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ScreenCell, Affymetrix partner to distribute CTC platform

Affymetrix, Inc. and ScreenCell, a privately-held company, today announced the signing of a worldwide distribution agreement for ScreenCell's isolation devices and dilution buffers, designed for the collection of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood.

18 May 2012

Strong link between the amygdala and a baseline level of distrust

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on my parahippocampal gyrus. Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.

18 May 2012

Dabrafenib drug shrinks tumors in patients with melanoma brain metastases

An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet.

18 May 2012

Researchers identify novel base modification in RNA

Over the past decade, research in the field of epigenetics has revealed that chemically modified bases are abundant components of the human genome and has forced us to abandon the notion we've had since high school genetics that DNA consists of only four bases.

18 May 2012

NEC, SomaLogic release professional software tool

SomaLogic, Inc., and NEC Corporation today announced the release of SomaSuite, a professional software tool developed by NEC that provides simple, reliable and direct access to the highly multiplexed proteomic data generated by SomaLogic's SOMAscan proteomics assay technology.

18 May 2012

Zebrafish can modify their behaviour in response to varying situations

Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have shown that zebrafish could be used to study the underlying causes of psychiatric disorders.

18 May 2012

RAL proteins linked with aggressive cancer characteristics in human tumors

We have known for years that when the proteins RalA and RalB are present, cells in dishes copy toward aggressive forms of cancer. However, until this week, no study had explored the effects of RAL proteins in human cancers - an essential step on the path to developing drugs to target these proteins.

18 May 2012

Researchers sequence genomes of 21 breast cancers

In two back-to-back reports published online on 17 May in Cell, researchers have sequenced the genomes of 21 breast cancers and analysed the mutations that emerged during the tumours' development. The individual results are described below.

18 May 2012

USPTO issues patent to Vandalia’s process for large-scale DNA production technology

Vandalia Research, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 8,163,489, covering Vandalia's process for large-scale DNA production using polymerase chain reaction.

18 May 2012

Researchers identify 57 SNPs associated with autism

By focusing on the identification of common genetic variants, researchers have identified 57 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that predict-with a high degree of certainty--the risk that siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will also develop the condition. The findings were presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research.

18 May 2012

Innate differences in immunity can be detected at birth

Innate differences in immunity can be detected at birth, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. And babies with a better innate response to viruses have fewer respiratory illnesses in the first year of life.

18 May 2012

Kudzu root components may treat alcoholism and curb binge drinking

An extract of the Chinese herb kudzu dramatically reduces drinking and may be useful in the treatment of alcoholism and curbing binge drinking, according to a new study by McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers.

18 May 2012

Blood platelet concentrates improve healing after dental implant procedures

Restoring the front teeth after a traumatic injury poses a particular challenge—biologically, functionally, and aesthetically. Even when all the procedures of a successful implant are followed, healing of tissues can still be an unpredictable element. One approach to improving the outcome of this type of implant is the use of blood platelet concentrates.

17 May 2012

Scientists investigate how ApoE4 gene contributes to Alzheimer's disease

A well-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease triggers a cascade of signaling that ultimately results in leaky blood vessels in the brain, allowing toxic substances to pour into brain tissue in large amounts, scientists report May 16 in the journal Nature.

17 May 2012

Breast cancer cell surface protein blows cover of potent tumor-generating cells

Breast cancer stem cells wear a cell surface protein that is part nametag and part bull's eye, identifying them as potent tumor-generating cells and flagging their vulnerability to a drug, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online in Journal of Clinical Investigation.

17 May 2012

Sensory substitution device enables blind persons to actually 'read' an eye chart

A method developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for training blind persons to "see" through the use of a sensory substitution device (SSD) has enabled those using the system to actually "read" an eye chart with letter sizes smaller than those used in determining the international standard for blindness.

17 May 2012

Damage to brain white matter connections may be the cause of Phineas Gage's behavioral changes

Poor Phineas Gage. In 1848, the supervisor for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Vermont was using a 13-pound, 3-foot-7-inch rod to pack blasting powder into a rock when he triggered an explosion that drove the rod through his left cheek and out of the top of his head. As reported at the time, the rod was later found, "smeared with blood and brains."

17 May 2012

Nottingham researchers lead largest ever research project into genetics of pre-eclampsia

Researchers from The University of Nottingham are leading the largest ever international research project into the genetics of the potentially fatal condition pre-eclampsia.

17 May 2012

Mary Ann Liebert releases BioResearch Open Access journal

The inaugural issue of BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal, was released today by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including but not limited to molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience.

17 May 2012