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Comprehensive review of cell migration

Cell migration is a highly complex process which involves several compartments of the cell, including surface receptors, signalling elements and the cytoskeleton.

23 Dec 2009

Nationwide Children's Hospital chosen as a BCR for TCGA

Nationwide Children's Hospital recently was awarded an initial $5.5 million contract from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to serve as a Biospecimen Core Resource (BCR) for The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a program co-managed by the NCI and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

23 Dec 2009

Novel discovery offers hope for patients with common brain tumor

Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.

23 Dec 2009

Autism study and gene therapy in vision are top scientific achievements in 2009

A landmark autism study and a dramatic success for gene therapy in reversing inherited blindness, both at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, were recognized among the top scientific achievements in 2009, according to three national publications: Time magazine, Discover magazine and the journal Science.

23 Dec 2009

Discovery of inhibitory hormone may yield new treatments for cancer and other diseases

Nearly 10 years after the discovery that birds make a hormone that suppresses reproduction, University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have established that humans make it too, opening the door to development of a new class of contraceptive and possible treatments for cancer or other diseases.

23 Dec 2009

Reduced calories increase human cell lifespan

Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. That's because they've shown exactly how restricted calorie diets-specifically in the form of restricted glucose-help human cells live longer. This discovery, published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) could help lead to drugs and treatments that slow human aging and prevent cancer.

23 Dec 2009

Study on cyanobacteria helps understand anesthetic actions

Experiments in one of the oldest forms of life on Earth are helping to answer basic questions about how general anesthesia works, according to a study in the January issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

23 Dec 2009

New research shows accurate taste perception relies on properly functioning olfactory system

As anyone suffering through a head cold knows, food tastes wrong when the nose is clogged, an experience that leads many to conclude that the sense of taste operates normally only when the olfactory system is also in good working order.

23 Dec 2009

Microbial Pathogenomics: A collection of reviews and future trends in bacterial pathogenomics

'Microbial Pathogenomics' contains a unique collection of reviews demonstrating how genomics has revolutionized our understanding of virulence, host-adaptation strategies and the evolution of bacterial pathogens. Current technologies - computational tools and functional approaches to genome analysis - are carefully documented and clearly illustrated.

23 Dec 2009

Enzyme dCK plays a profound role in normal lymphocyte development

Mice without the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) enzyme have defects in their adaptive immune system, producing very low levels of both T and B lymphocytes, the major players involved in immune response, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

23 Dec 2009

Johns Hopkins scientists find a source of nonallergic itch

Scratching below the surface of a troublesome sensation that's equal parts tingle-tickle-prickle, sensory scientists from Johns Hopkins have discovered in mice a molecular basis for nonallergic itch.

23 Dec 2009

NHLBI grant for identifying genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to support their search for undiscovered gene defects that cause congenital heart disease. The $4.19 million, 6-year grant is part of the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC), which seeks to identify genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease, and relate genetic variants present in the congenital heart disease patient population to clinical outcomes.

23 Dec 2009

Protein adenylyl cyclase senses and regulates pH blood levels

Researchers have identified the protein mechanism that senses bicarbonate fluctuations and adjusts blood pH levels.. A Canadian/U.S. research team led by University of Alberta biological sciences professor, Greg Goss and his graduate students Martin Tresguerres and Scott Parks achieved the first demonstration of the process in a whole animal. The researchers found that the protein adenylyl cyclase sensed and then regulated the pH blood levels in a dogfish shark following feeding.

23 Dec 2009

Researchers develop new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses caused by bacteria resistant to most antibiotics.

23 Dec 2009

New drug to stop cancer cells from growing and to stimulate immune system to destroy cancer cells found

A study conducted at Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, Texas, found that a new drug stopped the growth of breast tumors in mice. This drug is unique in that it works both by stopping the cancer cells from growing and metastasizing to other organs, and by stimulating the immune system to destroy breast cancer cells and keeps them from coming back.

23 Dec 2009

Hormone ghrelin influences the consumption of alcohol, study shows

A Faculty of 1000 evaluation examines how a stomach-produced hormone that influences the desire to eat and consume alcohol could be switched off to control drinking problems.

23 Dec 2009

High prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be linked to excess niacin intake

Facing the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes worldwide in the past few decades, one may ask what is wrong with humans. Geneticists tell us that the human genome has not changed markedly in such a short time.

23 Dec 2009

New project analyzes genetic sequence and variations of every gene expressed by 1,000 tumors

No two tumors are alike, but analyzing the genetics of cancers from different parts of the body may reveal surprising details useful for treatment and prevention.

22 Dec 2009

Bacterial cellulose: An alternative for artificial blood vessels

The cellulose produced by bacteria could be used for artificial blood vessels in the future as it carries a lower risk of blood clots than the synthetic materials currently used for bypass operations, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

22 Dec 2009

Tel Aviv University's new Genome Analyzer fuels research dreams and tomorrow's cures

To identify the hemophilia mutation that affected Queen Victoria and her European relatives, scientific detectives used a cutting-edge "deep sequencing tool." Able to trace rare genetic disease mutations, the tool can turn a single laboratory into a fertile genetic research center.

22 Dec 2009