Researchers from Delft University of Technology’s Kavli Institute of Nanoscience have discovered how to use the motors of biological cells in extremely small channels on a chip. Based on this, they built a transport system that uses electrical charges to direct the molecules individually. To demonstrate this, the Delft researchers sorted the individual molecules according to their color. Professor Hess of the University of Florida has called the Delft discovery “the first traffic control system in

Scientists have discovered that migrating dragonflies and songbirds exhibit many of the same behaviors, suggesting the rules that govern such long-distance travel may be simpler and more ancient than was once thought.

The research, published in the May 11 Biology Letters, is based on data generated by tracking 14 green darner dragonflies with radio transmitters weighing only 300 milligrams — about a third as much as a paper clip. Green darners are among the 25 to 50 species of d

Scientists at UCSF, Celera Genomics and The Cleveland Clinic have discovered two gene variants associated with a significantly increased risk for early heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI).

One of the genes, known as VAMP8, normally expresses a protein essential for early stages of clotting. When clotting occurs in a coronary blood vessel, it can lead to heart attack. Knowing gene mutations that increase heart attack risk can help identify people at risk and clarify molecul

The blood of patients with head and neck cancer appears to have unique patterns of protein expression that one day could serve as a screening test for the highly aggressive cancer that is often diagnosed too late, researchers say.

Studies comparing protein expression in 78 patients with head and neck cancer to 68 healthy controls revealed numerous differences in protein expression, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

“We found scores and scores of proteins that w

Analysis finds statins succeed where it matters most—in improving survival

Patients who begin aggressive statin therapy while in the hospital for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) have a significantly greater chance of long-term survival, according to an analysis reported at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 29th Annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago, May 10–13. (Time of presentation: Thursday, May 11, 11:33 a.m., Central Time)

By combining

UK scientists have cracked one of the key biological processes used by viruses such as HIV and SARS when they replicate according to a paper published in the journal Nature tomorrow (11 May). Viruses are able to interfere with the host cell processes that our bodies use to replicate cells, and protein synthesis is often one of their targets. For the first time, researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford have witnessed virus-induced “frameshifting” in action and have been able to iden

Leukemia – or cancer of the bone marrow – strikes some 700 Belgians each year. Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia (CEL), a specific form of leukemia, is currently treated with Glivec. However, recent research has shown that prolonged usage can cause resistance to Glivec, rendering this chronic form of leukemia untreatable. Researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) connected to the Catholic University of Leuven have now discovered that another drug, Sorafenib (Nexav

It sounds like one of those curiosities which pops up in wildlife documentaries, but the African clawed frog could prove a powerful ally for scientists working in the key area of stem cell research. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have discovered that the distinctive species – which has become popular in recent years as a domestic pet – shares with humans the same genetic mechanism that enables embryonic stem cells to divide without limit. This process, which gives embryonic stem ce

Scientists at UCL (University College London) have discovered that even wasps are driven by their status. The study, published today in Nature, shows that lower-ranked female wasps work harder to help their queen than those higher up the chain because they have less to lose, and consequently are prepared to take more risks and wear themselves out.

The study, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), reveals that those higher up the chain and therefore with a gr

Brain tumor specialists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are poised on the brink of a new era

M. D. Anderson: Setting the Benchmark in Brain Tumor Treatment
Promising chemo, therapeutic viruses, cutting-edge surgery debut at Brain Tumor Center
Brain tumor specialists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are poised on the brink of a new era.

The molecular revolution that has led to improvements in treating other cancer typ

A team of researchers working at the University of Bristol has found a potential new treatment for listeriosis, a deadly form of food poisoning. Their work is reported in Nature Medicine.

The group, led by Professor Jose Vazquez-Boland, has shown that one particular antibiotic – fosfomycin – can treat Listeria in the body, despite it being ineffective in laboratory conditions.

Because it was not effective in the laboratory, this drug has never been considered for the treat

New research published today in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism showed the first positive effect of testosterone on bone density, body composition and emotional, cognitive and behavioral function in women with low testosterone levels resulting from under-active pituitary glands.

Loss of ovarian and/or adrenal function can cause many women to experience hypopituitarism or under-active pituitary glands, and therefore low levels of testosterone, which is responsible for

Research reveals significant link to melanoma

Fifty years of medical studies show that sun exposure is a primary component in the development of melanoma, the most serious and deadly type of skin cancer, report leading dermatologists in the April 2006 issue of Dermatology Surgery.

“Though genetics may play a role in the development of some melanomas, there’s overwhelming evidence that shows sun exposure adversely affects patients both with and without genetic pre

Don’t even think about trying to pronounce it. Although it is found in many organisms including humans, glycosylphosphatidylinositol has remained a mouthful for laymen and a puzzle for scientists. And yet GPIs, as science thankfully calls these cellular lipids, are important in numerous biological functions, including disease transmission.

Now, for the first time, cellular biologists at the University of Georgia have developed new tools to study and localize GPIs in living organisms

Therapeutic design acts locally, could reduce recurrence of blocked blood vessels

A new tactic in the battle against cardiovascular disease – employing nanoengineered molecules called “nanolipoblockers” as frontline infantry against harmful cholesterol – is showing promise in early laboratory studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

In a paper scheduled for publication June 12 in the American Chemical Society’s journal Biomacromolecules and now appeari

Unique mouse model helps solve protein mystery

A question long debated among Alzheimer’s disease researchers has been definitively answered by scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in San Francisco.

Using a unique mouse model, Gladstone Investigator Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, and his team have proven that, under certain conditions, neurons produce Alzheimer’s-linked apolipoprotein E.

Also known as apoE, this cholesterol-carryin