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Startling discovery about the properties of human bone

The scientists describe their results - finding a sort of "glue" in human bone - in the cover story of the August issue of the international scientific journal, Nature Materials. The article was published on-line on July 17. It describes how healthy bone resists fracture and how unhealthy bone fractures at the molecular level.

18 Jul 2005

New molecular insights may one day lead to opportunities to stave off old age

Delving deep into the molecular subtleties of a strain of mice engineered to age rapidly, scientists have found that an accumulation of genetic mutations prompts a cascade of programmed cell death that seems to underpin the aging process.

18 Jul 2005

Scientists sequence the genomes of three species of parasites responsible for causing diseases that kill or cripple millions

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists who participated in the project say the sequencing of the genomes of the parasitic protozoa that cause Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness, and leishmaniasis, could significantly impact world health. Some of the genes discovered may prove to be good drug and vaccine targets.

17 Jul 2005

Extraordinary number of genes are required for prenatal mammalian development

A team of scientists led by Cornell University's Dr. John Schimenti reports today that an extraordinary number of genes are required for prenatal mammalian development. The researchers estimate that up to 19% of all genes are vital for embryogenesis in mice.

17 Jul 2005

Scientists have begun to clarify how one of the body's molecules controls the trafficking of T cells through the blood

...lymph nodes and on to tissues to fight infection -- a crucial response that sometimes goes awry, attacking the body's own tissues and causing autoimmune diseases.

17 Jul 2005

Cigarette smoke stops transport of freshly ovulated hamster eggs

Eggs of female hamsters are significantly less likely to be transported by the oviduct when the eggs or the oviduct have been exposed to cigarette smoke, and this could result in disruption of fertilization and pregnancy, according to reproductive scientists at the University of California, Riverside.

17 Jul 2005

Experts discuss use of human stem cells in ape and monkey brains

An expert panel of stem cell scientists, primatologists, philosophers and lawyers has concluded that experiments implanting, or grafting, human stem cells into non-human primate brains could unintentionally shift the moral ground between humans and other primates.

14 Jul 2005

A systematic search through human genes

...has begun at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. Working within the MitoCheck consortium that includes 10 other institutes throughout Europe, the EMBL scientists will silence all human genes, one-by-one, to find those involved in cell division (mitosis) and to answer fundamental questions of how cell division is regulated.

14 Jul 2005

Scientists reveal the important role of early experience in shaping neuronal development

Scientists at New York University School of Medicine reveal the important role of early experience in shaping neuronal development and brain plasticity in a new study published in the July 14 issue of the journal Nature.

13 Jul 2005

Carbon nanotubes may change the way doctors treat broken bones

Scientists have shown for the first time that carbon nanotubes make an ideal scaffold for the growth of bone tissue. The new technique could change the way doctors treat broken bones, allowing them to simply inject a solution of nanotubes into a fracture to promote healing.

11 Jul 2005

Scientists discover how an HIV protein fragment shuts down an immune response

The HIV virus hides out in the very immune system cells that are meant to protect the body from viral infection. But how does it prevent these cells from mounting a full-scale attack against the invader?

11 Jul 2005

Scientists discover identifying markers for primitive blood-forming stem cells - simplifies cell identification

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered the biological equivalent of a grocery store bar code on the surface of primitive, blood-forming stem cells in mice. Called hematopoietic stem cells, they give rise to all the different types of specialized cells found in blood.

30 Jun 2005

Protein that was thought to simply turn genes on and off now looks to be more like a cellular dimmer switch

The scientists showed for the first time that when certain parts of a protein molecule are modified - flexible, randomly structured regions believed to be only minor players in the protein world - they become important in turning genes on and off, but in a way that resembles a dimmer switch rather than an on-off switch.

30 Jun 2005

Rain forest tree gives new hope for psoriasis sufferers

A team of scientists at University of Newcastle upon Tyne have discovered that an ointment, dithranol, used to soothe psoriasis actually kills the cells that cause the problem.

29 Jun 2005

Scientists aim to mislead malaria mosquitoes with odours

An international team of scientists will in the coming five years set up a research project on developing diversions to mislead malaria mosquitoes with odours.

29 Jun 2005

Adult, or post-natal, stem cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to multiply

In a ground-breaking study, scientists at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have discovered that adult, or post-natal, stem cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to multiply, a previously unknown characteristic indicating that post-natal stem cells may play an important therapeutic role.

27 Jun 2005

Scientists have discovered how C-reactive protein is able to access endothelial cells

For the first time, scientists have discovered how C-reactive protein, or CRP, is able to access endothelial cells. The UC Davis researchers' findings will be published in the July issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, one of the American Heart Association's leading journals.

27 Jun 2005

Scientists solve structure of a critical innate immune system protein

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the structure of a crucial human immune system molecule called TLR3, an acronym for Toll-like receptor three. In an upcoming issue of the journal Science, the protein is described as a large horseshoe-shaped coil composed of 23 leucine-rich repeats (LRRs).

27 Jun 2005

If you know how viruses get into cells, you know how to better design drugs to keep them out

When it comes to gaining entry into cells, size matters. A team from Brown University and the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research has created a model that explains how viruses and other bioparticles slip inside cells without a special protein coating called clathrin.

27 Jun 2005

Scientists successfully isolate stem cells from human skin

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have successfully isolated stem cells from human skin, expanded them in the laboratory and coaxed them into becoming fat, muscle and bone cells.

27 Jun 2005

Medical Science News

Startling discovery about the properties of human bone

New molecular insights may one day lead to opportunities to stave off old age

Scientists sequence the genomes of three species of parasites responsible for causing diseases that kill or cripple millions

Extraordinary number of genes are required for prenatal mammalian development

Scientists have begun to clarify how one of the body's molecules controls the trafficking of T cells through the blood

Cigarette smoke stops transport of freshly ovulated hamster eggs

Experts discuss use of human stem cells in ape and monkey brains

A systematic search through human genes

Scientists reveal the important role of early experience in shaping neuronal development

Carbon nanotubes may change the way doctors treat broken bones

Scientists discover how an HIV protein fragment shuts down an immune response

Scientists discover identifying markers for primitive blood-forming stem cells - simplifies cell identification

Protein that was thought to simply turn genes on and off now looks to be more like a cellular dimmer switch

Rain forest tree gives new hope for psoriasis sufferers

Scientists aim to mislead malaria mosquitoes with odours

Adult, or post-natal, stem cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to multiply

Scientists have discovered how C-reactive protein is able to access endothelial cells

Scientists solve structure of a critical innate immune system protein

If you know how viruses get into cells, you know how to better design drugs to keep them out

Scientists successfully isolate stem cells from human skin

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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