T Cell News and Research

Latest T Cell News and Research

Universal test for genetic diseases in unborn children in the pipeline

A team of British scientists have developed a ground-breaking new test to screen for genetic diseases in unborn children.

27 Oct 2008

New drugs the next casualty of the credit crunch

Scientists at an international conference have been warned that the next casualty of the credit crunch could be new drugs.

27 Oct 2008

Human rhinovirus found to manipulate genes

Sneezing, runny nose and chills? You might blame the human rhinovirus (HRV), which causes 30 to 50 percent of common colds. But in reality, it's not the virus itself but HRV's ability to manipulate your genes that is the true cause of some of the most annoying cold symptoms.

26 Oct 2008

Simple gene-based blood test, quicker, more accurate evaluation for cystic fibrosis

Researchers at National Jewish Health have identified a simple gene-based blood test that more accurately and quickly measures cystic fibrosis patients' response to therapy than current tests.

26 Oct 2008

Newly discovered mechanism can explain the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

Researchers from Uppsala University have discovered a mechanism that silences several genes in a chromosome domain. The findings, published in today's on-line issue of Molecular Cell, have implications in understanding the human disorder Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.

26 Oct 2008

Scientists discover how a well-known protein repairs broken DNA ends

During the life cycle of our cells, a minefield of environmental and biological assaults can lead to double-stranded DNA breaks, the most lethal and dangerous form of DNA damage. Now, in research published online this week in Nature, Rockefeller University scientists reveal that when these breaks occur, a protein called 53BP1 helps repair them by mobilizing their dangly DNA ends - findings that uncover a previously unknown aspect of how double-stranded breaks can get fixed.

26 Oct 2008

A new role for a critical DNA repair molecule in the immune system

The human immune system is a brilliantly adaptable weapon against foreign invaders. But it all depends on the work of specialized cells called lymphocytes that have made a risky evolutionary gambit to mutate their own DNA.

26 Oct 2008

FDA approves Boston Scientific's carotid artery stent

Boston Scientific Corporation has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its Carotid WALLSTENT Monorail Endoprosthesis for the treatment of patients with carotid artery disease who are at high risk for surgery.

23 Oct 2008

Self assembling "organic wires"

From pacemakers constructed of materials that so closely mimic human tissues that a patient's body can't discern the difference to devices that bypass injured spinal cords to restore movement to paralyzed limbs, the possibilities presented by organic electronics read like something from a science fiction novel.

23 Oct 2008

Leukaemia drug may reverse multiple sclerosis brain damage

Scientists in Britain say a drug which was developed to treat leukaemia may also be a powerful new weapon against multiple sclerosis (MS).

23 Oct 2008

Scientists grow prostates from mouse stem cells

A team of molecular biologists in the U.S. have grown complete prostates derived from stem cells in the prostates of mice and they say the experiment represents a big step towards regenerating organs from a patients' own cells.

23 Oct 2008

Gene mutation in worms could further understanding of alcoholism in humans

The work follows a study carried out by Oregon Health and Science University, which suggested a link between a gene mutation in mice and tolerance to alcohol. Researchers at Liverpool have investigated this in worms, looking specifically at the role the gene plays in communication between cells in the nervous system.

22 Oct 2008

ZymoGenetics presents interim Interleukin 21 phase 2 results in renal cell cancer

ZymoGenetics, Inc. presented interim results today from a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Interleukin 21 (IL-21) in combination with Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer.

22 Oct 2008

Gene study sheds new light on lung cancer

A multi-institution team, funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today reported results of the largest effort to date to chart the genetic changes involved in the most common form of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma. The findings should help pave the way for more individualized approaches for detecting and treating the nation's leading cause of cancer deaths.

22 Oct 2008

Gene find sheds light on motor neuron diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons.

22 Oct 2008

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals reports on phase II trial of Bavituximab plus Docetaxel in advanced breast cancer

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that updated preliminary data from the first stage of its Phase II trial evaluating bavituximab in combination with docetaxel showed that 10 of 14 (71%) evaluable breast cancer patients achieved an objective tumor response according to RECIST criteria.

22 Oct 2008

Aires Pharmaceuticals signs license agreement with NIH

Aires Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the signing of an exclusive license agreement with the U.S. National Institutes of Health for the patented use of a nitric oxide prodrug to treat cardiopulmonary conditions.

22 Oct 2008

Sunshine could help fix male infertility

Australian fertility experts say a dose of daily sunshine could help men with fertility problems and they suggest couples struggling to conceive should consider getting out in the sunshine more often.

22 Oct 2008

Cell phones and brain cancer - major research initiatives needed

Major research initiatives are needed immediately to assess the possibility that using cellular phones may lead to an increased risk of brain tumors, according to an editorial in the November issue of the journal Surgical Neurology, published by Elsevier.

21 Oct 2008

Discovery of genetic switch critical for cell survival in Hypoxia

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a critical metabolic "switch" in fruit flies that helps oxygen-deprived cells survive. "A transcriptional suppressor, called hairy, is crucial for reducing the mismatch between supply and demand of oxygen," said Dan Zhou, first author on the study, published October 17 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

21 Oct 2008