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New information on how to design nanoparticles that avoid macrophage uptake

Few researchers doubt the potential for nanoparticles to revolutionize the way anticancer drugs and imaging agents are delivered to tumors.

12 Sep 2006

Claims that the discovery of a gene could help prevent diabetes may raise unrealistic expectations

Earlier this year, scientists discovered that a variant of the TCF7L2 gene was associated with type 2 diabetes. In subsequent media coverage, they claimed this could lead to a diagnostic test to identify people who carry the variant gene and that people who knew of their extra risk would then be motivated to avoid the lifestyle habits that lead to diabetes.

7 Sep 2006

Genetic code for breast and colon cancers

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have completed the first draft of the genetic code for breast and colon cancers.

7 Sep 2006

Quantum dot nanodevice that can detect and image apoptosis

Aiming to help researchers get a better handle on how - and if - anticancer agents are triggering cell death, investigators at the University of Twente in The Netherlands have developed a quantum dot nanodevice that can detect and image apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death.

5 Sep 2006

Scientists develop magnetic nanoparticles for medicine

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have already proven their utility for imaging metastatic breast cancer lesions in sentinel lymph nodes, and numerous groups are attempting to use iron nanoparticles in other imaging applications.

5 Sep 2006

New method for attaching tumor-targeting antibodies to the surface of buckyballs

Hollow buckyballs, spherical molecules made of sixty carbon atoms linked to one another like the panels of a soccer ball, have the potential to ferry large doses of anticancer drugs or imaging agents to tumors.

5 Sep 2006

Targeted nanoparticles to improve Boron-Neutron capture therapy

Boron-neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is an experimental treatment for virulent brain cancer that aims to kill malignant cells by generating high-energy alpha particles inside tumors.

5 Sep 2006

Scientists identifiy key compounds that stimulate stem cell growth in the brain

Scientists at Harvard University have identified key compounds that stimulate stem cell growth in the brain, which may one day lead to restored function for people affected by Parkinson's disease, strokes, multiple sclerosis, and a wide range of neurological disorders.

4 Sep 2006

Plants can be used to unlock secrets useful for human stem cell research

Plants share many similar stem cell traits to humans and can be used to unlock secrets useful for human stem cell research, according to University of Melbourne biology experts.

30 Aug 2006

Scientists trick cancer cells into suicide

Scientists in the U.S. believe they have found a way to trick cancer cells into committing suicide.

28 Aug 2006

U.S. research challenges Bush over embryonic stem-cell research

Researchers in the U.S. appear all set to challenge President Bush's stand over the issue of embryonic stem-cell research.

24 Aug 2006

New methods for screening nanoparticles and interaction with human cells

Scientists have developed a screening method to examine how newly made nanoparticles - particles with dimensions on the order of billionths of a meter - interact with human cells following exposure for various times and doses.

21 Aug 2006

Investigation of the proinflammatory potential of biodegradable nanoparticle drug delivery systems in the lung

Drug developers consider the lungs to be an excellent route through which to administer drugs.

21 Aug 2006

Targeted magnetic nanoparticles may be useful in both detecting and treating metastatic breast cancer

An in-depth study of nanoparticle distribution in tumor-bearing mice has shown that targeted magnetic nanoparticles accumulate and cluster in both primary breast tumors and metastatic lesions that have developed in the lung.

21 Aug 2006

St. John's wort and polymeric nanoparticles to treat ovarian tumors using light

By combining a compound produced by the plant St. John's wort with polymeric nanoparticles, researchers at the University of Geneva in Switzerland have developed a promising method for treating ovarian tumors using light.

21 Aug 2006

RNA gene found to be one of the fastest evolving regions in human genome

Since completing the sequencing of the chimpanzee genome last year, geneticists have spent many hours comparing human DNA sequences to those of our closest evolutionary relative, looking for the differences that distinguish the two species.

16 Aug 2006

Some Yellow Jackets cause more severe allergic reactions than others

Allergists at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have concluded that the sting severity is determined not by the calendar but by the species of insect doing the stinging.

15 Aug 2006

DNA overwinds when stretched

Most of us are familiar with the winding staircase image of DNA, the repository of a biological cell's genetic information. But few of us realize just how tightly that famous double helix is wound.

8 Aug 2006

Scientists identify gene involved in stem cell self-renewal in planaria

No matter how you slice it, the freshwater planarian possesses an amazing ability to regenerate lost body parts.

7 Aug 2006

For the first time, scientists watch neurons change in response to experience

Thanks to a new imaging system, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have gotten an unprecedented look into how genes shape the brain in response to the environment.

6 Aug 2006