Metabolism News and Research

Latest Metabolism News and Research

Lactic acid levels in brain linked to aging process

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown that they may be able to monitor the aging process in the brain, by using MRI technique to measure the brain lactic acid levels. Their findings suggest that the lactate levels increase in advance of other aging symptoms, and therefore could be used as an indicator of aging and age-related diseases of the CNS.

2 Nov 2010

Researchers explain how adiponectin prevents stress-induced damage in heart

One of the many advantages of maintaining a normal body weight is having healthy fat, which in turn supports a healthy heart. Fat tissue is increasingly seen as more than just a storage depot - it's also an active secretory organ that normally produces high levels of a cardioprotective hormone called adiponectin. How adiponectin protects the hearts of healthy people has long been a mystery, and now a team led by Barbara Ranscht, Ph.D. and Pilar Ruiz-Lozano, Ph.D. at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) reveals that the protein T-cadherin is the receptor that anchors adiponectin to heart cells.

2 Nov 2010

454 Life Sciences and DNA Electronics partner to develop high-throughput DNA sequencing system

454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, announced today that it has entered an exclusive partnership with DNA Electronics for the development of a low-cost, high-throughput DNA sequencing system. As part of the agreement, Roche has signed a non-exclusive license for relevant IP from DNA Electronics' proprietary semiconductor technology portfolio, which enables sensitive detection of nucleotide incorporation during sequencing.

1 Nov 2010

GOG to initiate combination elesclomol-paclitaxel Phase 2 clinical trial for ovarian cancer

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced that the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) will initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial of elesclomol in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of persistent or recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer.

1 Nov 2010

Catalyst’s CPP-115 improves retinal safety profile than vigabatrin

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. today announced positive results from a series of CPP-115 preclinical safety and efficacy evaluations. CPP-115 was found to have a significantly improved retinal safety profile compared to vigabatrin.

1 Nov 2010

Sugar in excess leads to complications

In light of Diabetes Awareness Month, many people are showing increased interest in the topic of sugar and sugar alternatives. With the various forms of sugar available table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, agave, and honey understanding the differences between sugars and their effects on the body is not all sweet.

1 Nov 2010

New laboratory-engineered livers could provide solution to donor shortage

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function - at least in a laboratory setting like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.

1 Nov 2010

Researchers generate bioengineered human liver organoid using bioscaffold

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine demonstrated the generation of a bioengineered human liver organoid using a liver bioscaffold made from an intact liver extracellular matrix, and filled (seeded) with primary human liver progenitor and endothelial cells.

1 Nov 2010

Researchers discover agouti family gene regulates pigmentation, body weight

Researchers led by Vanderbilt's Roger Cone, Ph.D., have discovered a new member of a gene family that has powerful influences on pigmentation and the regulation of body weight.

30 Oct 2010

Roche announces U.S. introduction of cobas e 602 analyzer

Roche announced today the U.S. introduction of the cobas e 602 analyzer, the latest addition to the cobas 8000 modular analyzer series for diagnostic labs with high-volume workloads. Labs will now be able to combine this new immunoassay module with two existing clinical chemistry modules to create an integrated platform with 24 unique system configurations to match their specific testing needs.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 30 Oct 2010

Research on Rictor protein may provide new molecular target for cancer treatment

The discovery that a protein called Rictor plays a key role in destroying a close cousin of the AKT oncogene could provide scientists with a new molecular target for treating certain cancers, including breast cancer. Described in the September 2010 issue of the journal Molecular Cell, the study was led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

29 Oct 2010

Number of beta cells remains static after age 30: Research

Beta cells, which make insulin in the human body, do not replicate after the age of 30, indicating that clinicians may be closer to better treating diabetes.

29 Oct 2010

Olive oil protects against oxidative damage of hepatic tissue

Extra-virgin olive oil can protect the liver from oxidative stress. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism exposed rats to a moderately toxic herbicide known to deplete antioxidants and cause oxidative stress, finding that those rats fed on a diet containing the olive oil were partially protected from the resulting liver damage.

29 Oct 2010

Regulus receives $10M equity investment from sanofi-aventis

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the Company has received a $10 million equity investment from sanofi-aventis in connection with the landmark alliance the two companies entered into on June 21, 2010. The equity investment by sanofi-aventis further strengthens the balance sheet of Regulus, and with this investment sanofi-aventis becomes the third investor in Regulus, along with its founding companies Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc..

29 Oct 2010

Elevated amounts of SP2 protein turn stem cells into cancerous tumors: Research

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that the overproduction of a key protein in stem cells causes those stem cells to form cancerous tumors. Their work may lead to new treatments for a variety of cancers.

28 Oct 2010

New findings suggest way to treat lung diseases

A new study of an exotic, infectious virus that has caused three recent outbreaks in the United States reveals clues to how the virus might damage lungs during infection. The findings also suggest possible new ways to treat lung diseases in humans.

28 Oct 2010

New computational techniques to overcome obstacles in hard-to-study genes

Scientists have invented methods to scout the human genome's repetitive landscapes, where DNA sequences are highly identical and heavily duplicated. These advances, as reported today in Science, can identify subtle but important differences among people in the number and content of repeated DNA segments.

28 Oct 2010

aTyr Pharma announces $23 million Series C equity financing

aTyr Pharma, the physiocrine therapeutics company, today announced a $23 million Series C equity financing led by Domain Associates. Domain joins existing venture investors Alta Partners, Cardinal Partners and Polaris Ventures, who also participated in the financing.

26 Oct 2010

Researchers investigate impact of fungal toxin on birth defects

A Creighton University School of Medicine researcher has been awarded a $2.7 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a possible link between the ingestion of tortillas and corn-based food products contaminated with a fungal toxin and increased risk for birth defects.

26 Oct 2010

FDA approves Roche's real-time PCR COBAS TaqMan HCV Test, v2.0

Roche announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the real-time PCR COBAS® TaqMan® HCV Test, v2.0. Clinical research organizations have depended on COBAS® TaqMan® technology to support hepatitis C pharmaceutical trials and development.

25 Oct 2010