Medical Science News

RSS

U-M professor shows how plasticity of brain restores critical functions related to learning, memory

When Geoffrey Murphy, Ph.D., talks about plastic structures, he's not talking about the same thing as Mr. McGuire in The Graduate. To Murphy, an associate professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Michigan Medical School, plasticity refers to the brain's ability to change as we learn.

19 Mar 2011

ACRIN, ECOG, NCI intent to merge their clinical cancer research programs

The American College of Radiology's Imaging Network and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Cooperative Group members, today announced their intent to merge their clinical cancer research programs.

19 Mar 2011

Scientists devise new strategy to prevent spread of drug-resistant bacteria

A team of scientists from the University of Oxford, U.K. have taken lessons from Adam Smith and Charles Darwin to devise a new strategy that could one day slow, possibly even prevent, the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. In a new research report published in the March 2011 issue of GENETICS, the scientists show that bacterial gene mutations that lead to drug resistance come at a biological cost not borne by nonresistant strains.

19 Mar 2011

Journal of Clinical Lipidology publishes LipoScience LDL particle study results against CVD

LipoScience, Inc., a highly innovative diagnostic company that is advancing patient care by developing high value proprietary blood tests using nuclear magnetic resonance technology, today announced publication of a clinical study in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology demonstrating that in many people, low density lipoprotein cholesterol is a less accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease events than LDL particle number.

19 Mar 2011

New insight into Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Armed with a zebrafish model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a library of 1,200 chemicals already approved for human use, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have identified a compound that reverses the loss of muscle structure and function associated with DMD, seemingly by compensating for the loss of a critical protein.

19 Mar 2011

Scientists discover enzyme family that plays a crucial role in regulating cell motility

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that members of an enzyme family found in humans and throughout the plant and animal kingdoms play a crucial role in regulating cell motility. Their findings suggest an entirely new strategy for treating conditions ranging from diabetic ulcers to metastatic cancer.

19 Mar 2011

Springer editor receives ERC Advanced Grants for biosilicate research

The European Research Council has awarded one of this year's ERC Advanced Grants to Springer editor Dr. Werner M-ller, thus supporting his well-established research in the field of biosilicates with prize money of 2.2 million euros.

19 Mar 2011

BUSM professors highlight increased risks of naturally occurring infections

Paul Duprex, PhD, and Elke M-hlberger, PhD, both associate professors of microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine, recently co-authored a commentary about viruses for Microbiology Today, the monthly publication of the Society of General Microbiology, which is the largest microbiological society in Europe.

19 Mar 2011

Scientists to develop new MR imaging techniques for brain study

A Norwegian research centre is developing new magnetic resonance imaging techniques to study the brain. This could have impact for victims of brain damage as well as Alzheimer patients.

19 Mar 2011

Researchers identify protein that triggers immune response in TB-infected people

Scientists have discovered a protein secreted by tuberculosis bacteria that could be a promising new vaccine candidate, they report today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The protein could also be used to improve diagnosis of TB.

19 Mar 2011

Researchers discover process that regulates DNA maintenance

DNA contains all of the genetic instructions that make us who we are, and maintaining the integrity of our DNA over the course of a lifetime is a critical, yet complex part of the aging process.

19 Mar 2011

RainDance Technologies launches ASDSeq and XSeq Research Screening Panels

RainDance Technologies, Inc., today announced the commercial availability of the ASDSeq™ and XSeq™ Research Screening Panels. Developed in collaboration with Emory University and Greenwood Genetic Center, the two comprehensive panels enable researchers to simultaneously interrogate key genes known to be linked to X-chromosome disorders and syndromic forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using next-generation sequencing.

18 Mar 2011

Sage Bionetworks, AstraZeneca enter cancer research collaboration

Sage Bionetworks and AstraZeneca have initiated a collaboration to make new insights into certain cancers using advanced computational models of disease genetics. This deeper understanding of cancer will potentially help better match patients with appropriate treatments and might one day lead to new cancer therapeutics.

18 Mar 2011

C&EN: Health tracking biosensor may be closer to reality than many people think

Imagine a sensor implanted in your body that signals when you're getting sick - almost like the "check engine" light in a car. That scenario sounds like pure fantasy, but it may be closer to reality than many people think, according to an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

18 Mar 2011

Researchers discover a type of 'cellular bilingualism' in brain

A team of researchers from the University of Montreal and McGill University have discovered a type of "cellular bilingualism" - a phenomenon that allows a single neuron to use two different methods of communication to exchange information.

18 Mar 2011

GHDX presents Oncotype DX breast cancer test study results at St. Gallen conference

Genomic Health, Inc. today announced results from nine studies utilizing the Oncotype DX test in early-stage breast cancer patients at the 12th Annual St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

18 Mar 2011

SCLZ, Scarlet Heifer enter consulting agreement to develop stem cell cosmetic products

Stem Cell Assurance, Inc., announced that it has entered into a consulting agreement with the marketing agency Scarlet Heifer, LLC to develop its Stem Pearls cosmetic skincare brand product logo and packaging design, as well as a new ecommerce website.

18 Mar 2011

Study reveals new mechanism underlying reproduction in plants

A team of researchers at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci-ncia (IGC), Portugal, discovered that pollen, the organ that contains the plant male gametes, communicate with the pistil, their female counterpart, using a mechanism commonly observed in the nervous system of animals.

18 Mar 2011

New tool for studying microRNA expression in zebrafish

A new research tool for studying microRNA expression in zebrafish will help researchers study the effects of miRNA on the early development of this model organism and better understand developmental and disease mechanisms in humans, as described in Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

18 Mar 2011

Behavior prediction may help people strengthen existing habits

If you ask people how much they plan to exercise, they'll exercise more-but only if that's a personal goal, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

18 Mar 2011