T Cell News and Research

Latest T Cell News and Research

Inactivity of proteins behind longer shelf life when freezing

Frozen biological material, for example food, can be kept for a long time without perishing.

3 Mar 2009

Drugs that act on 'fasting signal' may curb insulin resistance in obese

A report in the March issue of Cell Metabolism , a Cell Press publication, has found that a signal known to play a role during fasting also switches on early in the fat tissue of obese mice as they progress toward type 2 diabetes.

3 Mar 2009

Better understanding of immune system activation

Linda Andersson at Malmo University in Sweden has studied the ability of dendritic cells to sample the surrounding environment. To understand how different materials are taken up and what happens within the cells can for example facilitate the development of new vaccines.

3 Mar 2009

Discovery of gene that modifies severity of cystic fibrosis lung disease

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, and colleagues, have identified a gene that modifies the severity of lung disease in people with cystic fibrosis, a lethal genetic condition. The findings open the door to possible new targets for treatment, researchers say.

3 Mar 2009

New protein identified in bacterial arsenal

Nearly a billion years ago, bacteria evolved an insidious means of infecting their hosts - a syringe-like mechanism able to inject cells with stealthy hijacker molecules. These molecules, called virulence factors, play a sophisticated game of mimicry, imitating many of the cells' normal activities but ultimately co-opting them to serve the bacteria's needs.

3 Mar 2009

New implantable lenses put high-tech devices within reach, UT Southwestern eye surgeons say

If you're having trouble reading or sending text messages on your new cell phone, UT Southwestern Medical Center eye surgeons may have a remedy.

3 Mar 2009

Type 1 diabetes patients sought for UT Southwestern clinical drug trial

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are recruiting individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for a clinical trial to gauge the effectiveness of adding an investigational stem cell product to standard insulin therapy.

3 Mar 2009

Discovery of genetic variation linked to both autism and gastrointestinal dysfunction

A study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) and Vanderbilt University have identified a specific gene variant that links increased genetic risk for autism with gastrointestinal (GI) conditions.

2 Mar 2009

New tissue engineering technique may help stem cells generate solid organs

Stem cells can thrive in segments of well-vascularized tissue temporarily removed from laboratory animals, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

2 Mar 2009

Angiogenesis inhibitors, study points to limitations, solutions

A new generation of cancer drugs designed to starve tumors of their blood supply - called "angiogenesis inhibitors"-succeeds at first, but then promotes more invasive cancer growth-sometimes with a higher incidence of metastases, according to a new study in animals.

2 Mar 2009

Instant immunity through chemically programmable vaccination and covalent self-assembly

The experiments, thus far performed only in mice, appear to overcome a major drawback of vaccinations - the lag time of days, or even weeks, that it normally takes for immunity to build against a pathogen.

2 Mar 2009

New treatment target for chronic abdominal pain

High levels of a protein linked to the way pain signals are sent to the brain led to a decrease in abdominal pain in a recent study in mice.

2 Mar 2009

Protein complex shown to play pivotal role in stem cell development

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a protein complex important in controlling whether embryonic stem cells retain their ability to become any cell in the body - a quality called pluripotency - or instead embark on a pathway of maturation and specialization.

2 Mar 2009

New optical technology shows promise in detecting pancreatic cancer

Optical technology developed by a Northwestern University professor of biomedical engineering has been shown to be effective in detecting the presence of pancreatic cancer through analysis of neighboring tissue in the duodenum, according to clinical trial results published in the journal Disease Markers.

2 Mar 2009

Discovery of new potential therapeutic target for Barth Syndrome

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center may have discovered a new targeted intervention for Barth Syndrome (BTHS).

2 Mar 2009

New clues about mitochondrial 'growth spurts'

Mitochondria are restless, continually merging and splitting. But contrary to conventional wisdom, the size of these organelles depends on more than fusion and fission, as Berman et al. show. Mitochondrial growth and degradation are also part of the equation.

2 Mar 2009

Vaccine breakthrough in battle against bird flu

A vaccine to protect humans from a bird flu pandemic is within reach after a new discovery by researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia

2 Mar 2009

Blocking one protein RANK function inhibits bone loss

Soo Young Lee and colleagues, at Ewha Womans University, Republic of Korea, have developed a cell-permeable inhibitor of the mouse protein RANK (which they termed RRI) that is likely to aid in the development of selective drugs to treat diseases that involve substantial bone loss, for example, osteoporosis, periodontitis, and arthritis.

2 Mar 2009

Oseltamivir-resistant influenza A virus potentially serious to high-risk patients

A mutation of the influenza A(H1N1) virus that is resistant to the drug oseltamivir may pose a serious health threat to hospitalized patients who have a weakened immune system, according to a study to be published in the March 11 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and being released early online because of its public health importance.

2 Mar 2009

ESA Biosciences to launch Corona CAD at Pittcon 2009

ESA Biosciences, Inc., a Magellan Biosciences company and leader in novel HPLC systems that improve results for pharmaceutical development and QA/QC, life science, and analytical-chemistry customers worldwide, will launch a new, ultra-high-performance version of its award-winning Corona CAD at Pittcon 2009.

2 Mar 2009