Researchers are using an innovative, multi-functional sensing tool to investigate adenosine triposphate (ATP) release and its role in cystic fibrosis. The ATP study marks the first application of a novel sensing system developed by a research team led by Christine Kranz at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

This patented technology adds recessed micro- and nano-electrodes to the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM), creating a single tool that can simultaneously monitor topography

Antibodies against the bird flu virus H5N1, derived from horses, prevent mice infected with H5N1 from dying from the virus. A study published today in the open access journal Respiratory Research (http://respiratory-research.com) reveals that a dose of 100 µg of horse anti-serum effectively protects infected mice. These results suggest that anti-H5N1 antibodies developed in horses could potentially be used to prevent death from H5N1 influenza, or as early treatment for the disease, in humans.

Experiment offers fresh insights into the origins of life on Earth

This “evolutionary conversion” provides a modern-day snapshot of how life as we understand it may have first evolved out of the earliest primordial mix of RNA-like molecules-sometimes referred to as the “pre-RNA world”-into a more complex form of RNA-based life (or the “RNA world”) and eventually to cellular life based on DNA and proteins. Nucleic acids are large complex molecules that store and convey genetic

As we all know, a healthy diet involves greens, beans and fruits. Folate, a B vitamin abundant in each of these food groups, may not be a household name, but a high folate diet is certainly well-known to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Interestingly, scientists have never clearly understood the process by which folate fully benefits us. In a new study published in this month’s issue of the scientific journal Circulation Research, MUHC investigators shed light on the mysterious conn

We already knew that sleeping helped to reinforce what we’ve learned. But today, a study at the ULg demonstrates for the first time that the brain doesn’t wait until night to structure information. Day and night, the brain doesn’t stop (re)working what we learn.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET-scan) studies carried out recently at the ULg Cyclotron Research Centre have revealed the reactivation of cerebral activity associated with learning new information in humans while th

Researchers develop new tool to find gene control regions

Researchers at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins have invented a cost-effective and highly efficient way of analyzing what many have termed “junk” DNA and identified regions critical for controlling gene function. And they have found that these control regions from different species don’t have to look alike to work alike. The study will be published online at Science Express March 23

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered how a protein called Pmel17 is sorted by pigment cells in the skin and eye to make a fiber matrix that eventually sequesters melanin, the dark pigment found in skin, hair, and eyes. Understanding the molecular steps prior to fiber formation – and when this process goes awry – may lead to a better understanding of melanoma and Alzheimer’s disease. Pmel17 is a major target within the immune system in current anti-mela

A virus of ocean origin that can cause a range of diseases in several animal species has been found in human blood samples. The virus, or antibodies to it, was found most often in the blood of individuals with liver damage, or hepatitis of unknown cause related to blood exposure.

A study on these findings was published Wednesday in the online edition of the Journal of Medical Virology, by scientists from Oregon State University, the Center for Pediatric Research at Eastern Virginia Medic

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have synthesized chemicals that are up to 10 times more effective than isoniazid, the leading anti-tuberculosis drug. The finding could lead to badly needed new drugs for combating tuberculosis bacteria, which each year kill an estimated 2.4 million people worldwide. The study appears in the March issue of Chemistry & Biology.

One of the chemicals, 2-HA, was found to be four times more lethal than isoniazid a

Finding leads to new conclusions about marine environment

New evidence from open-sea experiments shows there’s a constant shuffling of genetic material going on among the ocean’s tiny plankton. It happens via ocean-dwelling viruses, scientists report this week in the journal Science.

Conducted by biological oceanographers Sallie Chisholm and her colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the research is uncovering a new facet of evolution and helpi

A simple and efficient method that facilitates Parkinson’s disease treatment has been developed by researchers of the Institute of Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences. Influence of feeble electric current on the brain via electrodes laid on the head skin – the so-called transcranial electric polarization (TCEP) – reduces muscle tone and partially restores patients’ movements. In combination with antiparkinsonian drug intake, TCEP reduces their side effect.

Parkinson’s disease is a c

Almost 5,000 delegates at the 5th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5) today attended the presentation of the Nice Manifesto. The manifesto represents a commitment from doctors, nurses, patients and advocates to support breast cancer research and improve patient care. Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in European women and although survival rates are improving there is still a long way to go.

The manifesto is endorsed by the three organisations – Europa Donna – The European

European researchers have created an interface between mammalian neurons and silicon chips. The development is a crucial first step in the development of advanced technologies that combine silicon circuits with a mammal’s nervous system.

The ultimate applications are potentially limitless. In the long term it will possibly enable the creation of very sophisticated neural prostheses to combat neurological disorders. What’s more, it could allow the creation of organic computers

Everyone is equipped with a biological clock, a region in the brain the size of a corn kernel, which dictates our sleep-wake cycles, and plays a major role in our physical and mental health. Pioneering research conducted by Kent State professor Dr. David Glass has shown the body’s clock can be re-set – good news for people who work swing shifts, experience jet lag or take anti-depressants.

Glass, known internationally as the first researcher to measure serotonin release from the brai

Unique public-private partnership creates RNAi-based inhibitors for nearly every human and mouse gene, makes them available to all genetic researchers

An international public-private research team led by scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced today the construction and availability of an extensive library of molecular reagents to silence most human and mouse genes. As described in the March 24 issue of Cell, this library consists of small RNA molecules t

New research led by biologists at the University of Warwick has revealed a new technique that could become a valuable way of identifying badger setts that harbour TB diseased and infectious badgers in regions where TB in cattle, caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), is problematic.

The research paper published on Thursday 23rd March 2006, in the Royal Society’s scientific journal Biology Letters entitled “Is Mycobacterium bovis in the environment important for the