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Researchers discover new mechanism to burn body fat

Researchers reporting in the February 3rd issue of Cell Metabolism may have a new way to trick the body into consuming more energy. The target in this case is an enzyme that indirectly controls the activity of what the researchers refer to as the "energy master switch." It boils down to this:

2 Feb 2010

Research offers new hope for rare metabolic disorder

A research team led by biochemist Scott Garman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has for the first time determined the mechanism of one of the cell's "recycling" enzymes, human alpha-galactosidase or alpha-GAL, as it breaks down substances in the lysosome, the cell's recycling center.

2 Feb 2010

Compugen discovers CGEN-15001 protein for treatment of autoimmune disorders

Compugen Ltd. announced today the discovery and experimental validation of CGEN-15001 for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

2 Feb 2010

Researchers identify 1.1M base pairs of DNA in soybean genome

In 2009, soybeans represented an almost $30 billion industry in the U.S. alone, making soybeans the second-most profitable crop next to corn. Worldwide, soybeans have been used in human foods and livestock feed for centuries and have been a key component in industrial products, such as plastics and soy biodiesel, an environmentally friendly fuel.

2 Feb 2010

Isogenica, Phylogica partner in Phylomer peptide development

Isogenica Ltd today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Australian based biopharmaceutical company Phylogica to use Isogenica’s CIS display technology to optimize the performance of three of Phylogica’s lead compounds targeting CD40 ligand (CD40L). CD40L is a key protein involved in many inflammatory diseases, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

2 Feb 2010

Novelty may help prevent relapse in drug addicts

The brain's innate interest in the new and different may help trump the power of addictive drugs, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. In controlled experiments, novelty drew cocaine-treated rats away from the place they got cocaine.

2 Feb 2010

Winner of ABC Best Paper Award 2009

The Springer journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (ABC) has chosen Jean-Philippe Frimat (29) as the recipient of its Best Paper Award 2009. Frimat is the lead author of a paper in ABC on plasma stencilling methods for cell patterning.

2 Feb 2010

Researchers identify a key piece in the ageing process

Understanding how aged and damaged mother cells manage to form new and undamaged daughter cells is one of the toughest riddles of ageing, but scientists now know how yeast cells do it. In a groundbreaking study researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, show how the daughter cell uses a mechanical "conveyor belt" to dump damaged proteins in the mother cell.

2 Feb 2010

Safer bone marrow transplants

If a team of American scientists are right, bone marrow transplants may become safer and more available to people in need of donations. In a new research paper appearing in the February 2010 print edition of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (http://www.jleukbio.org), they explain how an anti-inflammatory agent called "ATL146e" may significantly improve the likelihood of success for bone marrow transplants by preventing or halting the progression of graft-versus-host disease, a complication of bone marrow transplants in which the donor marrow attacks the host. Although very rare, graft-versus-host disease can also occur after blood transfusions.

2 Feb 2010

BRAIN, Bayer Schering Pharma collaborate in production process optimisation of steroid compounds

BRAIN AG, an European leader in white biotechnology and the global top 10 pharmaceutical corporation Bayer Schering Pharma AG co-operate in the field of production process optimisation of steroid compounds. The goal of the collaboration is the energy-efficient and thus sustainable fermentative production of steroid compounds using optimised microbial production strains taking plant derived raw materials as starting material.

2 Feb 2010

Scientists and engineers conduct research on environmental health impacts of nanomaterials

As researchers around the world hasten to employ nanotechnology to improve production methods for applications that range from manufacturing materials to creating new pharmaceutical drugs, a separate but equally compelling challenge exists.

2 Feb 2010

Researchers explore how brain circuitry and learning changes over time

New research shows our brains are a lot more chaotic than previously thought, and that this might be a good thing. Neurobiologists at the University of Maryland have discovered information about how the brain processes sound that challenges previous understandings of the auditory cortex, which had suggested an organization based on precise neuronal maps.

2 Feb 2010

Argonaute binds to microRNA and shuts down protein production

Johns Hopkins scientists believe they may have figured out how genetic snippets called microRNAs are able to shut down the production of some proteins.

2 Feb 2010

Summit explores medical application of molecular nanotechnology

Albuquerque's blue skies and majestic mountains provided a scenic backdrop for a summit that explores one of the most promising technologies on the horizon--nanomedicine, or the medical application of molecular nanotechnology--a still-developing science dedicated to constructing microscopic probes and biomechanical devices.

2 Feb 2010

Scientists find that protease HtrA2 can "clean" cells of oncogene WT1

Dr Jorg Hartkamp and Dr Stefan Roberts have found that the protease HtrA2 can "clean" cells of the oncogene WT1, which is found at high levels in many leukaemias and solid cancers such as breast and lung cancer.

From The University of Manchester 2 Feb 2010

Study may yield potential treatments for brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown how transplanted stem cells can connect with and rescue threatened neurons and brain tissue. The results point the way to new possible treatments for brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases.

2 Feb 2010

Unusual molecule in brain and retina can trigger vision loss

Scientists have identified a double agent in the eye that, once triggered, can morph from neuron protector to neuron killer. The discovery has significant health implications since the neurons killed through this process results in vision loss and blindness.

2 Feb 2010

Decreased release of neurotransmitter acetylcholine contributes to heart failure

Scientists at the Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario, working in collaboration with researchers in Brazil, have used a unique genetically-modified mouse line to reveal a previously unidentified mechanism contributing to heart failure.

2 Feb 2010

Research could help in developing more specific treatments for Type 2 diabetes

New research on Type 2 diabetes by Trinity College Dublin researchers could benefit young adults (aged 18-25 years) with the condition. The research led by Professor John Nolan of Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital, Dublin, has just been published online in the leading international journal, Diabetes Care.

2 Feb 2010

Gene mutation can trigger preterm births, says study

Mutation of a gene that helps protect the body from genetic instability leads to cellular and molecular changes in the pregnant uterus that trigger premature birth, according to a study appearing online Feb. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

2 Feb 2010