Biologists at Brown University and the University of California–Berkeley have discovered that two proteins team up to turn on an assortment of ovarian genes critical to the production of healthy eggs. This finding, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds important light on the biochemical processes underpinning fertility.

Human eggs rely on handmaidens. Called granulosa cells, they surround eggs and deliver nutrients and hormones. Without granulos

Models could help speed discovery of new drugs

In an important step toward accelerating drug discovery, researchers have created computer models of more than 900 cell receptors from a class of proteins known to be important drug targets. The models, which are now freely available to noncommercial users, promise to help scientists narrow their research inquiries, potentially speeding up the discovery of new drug compounds. The research appears in the February 17, 2006 issue of the

Researchers at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research are developing a method to determine in a matter of hours if someone has been exposed to a bioterrorism agent just by looking at the pattern of active genes in that person’s white blood cells. They report their findings today at the ASM Biodefense Research Meeting.

“Effective prophylaxis and treatment for infections caused by biological threat agents (BTA) rely upon early diagnosis and rapid initiation of therapy. Howeve

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a key receptor protein is a critical component of the internal molecular clock in mammals. What’s more, this molecule –called Rev-erb– is sensitive to lithium and may help shed light on circadian rhythm disorders, including bipolar disorder. The findings, which also provide insight into clock-controlled aspects of metabolism, are reported in this week’s issue of Science.

“We’re interested in th

Research into the condition and composition of cells in the marrow and blood vessels.

The hematopoietic system always reacts keenly to external actions, especially to penetrating radiation. The number of hematopoietic cells of all types (both dividing and ripening) increased in the marrow of all irradiated mice in this experiment. The researchers do not exclude the possibility that hematopoietic cells divide more rapidly and go quicker through all development stages under the

Scientists at Keele University in Staffordshire have discovered the first evidence of a link between human exposure to aluminium and multiple sclerosis.

Their research has demonstrated very high (up to 40 times the control level) urinary excretion of aluminium in MS, particularly so in the relapsing-remitting form of the disease. Urinary excretion of iron was also significantly elevated in MS and particularly so in the secondary progressive form of the disease.

Urinary ex

Scientists have identified a new compound called CDDO-Im that protects against the development of liver cancer in laboratory animals. Experiments, led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, show CDDO-Im to be effective at doses 100 times lower than other compounds known to prevent cancer in people. Because of its makeup, the researchers believe CDDO-Im could be particularly effective in preventing cancers with a strong link to inflammation, such as liver, colon, pro

Preliminary result of IMS-II study presented at International Stroke Conference

Standard clot-busting medication combined with low-energy ultrasound appears to reopen clogged arteries in stroke patients better than medication alone, a pilot study led by University of Cincinnati researchers shows.

The findings, says the University of Cincinnati’s Joseph Broderick, MD, co-principal investigator of the study, are encouraging and support a much broader phase-3 trial pl

Dutch researcher Ferry Winter has developed a heterogeneous catalyst for the production of the industrially important solvent methyl isobutyl ketone. With the new catalyst the production process is more environmentally-friendly. The catalyst consists of hydrotalcite, a naturally-occurring clay.

The catalyst developed by Ferry Winter belongs to a new category of catalysts termed ’activated hydrotalcites’. Hydrotalcite is a clay comprised of a mixture of magnesium and al

Scientists led by Mike Hannon at the University of Birmingham and Miquel Coll at the Spanish Research Council in Barcelona have discovered a new way that drugs can attach themselves to DNA, which is a crucial step forward for researchers who are developing drugs to combat cancer and other diseases.

DNA contains the information which encodes life itself; its double-helical structure was recognised 50 years ago. Scientists soon started designing drugs to target DNA and used them to treat

Johns Hopkins researchers have announced the development of a Web-based, automated computer program that they say greatly simplifies the time-consuming and error-prone process of manually designing artificial pieces of DNA.

The program, called GeneDesign, guides the design of blueprints for DNA segments to the exacting specifications required for studying gene function and genetically engineering cells. The blueprints are then used by companies or other investigators to synt

Researchers have developed a mouse strain in which the abnormal activity of the dopamine machinery in a specific part of the brain causes cognitive and behavioral impairments mimicking those in human schizophrenics.

The achievement is important, because creating an animal model of any schizophrenic characteristics has not been done before. And schizophrenia’s genetic and physiological complexities have seriously hindered efforts to understand the disorder.

Dr.s

A molecule in the brain essential for wakefulness and appetite has been found to play a central role in strengthening the neuron connections that lead to addiction. The discovery of how the neuropeptide orexin works at the molecular level makes it a strong new target for potential drugs to treat addiction, the researchers say.

The discovery by neuroscientists at UCSF’s Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center is being reported February 16 in the journal Neuron.

The research

Synthetic biology experiment turns up a previously unrecognized gene-expression phenomenon

An experiment designed to show how a usually innocuous bacterium regulates the expression of an unnecessary gene for green color has turned up a previously unrecognized phenomenon that could partially explain a feature of bacterial pathogenicity.

In a paper published in the Feb. 16 issue of Nature, researchers at Boston University (BU) and the University of California, San Diego (U

Water. Waste. Energy. This trio of problems is among the greatest challenges to the environmental health of society. Water purification alone is becoming more problematic in the world due to our increasingly reliance on contaminated sources, such as polluted rivers, lakes and groundwater.

“All of these issues are closely interrelated,” says Bruce Rittmann, director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology in the Biodesign Institute at ASU. “For example, most of the pollutio

Heart disease patients who eat one grapefruit daily can significantly reduce the levels of cholesterol in their blood in comparison to patients who do not eat the fruit, a new study has found. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.

The study was conducted by a group of scientists under the leadership of Dr. Shela Gorinstein of the Hebrew University School of Pharmacy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, in cooperation with