists working to decode how such neurons convey information to muscles have been stymied when trying to establish a one-to-one relationship between a neuron's behavior and external factors such as muscle activity or movement velocity.

4 Jun 2012

New evidence of important role of next-generation sequencing in cancer treatment

Foundation Medicine, Inc., a molecular information company that brings comprehensive cancer genomic analysis to routine clinical care, today announced results from two studies using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to provide actionable information about genomic tumor alterations in individual patients' cancers across all solid tumor types.

2 Jun 2012

Innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue

An innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue using cells derived from the amniotic fluid is outlined in new research published by scientists at the UCL Institute of Child Health.

2 Jun 2012

Researchers uncover fundamental properties of key molecular signaling system using optical tweezers

By using a laser microbeam technology called optical tweezers, UC Irvine and UCLA researchers have uncovered fundamental properties of a key molecular signaling system involved with development, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

2 Jun 2012

Study finds natural ruminant trans fats not harmful

Canadian scientists are joining with international colleagues to lead new insights into the health implications of different types of trans fat.

2 Jun 2012

Initial data to construct first whole-brain wiring diagram of vertebrate brain

Neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) reached an important milestone today, publicly releasing the first installment out of 500 terabytes of data so far collected in their pathbreaking project to construct the first whole-brain wiring diagram of a vertebrate brain, that of the mouse.

2 Jun 2012

NIH awards $1.9M grant to study genetic control of cell migration

Developmental biologists Dominique Alfandari and Hélène Cousin at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently received a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to investigate craniofacial development in a frog model to better understand genetic control of cell migration.

2 Jun 2012

High costs can limit access to potentially life-saving technology

More than one-fifth of people who have received referrals to test for cancer-causing genes say they will only undergo testing if their insurance covers the cost-just as more insurers are instituting cost-sharing for medical services like genetic testing, according to new findings from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia released at this year's 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Saturday, June 2.

2 Jun 2012

Engineered proteins demonstrate flu-fighting potency

Computer-designed proteins are under construction to fight the flu. Researchers are demonstrating that proteins found in nature, but that do not normally bind the flu, can be engineered to act as broad-spectrum antiviral agents against a variety of flu virus strains, including H1N1 pandemic influenza.

2 Jun 2012

Two tumor suppressor genes function to disrupt overactive EGFR signaling

Overactive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling has been linked to the development of cancer. Several drug therapies have been developed to treat these EGFR-associated cancers; however, many patients have developed resistance to these drugs and are therefore no longer responsive to drug treatment.

2 Jun 2012

GPR21 inhibitors may hold promise for diabetes

In recent years, a growing body of evidence has linked inflammation to the development of insulin resistance. In insulin resistance, the hormone insulin is less effective in promoting glucose uptake from the bloodstream into other tissues. Obesity is a major factor that contributes to insulin resistance, which can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have shown that proinflammatory molecules found in fat tissue decreases sensitivity of tissues to insulin.

2 Jun 2012

Non-invasive stimulation of cerebellum helps individuals learn new walking patterns

In a step towards improving rehabilitation for patients with walking impairments, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute found that non-invasive stimulation of the cerebellum, an area of the brain known to be essential in adaptive learning, helped healthy individuals learn a new walking pattern more rapidly.

2 Jun 2012

Researchers identify chromosomal make-up of human eggs

In a groundbreaking study, Yale School of Medicine researchers and colleagues at the University of Oxford have identified the chromosomal make-up of a human egg. This discovery may soon allow them to avoid using abnormal - or aneuploid - eggs during infertility treatments, and instead to pick eggs that are healthy enough for a successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle.

2 Jun 2012

Modern bioethical dilemmas

How far is too far? 60 cases illustrating modern bioethical dilemmas

2 Jun 2012

Electronic nose and optoacoustics improve diagnosis of prostate cancer

Chances of survival of prostate cancer depend strongly on the stage at which the disease is diagnosed. Now scientists have developed new methods relying on an electronic nose and optoacoustics to improve the diagnosis techniques and avoid fatal treatment delays

2 Jun 2012

Two pharma companies plan international trials into targeted cancer treatments in the UK

A Cancer Research UK initiative to improve cancer gene testing has prompted two pharmaceutical companies to plan pioneering international trials into targeted cancer treatments in the UK.

2 Jun 2012

Exercise reduces expression of cytokines and alleviates neuropathic pain

Exercise helps to alleviate pain related to nerve damage (neuropathic pain) by reducing levels of certain inflammation-promoting factors, suggests an experimental study in the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

2 Jun 2012

Agendia launches ColoPrint microarray-based 18-gene expression signature for colon cancer

Agendia, an innovative molecular cancer diagnostics company and leader in personalized medicine, today announced the launch of its ColoPrint microarray-based 18-gene expression signature for predicting the risk of distant recurrence for stage II colon cancer patients who have undergone surgery.

2 Jun 2012

Study identifies new genetic factor associated with lean diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is popularly associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. However, just as there are obese people without type 2 diabetes, there are lean people with the disease.

2 Jun 2012

Study provides novel mechanism of action of anti-cancer compound: perifosine

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that an article published in the May 2012 issue of Plos One, outlines a novel mechanism of action of the Company's oral anti-cancer compound, perifosine, which could provide a rationale for a novel approach to the treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MMe), an aggressive type of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos.

2 Jun 2012