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AT-1001 shows promise in treating drug addiction

In preclinical studies, researchers at SRI International and Astraea Therapeutics have recently evaluated the role of a new drug receptor target that shows promise for the treatment of drug addiction.

15 Mar 2012

Researchers identify epigenetic signatures within reprogrammed skin cells

A research team has identified epigenetic signatures, markers on DNA that control transient changes in gene expression, within reprogrammed skin cells.

15 Mar 2012

New experimental technique can produce cells with specific functions

Researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC) have successfully developed and demonstrated a new experimental technique for producing cells with specific functions through the artificial reconstruction of transcriptional regulatory networks. As an alternative to induced pluripotent stem cells, the technique promises to enable faster and more efficient production of functional cells for use in cancer therapy and a variety of other areas.

15 Mar 2012

Long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification

Earlier evidence out of UCLA suggested that meditating for years thickens the brain (in a good way) and strengthens the connections between brain cells. Now a further report by UCLA researchers suggests yet another benefit.

15 Mar 2012

Researchers discover how Salmonella thrives in the digestive tract

UC Irvine researchers have discovered how Salmonella, a bacterium found in contaminated raw foods that causes major gastrointestinal distress in humans, thrives in the digestive tract despite the immune system's best efforts to destroy it.

15 Mar 2012

Silver nanoparticles cause more damage to testicular cells

Silver nanoparticles cause more damage to testicular cells than titanium dioxide nanoparticles, according to a recent study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. However, the use of both types may affect testicular cells with possible consequences for fertility.

15 Mar 2012

Cadherin-23 might play a role in earliest stages of breast cancer metastasis

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Biologist Lee Ligon has found a previously unknown connection between breast cancer tumor cells and the surrounding healthy tissue. The results provide new information on the earliest stages of breast cancer metastasis.

15 Mar 2012

Scientists identify new compound that quickly kills HCC cells

Scientists have identified a new compound that rapidly kills hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, the most common form of liver cancer and fifth most common cancer worldwide, while sparing healthy tissue.

15 Mar 2012

Mutated ATRX gene associated with advanced-stage neuroblastoma

Certain mutations of the gene ATRX were associated with age at diagnosis in children and young adults with advanced-stage neuroblastoma, a cancer that grows in parts of the nervous system, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Mar 2012

Scientists grow rudimentary retina structure from blood cells

For the first time, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made early retina structures containing proliferating neuroretinal progenitor cells using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from human blood.

14 Mar 2012

Potential new way to treat rare inherited metabolic disorders

A University of Michigan cell biologist and his colleagues have identified a potential drug that speeds up trash removal from the cell's recycling center, the lysosome.

14 Mar 2012

Antibody-based therapies successfully protect monkeys from deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses

Army scientists have demonstrated, for the first time, that antibody-based therapies can successfully protect monkeys from the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses. In addition, the animals were fully protected even when treatment was administered two days post-infection, an accomplishment unmatched by any experimental therapy for these viruses to date.

14 Mar 2012

Electronics Letters publishes special supplement on Semiconductors in Personalised Medicine

Electronics Letters, renowned for its short, high quality international research papers at the cutting edge of technology, has now embraced Semiconductors in Personalised Medicine in its latest special supplement, available FREE online www.theiet.org/el-special.

14 Mar 2012

Closer to solving how 100 billion cells are created, each with specific duties

How are 100 billion cells created, each with specific duties? The human brain is evidence that nature can achieve this. Researchers at Link-ping University in Sweden have now taken a step closer to solving this mystery.

14 Mar 2012

Researchers identify first gene mutation associated with chronic, often fatal form of neuroblastoma

Researchers have identified the first gene mutation associated with a chronic and often fatal form of neuroblastoma that typically strikes adolescents and young adults. The finding provides the first clue about the genetic basis of the long-recognized but poorly understood link between treatment outcome and age at diagnosis.

14 Mar 2012

Researchers discover molecular mechanism responsible for low back pain

Italian researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome found an important molecular mechanism responsible for low back pain and other acute vertebral problems like cervical axial pain, all due to aging and degeneration of the vertebral column.

14 Mar 2012

Gene simultaneously protects against and also promotes cancer growth

Can a gene simultaneously protect against cancer and favor its growth? Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered a gene with this double-edged property and suspect there may be many more that share it. In the words of Oscar Fernandez Capetillo, head of the group responsible for the study, this gene "can be both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, in that it can either protect us against the appearance of tumors or promote tumor growth".

14 Mar 2012

New study to better understand role of the immune system in stroke

Stroke and other diseases and injuries to the brain are often followed by inflammation, caused by a reaction of the body's immune system. This reaction has been seen as something that must be combated, but perhaps the immune system could in fact help with recovery following a stroke. A major new EU project, led by Lund University in Sweden and the Weizmann Institute in Israel, is going to study this question.

14 Mar 2012

Scientists gain insight into why lithium salts are effective at treating bipolar disorder

Scientists have gained insight into why lithium salts are effective at treating bipolar disorder in what could lead to more targeted therapies with fewer side-effects.

14 Mar 2012

Rats’ decision making as good as humans: Study

It is a known fact that rats are smart. But now US researchers have shown that they may be just as good as humans at juggling information in order to make the best decision. The discovery could help scientists better understand how the brain works in order to help people with autism who have difficulty processing various stimuli the way that others can, said the study authors.

14 Mar 2012