A natural mutation of a gene that helps regulate the reactivity of the immune system is a major contributor to type 1 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers have found.
The newly discovered gene, SUMO-4, controls the activity of NFêB, a molecule that in turn controls the activity of cytokines, proteins that regulate the intensity and duration of the immune response, according to research that will be published in the August print issue of Nature Genetics and online July 11.
Study describes new approach to treating AIDS-associated syndrome
Increasing the body’s production of growth hormone may be an effective treatment for HIV lipodystrophy, a syndrome involving the redistribution of fat and other metabolic changes in those receiving combination drug therapy for HIV infection. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) report that administration of growth-hormone-releasing hormone to a group of men with HIV lipodystrophy significantly improve
CNRS and Inserm research scientists at the Institut Curie have shed new light on the function of huntingtin, the protein whose mutation underlies Huntington ’s disease. This neurodegenerative disease,like Alzheimer ’s or Parkinson ’s,is characterized by the abnormal death of certain neurons.
The scientists have discovered that huntingtin,like a “booster rocket “,accelerates the transport of a neuron survival factor. When huntingtin is mutated, the “booster rocket ” malfunctions, transport
University of Toronto microbiologists have used pattern recognition software to discover the function of yeast genes essential to cell life – knowledge that could help scientists determine what causes cells to die, as well as what they need to live.
“Given the similarities between the yeast and human genomes, our work should promote advances in genomics research in both yeast and humans,” said Professor Timothy Hughes of U of T’s Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology, who led the
Modern optical microscopes are high-tech devices with complex functions and operations. So that not just specialists can get the best out of these advanced instruments, Leica have produced a microscope which automatically selects the optimal combination of optical components.
Many modern items of equipment can do too much. It is not only when operating a video recorder or a mobile phone that you can quickly end up in the depths of some menu full of unclear functions. New features are overlo
Current microarray experiments allow the levels of activity of thousands of genes to be measured at once, providing a window into molecular events underlying health and disease. The selection of genes having distinct levels of activity between conditions of interest (such as cancer and non-cancer) has therefore emerged as a key aim of data analysis. However, with typically many thousands of genes to choose from and at most a few dozen sets of measurements available, differential analyses of this kind
The Centre for Stem Cell Biology (CSCB) at the University of Sheffield is welcoming some of the world’s leading experts to its International Human Embryonic Stem Cell Symposium on Friday 9 July 2004. The CSCB is a world-leading centre for stem cell research, and has produced two of the UK’s six embryonic stem cell lines. The symposium will allow around 200 scientists to benefit from the experience of the world’s leading researchers in this area.
Embryonic stem cell technology is a new are
Scientists thrilled by first confirmed sighting in almost a decade
The Cozumel Thrasher (Toxostoma guttatum), a bird not seen or recorded by scientists for close to a decade and thought by some to have gone extinct, was sighted last month by a team of field biologists, American Bird Conservancy and Conservation International announced today. Its rediscovery immediately makes it the single most threatened bird in Mexico.
The Cozumel Thrasher, an endemic bird found only on t
Organisms ranging from bacteria to humans navigate environments that can contain dangerously too little or too much oxygen. Yet, scientists know little about how animals sense oxygen levels around them.
Researchers from the Berkeley and San Francisco campuses of the University of California have now discovered how the nematode C. elegans senses oxygen levels in order to steer clear of surrounding areas that are too low or too high in oxygen.
In the process, the researchers also di
Metastasis of cancer may cause as many, if not more, deaths than cancer itself. Amongst other reasons, this is because it is very difficult to know where the new tumour is going to develop. Moreover, the mechanisms of metastasis are still not well understood, although a lot of research into it is taking place and advances are being made. Dominion Pharmakine is a company located at the Bizkaia Technological Park where they are studying metastasis.
At times, a cell in our body may suffer a mu
A groundbreaking European project launched next week and led by the University of Plymouth will help to combat major diseases such as cancer and brain diseases. The four-year project, which involves 31 institutions across Europe, will be launched in Milan on Friday 9 July, when the first workshop takes place.
The projects’ key aim is to tackle and reduce fragmentation in the new field of biopattern and profile analysis. (A biopattern is the basic information ie pattern that prov
A new material which is set to revolutionise the way we protect our bodies from impact and injury is being launched by specialist technology company d3o Lab. d3o Lab were granted a government SMART award in 2001 and following a significant breakthrough they secured a second award in 2003 for the development which is now nearing commercialisation.
Since 2000 Richard Palmer and Dr. Phil Green have been working out of the University of Hertfordshire’s research and development centre, and a des
A new technique for examining DNA is giving scientists a more detailed picture of which genes have the propensity for activation, offering a new tool for understanding how genes function and possibly for diagnosing disease.
The technology, called a chromatin array, was developed by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and is described in the July issue of the journal Genome Research.
DNA, which contains the genetic instructions needed to make a human or any ot
Researchers have used a recently developed anti-inflammatory drug as a starting point to construct a possible new, targeted anti-cancer agent. The new agent works by triggering cancer cells to self-destruct.
The agent is now undergoing laboratory testing by the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Rapid Access to Intervention Development (RAID) program.
The potential new drug was developed by researchers at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and the OSU Comprehensive Can
A University of Arkansas researcher and his colleagues have discovered a new mechanism that regulates the interaction of proteins in cell membranes. This discovery may lead to more efficient drug screening and possibly different methods for fighting infections.
Roger Koeppe, University Professor of chemistry and biochemistry, Thomas Suchnya, Frederick Sachs and Phillip Gottlieb of SUNY Buffalo and Sonya Tape and Olaf Andersen of Weil Medical College of Cornell University report their findi
A new report in top science magazine “Nature” shows that rising carbon dioxide or CO2, is causing a massive increase in dissolved chemicals in Britain’s waters. The chemicals (called DOC or dissolved organic carbon) could harm our health and accelerate current rises in atmospheric CO2 levels.
The discovery was made by a team led by wetland researcher Dr Chris Freeman, Royal Society Industry Fellow at the University of Wales, Bangor, who explained: “We’ve known for some time that CO2 levels
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