A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge teams up to enhance the performance of the yew tree derivative Taxol® (paclitaxel) in preventing the growth of cancer cells, according to research published in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research. Indeed, discodermolide, a novel drug isolated from the marine sponge Discodermia dissoluta, works with paclitaxel to thwart tumor cell growth–with several times the efficacy that either drug alone exerts on proliferating cancer cells.
Stud
Mayo Clinic researchers have manipulated a human antibody to induce an anti-tumor response in living mice that consistently curbs — and often cures — malignant melanoma, one of the most lethal forms of skin cancer and the most common cancer of young adults.
In the July 15 edition of Cancer Research Mayo researchers report three innovative discoveries that advance the emerging field of cancer immunotherapy. Cancer immunotherapy refers to scientist-controlled manipulations of the immune system
A new genetic model for a motor disorder that confines an estimated 10,000 people in the United States to walkers and wheelchairs indicates that instability in the microscopic scaffolding within a key set of nerve cells is the cause of this devastating disability. The study, which is published in the July 13 issue of the journal Current Biology, provides a provocative new insight into the molecular basis of the disease called hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and suggests a new way to treat the in
The lamprey, a jawless vertebrate, “has a radically different immune system than humans and other jawed vertebrates, but it may offer the same protection in recognizing invaders and alerting damage-control elements,” according to UAB’s Howard Hughes Investigator Max Cooper, M.D. A study by Cooper, Zeev Pancer, Ph.D., and colleagues was published in the July 9 issue of Nature.
Cooper, a developmental immunologist, is known for his work that helped delineate T and B cells in birds and mammal
Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered a new mechanism that allows cells to fight a class of toxins made by a wide variety of disease-causing bacteria.
Their discovery, detailed in this week’s early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could eventually pave the way for the development of new, more effective treatments for bacterial diseases that kill or sicken millions of people each year, such as pneumonia, strep throat, scar
Scientists have developed a new method for DNA amplification that could replace the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique that is invaluable for both medical diagnostics and basic research but which is confined to the laboratory. In the August issue of EMBO reports, Huimin Kong and colleagues at New England Biolabs (Beverly, MA, USA) describe a way to copy mass amounts of DNA that overcomes some of the limitations of this earlier technique.
The new technique is called HDA (helicase-
Living organisms are an enormous reservoir of natural compounds potentially active against viruses, bacteria or cancerous cells, that could lead to the development of new medicines. Out of about 145 000 natural substances described today, 10% come from marine organisms. Among the few such organisms studied for their chemical composition, sponges of the genus Phloeodictyon (Haploscleridae) collected in shallow New Caledonian waters during campaigns of the programme “Marine Substances of Biological I
Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientist Alison Barth has developed the first tool to identify and study individual neurons activated in a living animal. This advance, described in the July 21 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, ultimately could lead to the development of targeted drugs that directly affect specific neurons involved in neurological diseases that alter behavior, learning and perception.
While neuroscientists have made great strides in identifying the general areas of the
Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) have upset the apple cart of assumptions on glacier-driven population migrations. Based on a mitochondrial DNA analysis of 244 chipmunks, it seems the majority of them living in Illinois and Wisconsin today descend from ancestors who survived the last North American ice age in what researchers believe were isolated pockets of forestland amid the cold tundra. The findings – reported online this week ahead of regular publication by the Proceedings of the Nati
The best approach for averting the deadly spread of smallpox following release of the virus by terrorists may rest with the establishment of a major collaborative research effort to develop new antiviral drugs that would involve the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, universities and government agencies, according to a new report from the National Academies.
The report delivers the recommendations of a distinguished panel of researchers who participated in a two-day workshop at t
Using an animal model, Penn researchers identify receptor in endothelial cells that is crucial for cardiovascular development
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of mortality in children worldwide. According to the American Heart Association, Congenital cardiovascular defects are present in about one percent of live births and are the most common malformations in newborns. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have recently identified new
By examining the brain activity of moths, researchers have found that the behavior of these insects isn’t ruled entirely by instinct. Rather, they can learn which odors mean food.
The findings are more than academic: The researchers hope to develop methods for using trained moths to detect odors of interest for defense industry and law enforcement – such as odors given off by biological and chemical weapons.
Animal behaviorists have historically argued that most insects have a
A team of biologists has discovered the structure and genetic sequence of the hormone that makes insects develop their hard outer shells and allows them to spread their wings. The findings answer more than 40 years of questions about insect development.
Using the fruit fly, the researchers determined the genetic sequence of the hormone bursicon, confirmed that it is responsible for the hardening of the soft exoskeleton after each molt of an insect as it grows into adulthood, and discovered
He saw it. He heard it. But he needed proof.
For almost four years, LSU research associate Daniel Lane was haunted by the memory of an unusual, yellowish bird. He and an associate caught a glimpse of it while bird watching in Peru. They even recorded some of its song. Right away, they knew it was something new. Something different.
Now, thanks to Lane, a specimen of that bird – previously unknown to science – rests in a Lima museum and it will soon bear a name of Lane
Research published online today reveals that many of the world’s carnivores are at greater risk of extinction than previously thought. Close to a quarter of the world’s mammals are already at high risk of extinction. Any chance of reversing this trend depends on understanding what makes some species vulnerable and others resilient. And that depends on being able to predict extinction risk.
Now, a new model based on a phylogenetic analysis of the mammalian order Carnivora, described online
The John Innes Centre (JIC)Norwich, has today announced its key role in an EU-funded consortium to develop novel antibiotics in the war against drug-resistant superbugs. The ’CombiGyrase’ consortium of 7 laboratories from Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will receive 1.56 million Euros over three years, with 228,000 Euros (£150,000) going to the JIC.
“There is a lot of concern about the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, so called superbugs, such as MRSA”, says Professo
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