’Nature’ article describes sequence of eight chromosomes
A team of scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has helped decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, an insidious parasite identified as one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential bioterrorist agent. The researchers’ findings are reported in today’s issue of the journal
A controversial theory about how diabetes causes extensive tissue damage will appear in the November issue of Diabetes. At stake in the heated debate over the theory are researchers’ efforts to find new ways to reduce loss of vision, kidney failure, heart damage and other side effects of diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association estimates that 18.2 million Americans have diabetes. Diabetes’ links to heart attack and stroke make it the sixth leading cause of death, a
Scientists have uncovered a significant new link in the chain of immune system events through which estrogen prevents bone loss and that contribute to bone loss when estrogen is deficient. Through research in mice, the scientists discovered that an immune signaling molecule called type b transforming growth factor (TGFb) is responsible for a cascade of events that leads estrogen to prevent bone loss. When TGFb signaling in T cells is blocked, the bone-sparing effects of estrogen are lost. The fi
Researchers hope to save millions and speed studies of toxic chemicals by using a tiny organism with genetic ties to humans
A primitive roundworm called Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is being evaluated in a Duke University laboratory as a cheaper and quicker alternative to rats and mice in testing chemicals for several kinds of toxicity.
In its natural environment, C. elegans spends its brief life dining on microbes in the soil. But Jonathan Freedman of Duke
University of California, San Diego neurobiologists have discovered a chemical responsible for the bursts of electrical activity in the brain that guide the development of the visual system, a finding that may bring rewiring of damaged visual circuits closer to reality.
The scientists, who presented their evidence at a session of the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego, said their discovery could also lead to a better understanding of birth defects in children born
University of Leeds life sciences company Syntopix Ltd has secured further capital of just under £180,000 through a consortium of regional investors.
Formed in 2003, Syntopix is based on the leading research of husband and wife team Drs Jon Cove and Anne Eady, both microbiologists in the University’s Skin Research Centre. Their work focuses on developing novel therapeutics for dermatological diseases, including acne and Staphylococcus aureus infections such as the ‘superbug’ MRSA.
A little over a year ago, the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), the D. Collen Research Foundation, and the Catholic University of Leuven invested in the acquisition of a new technology provided by the zebra fish. This small aquarium fish can be used to aid the study of the function of human genes. That this investment is reaping returns is evident from the study that VIB researchers at the Catholic University of Leuven are publishing today in the renowned journal Nature.
American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association, together representing more than 18,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, today announced their support for government funding of adult and embryonic stem cell research.
The “The AAN and ANA recognize there are differing ethical opinions on the status of embryos that cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of all through medical science alone,” according to American Academy of Neurology president Sand
Researchers devise optical method to safely, effectively stimulate neurons
Biomedical engineers and physicians at Vanderbilt University have brought the day when artificial limbs will be controlled directly by the brain considerably closer by discovering a method that uses laser light, rather than electricity, to stimulate and control nerve cells.
The researchers have discovered that low-intensity infrared laser light can spark specific nerves to life, exciting a leg o
’LigAmp’ highly sensitive
Scientists have designed a new molecular tool, dubbed “LigAmp,” to pinpoint DNA mutations among thousands of cells, the equivalent of searching for a single typo in an entire library of books. Preliminary studies in a small number of cell lines and body fluids show the ultra-sensitive test may help detect microscopic cancer and HIV drug resistance.
“Other molecular tests make it very difficult to locate a mutation in a particular cell surrou
Biologists studying the development of plant roots, a general basic model for tissue development, are uncovering new pieces of the puzzle of how one root cell sends its molecular instructions to another in the development process.
Researchers have found hints that the channels by which such molecules move between plant cells may also be mirrored in animal cells. Thus, discoveries about plant development may be more broadly applicable to understanding the fundamental processes
Scientists at Scripps Research Institute use drug to stabilize blood vessels and block metastatic cancer cells from leaving the bloodstream
A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has identified a potential treatment strategy against metastatic cancer cells that has never been tried before. Metastasis is a major problem with cancer because it allows tumor cells to spread to other parts of the body (See Supporting Material: Cancer and Metastasis). While solid tumor
Iron-deficient cells in the brain are mixing up central nervous system signals to the legs and arms causing the irresistible urges to move and creepy-crawly sensations that characterize restless legs syndrome (RLS), a Penn State College of Medicine study reports.
“Our previous studies established a physical cause for RLS showing certain cells in the brain were iron deficient,” said James R. Connor, Ph.D., professor and vice chair for neurosurgery, Penn State College of Medicine,
In studies with mice that develop the equivalent of Alzheimer’s disease that runs in families, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown that brain cells’ signals confuse the movement of implanted neuronal stem cells.
The observation reinforces the idea that disease can create “microenvironments” that affect the behavior of cells. These local environments might help recruit stem cell-based therapies in other conditions, say the researchers. The findings are to be presente
U of T researchers work with human retinal cells
University of Toronto researchers have shown that human retinal stem cells transplanted into the eyes of mice and chicks can successfully regenerate. The research, published in the Oct. 19 issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, documents the development of transplanted human retinal stem cells into light-sensing photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, the cells which bounce light and ima
Researchers at Jefferson Medical College have found a new way to coax bone marrow stem cells into becoming dopamine-producing neurons. If the method proves reliable, the work may ultimately lead to new therapies for neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, which is marked by a loss of dopamine-making cells in the brain.
Developmental biologist Lorraine Iacovitti, Ph.D., associate director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson Universit
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