When a protein misfolds, the results can be disastrous. An incorrect change in the molecule’s shape can lead to diseases including Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. But scientists have discovered that misfolded proteins can have a positive side in yeast, helping cells navigate the dicey current of natural selection by expressing a variety of hidden genetic traits.

What’s more, at the center of this process is a prion, a protein that changes shape in a self-perpetuatin

An important receptor for estrogen in ovarian cells has been shown to suppress tumor growth, according to a new study published in the August 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research. When ovarian tumors develop, however, the number of these receptors–known as estrogen receptor beta (ER beta)–diminishes, encouraging these tumors to advance toward malignancy and metastasis. This disappearing act may help explain why ovarian cancers are often typically resistant to anti-estrogen drugs including Tam

By comparing three different species’ genomes and adding some good old-fashioned genetic analysis, scientists have uncovered the identity of the last of eight genes known to contribute to Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by a combination of some otherwise common problems, including obesity, learning difficulties, diabetes and asthma.

The identification of the BBS3 gene ends the search for primary BBS-causing genes in families studied for years by a team of sc

As part of its continued efforts to give back to the cancer communities in the cities visited during its annual scientific meetings, the Fairfax, Virginia-based American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) is partnering with CURE Childhood Cancer to raise awareness of cancer survivorship. Based in Atlanta, CURE Childhood Cancer – Georgia’s oldest and most successful children’s cancer organization – is a non-profit organization dedicated to conquering childhood cancer through

There is a clear co-variation between allergic symptoms in children and the concentration of softening agents in their homes. This is a finding made by a Swedish-Danish research team in a recently published study financed by Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences, and Spatial Planning.

“A great number of consumer products and surface materials like PVC mats contain softening agents, such as phthalate esters,” says Professor Carl-Gustaf Bornehag at

When the choice is red wine or gin, choose red wine – at least when considering your heart’s health.

That’s according to a recent study by Jefferson Medical College researchers, who compared the effects of drinking either red wine or gin on several biochemical markers in the blood. Red wine contains many complex compounds including polyphenols, which are absent from gin. They found that drinking red wine had a much greater effect in lowering levels in the bloodstream of so

When equipped with enough information, some adolescents (ages 13 to 16) can make health care decisions as well as adults.

According to an article published recently in The Journal of Clinical Ethics, “Correlates of Children’s Competence to Make Healthcare Decisions,” it’s important to include children in health care decision making as it fosters their developing ability to care for their own health. The article was written by a team of researchers that included Susan B. Dickey, Ph.

Alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence are closely related, but the causes of susceptibility to the two may be different. New research has found that variation in long-term average alcohol intake is almost entirely due to genetic differences. Some genes affect both alcohol intake and dependence, while others affect only dependence.

Even though alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence are closely related, the causes of susceptibility to the two are not necessarily the same. A s

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have found that the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy significantly slowed tumor progression and extended survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), extremely aggressive and incurable brain tumors.

Although the exact mechanism is yet to be identified, the research team theorizes that like a one-two punch, the anti-tumor vaccine delivers an initial blow to the tumor cells which increas

Cannabinoids, the active ingredients in marijuana, restrict the sprouting of blood vessels to brain tumors by inhibiting the expression of genes needed for the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

According to a new study published in the August 15, 2004 issue of the journal Cancer Research, administration of cannabinoids significantly lowered VEGF activity in laboratory mice and two patients with late-stage glioblastoma.

“Blockade of the VEGF pathw

Researchers from the University of Chicago have discovered the first of a new class of “protective factors” that appear to be required for the development of memory T cells, the cells that form the core of a vaccine response. The finding could help scientists create more effective vaccines and may lead to potent immune system-based therapies against diseases that have previously eluded vaccines, such as cancer or AIDS.

When the immune system detects an invader, such as a virus, T c

Microscopic scaffolding to house the tiny components of nanotech devices could be built from RNA, the same substance that shuttles messages around a cell’s nucleus, reports a Purdue University research group.

By encouraging ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules to self-assemble into 3-D shapes resembling spirals, triangles, rods and hairpins, the group has found what could be a method of constructing lattices on which to build complex microscopic machines. From such RNA blocks, the g

To study the structure of the nucleus of the atom, DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility develops and employs a wide range of cutting-edge detector technologies. Now, Jefferson Lab scientists have used their expertise to build a small animal medical imager that’s helping researchers develop a new gene therapy technique for cystic fibrosis.

“Our core expertise is instruments. Once you have instruments with different imaging capabilities, you want to spin-off that tech

A ground-breaking medical approach which could substantially improve the quality of life for over a million kidney dialysis patients, and bring huge savings to health services around the globe, is one step closer to becoming a reality, thanks to NESTA (the National Endowment of Science, Technology and the Arts) – the organisation that backs UK innovation.

NESTA has invested £95,000 in a university spin-out, Veryan Medical Limited, based at London’s Imperial College, to further dev

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists have discovered that increased pressure within the eye alters a set of genes normally involved in preventing hardening of tissue.

Increased eye pressure often occurs in glaucoma, a blinding eye disease that affects about 70 million people worldwide, and the new findings may have implications for treating this disease. The study currently appears in the online October issue of the Journal of Cellular Physiology.

“Pres

As British scientists are given the go-ahead to clone human embryos, two Kingston University researchers have linked up with NASA in the first ever collaboration on space medicine between the United Kingdom and the United States. The $US1 million project aims to explore ways to protect astronauts from space radiation in preparation for a manned mission to Mars in 2020. Dr Colin McGuckin and Dr Nico Forraz, from the University’s School of Life Sciences, will fly out to NASA’s Johnson Space Centr