Chemical engineer Kamalesh Sirkar, PhD, a distinguished professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and an expert in membrane separation technology, is leading a team of researchers to develop a breakthrough method to desalinate water. Sirkar, who holds more than 20 patents in the field of membrane separation, said that using his technology, engineers will be able to recover water from brines with the highest salt concentrations. The Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of Interi

Biologists at Purdue University have taken a “snapshot” of a Velcro-like protein on a cell’s surface just after it attached to the dengue virus, a linkup thought to initiate the early stages of infection.

The virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, infects more than 50 million people annually, killing about 24,000 each year, primarily in tropical regions.

During the earliest stages of infection, the dengue virus attaches to the “carbohydrate recognition domain,” or

Rhesus macaque DNA sequence available in free, public databases

A multi-center team has deposited the draft genome sequence of the rhesus macaque monkey into free public databases for use by the worldwide research community, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today.

The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is the second non-human primate, after the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), to have its genome seque

An innovative method of categorizing myosin—one of three molecular “motors” that produce movement within the cells of the body—has dramatically increased the amount of information available about these essential proteins. The studies lay the groundwork for development of treatments for conditions ranging from certain kinds of blindness and kidney disease to neurodegenerative disorders and parasitic diseases such as malaria.

All complex organisms use myosin and its relatives, kinesin and

Columbia research highlights importance of early oral health screenings

New research from Columbia University Medical Center has shown that the destruction of the gums can start in diabetic children as young as six years old. While the link between diabetes and periodontal disease was previously established, it was believed that the regression of gums began much later and increased with age.

The study, a collaboration among researchers at the Columbia University College of

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have developed a mouse model that could help scientists develop better drugs to fight autoimmune and inflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Inflammation is a process by which the white blood cells and chemicals of the immune system rally to protect the body from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. In autoimmune diseases, however, this

Information may spur new therapeutic approaches to addiction and abuse

Cocaine-binding antibodies have shown some promise in their ability to neutralize cocaine toxicity, but their binding ability is severely impaired by high concentrations of the drug. A catalytic monoclonal antibody such as 7A1, on the other hand, has the ability to regenerate after each new dose of the drug, making it far more effective than others in metabolizing cocaine.

The study, which will be publi

Radiologists can make a more accurate preoperative diagnosis of damage to knee cartilage by using four radiologic ’signs’, a recent study found. Using the four signs to identify the extent and type of damage to knee cartilage makes interpreting MRIs with higher degrees of accuracy easier for any radiologist, regardless of their level of expertise.

During the course of this study, reviewers correctly identified 17 (89%) of 19 radial meniscal tears using the four radiologic signs

A team of scientists at the John Innes Centre(1) in Norwich, UK led by Dr Graham Moore have a completely new understanding of the structure of a gene complex in wheat that controls the pairing of its chromosomes, knowledge of which has the potential to revolutionise wheat breeding.

Dr Moore said “The transfer of useful traits such as disease, drought and salt tolerance from wild species into wheat is a difficult and complex process. This new insight into the molecular nature of Ph1 and how

Locating mould and damp in buildings is difficult, sometimes even impossible. The Tekes’ Fine technology programme explores ways to use the concentration and size distribution of particles to pinpoint mould damage and determine its effect on health. Researchers are also developimg a DNA-based microchip, which can be used for determining the microbes in indoor air rapidly. This is the first experiment where existing medical technologies are being applied to indoor air specimens.

The last 20 years research on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), focused almost exclusively on embryos. Despite the impressive technological advances the live birth rate has stalled at between 25% – 27%. The uterus, where the embryo must implant and develops, had been poorly studied. A successful pregnancy is the result of a complex molecular and cellular exchange established between the mother and the embryo since the early stages of pregnancy until baby deliver.

Today, we are ab

Viruses and humans have evolved together over millions of years in a game of one-upmanship that, often as not, left humans sick or worse.

Now, a University of California, Berkeley, researcher has shown that viruses – in this case, a benign one – can be forced to evolve in ways to benefit humans.

The adeno-associated virus, or AAV, is a common, though innocuous, resident of the body that has received a lot of attention in recent years as a possible carrier for genes in

Biochemists have detected a surprising, subtle new gyration that protein molecules undergo in the intricate, squirming dance that influences their activity in the cell. The researchers have also created a realistic geometrical model of the twisting “backrub” motion that could help scientists understand the basics of protein function and design proteins for medical use.

Also, they said, the backrub motion could have implications for understanding how proteins can accommodate loca

New Technique Developed for Attaching Biological Cells to Non-Biological Surfaces

A new technique in which single strands of synthetic DNA are used to firmly fasten biological cells to non-biological surfaces has been developed by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California at Berkeley. This technique holds promise for a wide variety of applications, including biosensors, drug-screening technologies, the growing of

A grapefruit a day — particularly the red variety — can help keep heart disease at bay, according to a new study by Israeli researchers. In a controlled study group of patients with heart disease, the scientists found that feeding some patients the equivalent of one grapefruit daily significantly reduced levels of cholesterol in comparison to patients that did not eat grapefruit. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.

The study, which strengthens a gr

Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in the group of Markus Schmitt have developed a detection method for human papillomaviruses (HPV) which allows them to identify, in a quick and highly reliable manner, high-risk viruses that cause cervical cancer.

The prime risk factor for cervical cancer is an infection with human papillomaviruses. However, not all HPV types are a health hazard. Scientists distinguish between high-risk t