Transplanting patients with blood stem cells that originate from their own bone marrow can induce the remission of life-threatening, treatment-resistant lupus, according to a study that took place at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Researchers found that 50 percent of the 50 patients in the study had disease-free survival at five years with an overall five-year survival rate of 84 percent. The study is published in the February 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A protein associated with the growth of head and neck tumors may be a tumor suppressor that could prevent the spread of cancer when it is expressed above normal levels, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI).
The study, led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine professor of otolaryngology and pharmacology, Jennifer Grandis, M.D., is the first to show that the expression of a protein called STAT1 may play a
Confirming what many have long suspected, scientists have found that male monkeys of two different species get heavier when their mates are pregnant.
The roughly 10 percent gain in male girth occurs in common marmosets and cotton-top tamarins, both squirrel-sized primates known for their monogamous lifestyles and devotion to good parenting.
Since marmoset and tamarin dads are heavily involved in infant care, they may be stocking up on pounds during pregnancy in prepar
Saint Louis University neurologist to present findings, now available on-line
A multi-national research team that includes a Saint Louis University neurologist has discovered a gene mutation that causes a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited progressive nerve disorder. The findings are published in an advance online issue of Nature Genetics.
Researchers have identified some 50 people from three families who live in St. Louis, Wisconsin, Belgium and Bulg
Malignant melanoma is a dangerous, aggressive form of cancer and approximately 54,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, according to the American Cancer Society. Interestingly, there are many similarities between malignant melanoma in horses and malignant melanoma in people.
Recognizing the extraordinary opportunity for translational research that the disease represents, Dr. John L. Robertson, a professor in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virgini
Findings illuminate how ’junk’ DNA accumulates in the human genome
In experiments with transgenic mice, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers discovered the remaining steps in the complicated process of how the largest class of jumping genes replicates and inserts themselves within the human genome. Haig H. Kazazian, Jr. MD, Chair of the Department of Genetics, and colleagues at Penn published their findings in the February issue of Genome Research.
Shanghai conference featured over 100 noted scientists from US, Europe and Asia
China has experienced tremendous growth within the past decade. Its economic boom and growing domestic market is now paralleled by its ascendancy in the life sciences, and the country’s scientists are rapidly rising to the cutting edge in areas such as neuroscience, chemical biology, and many other fields. Moreover, the global threat posed by infectious diseases such as the H5N1 bird flu virus, SAR
Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have reported a discovery at the cellular level that suggests possibilities for drug therapy for kidney disease.
Over 600,000 people in the U.S. are affected by the inherited kidney disease known as ADPKD, short for autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease. In the U.S. this is more than the number of individuals affected by cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Down’s syndrome, and sickle cell anemia c
Findings may lead to future predictive test for preeclampsia
Mayo Clinic researchers have found an association between abnormally high levels of a protein named HtrA1 and preeclampsia, a sudden and dangerous rise in blood pressure that can result in premature delivery, disability or death for mother and fetus. The condition, which affects 5 to 8 percent of pregnancies worldwide, constitutes a medical emergency and often requires a Caesarean section delivery. The condition is est
Research on the marsupial genome promises to reveal unparalleled insights into mammalian evolution
The genetic code of marsupials has now been documented for the first time. An international team led by Kathy Belov from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science published an analysis of the marsupial genome in the open access journal PLoS Biology. The paper details the evolution of an important cluster of immune genes known as the MHC using available genome sequen
Scientists at the University of York have launched a new research project which aims to develop ways of making bones from blood.
Researchers from the University’s Department of Biology are heading the EC-backed project to create bone structures from cord blood stem cells for use in the repair of bone defects and fractures.
The three-year €2.5 million research project involves scientists in the UK and across Europe, as well as academics from the University of York’s Depa
Leeds bioengineers have developed an innovative technique for cartilage repair combining the self-healing powers of the body with stem cell science to help young people avoid debilitating knee problems and give hope to arthritis sufferers.
Current treatments of cartilage defects in the knee are expensive, have lengthy recovery times, and can even cause as much damage as good. “We’re responding to a real need,” said reader in bioengineering Dr Bahaa Seedhom.
“Orthopaedic
What do mad cow disease and stem cell research have in common? Whitehead Institute scientists have found that the same protein that causes neurodegenerative conditions such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) is also important for helping certain adult stem cells maintain themselves.
“For years we’ve wondered why evolution has preserved this protein, what positive role it could possibly be playing,” says Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist. Along with White
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology have found that photosynthetic bacteria living in scalding Yellowstone hot springs have two radically different metabolic identities. As the sun goes down, these cells quit their day job of photosynthesis and unexpectedly begin to fix nitrogen, converting nitrogen gas (N2) into compounds that are useful for cell growth. The study, published January 30 in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Scientists have discovered that a wide variety of different cancers actually share something in common – a molecular “signature” made up of tiny bits of genetic material called microRNA (miRNA) that target key cancer genes and promote malignant growth.
The finding provides more insight into miRNA as an emerging class of gene regulators and may also pave the way for new approaches in diagnosis and treatment. The study appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Deadly and damaging toxins that allow anthrax to cause disease and death in mammals have similar toxic effects in fruit flies, according to a study conducted by biologists at the University of California, San Diego.
Their findings, which appear this week in an early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that fruit flies can be used to study the link between the biochemical activities and physiological effects of anthrax toxins.
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