By studying rodent models of the relatively rare inherited form of Lou Gehrig’s disease and tissue samples from a patient with the condition, scientists have discovered the first evidence that damage to nerve cell powerhouses is directly responsible for these cells’ death. The findings appear in the July 9 issue of Neuron.

The research team from the University of California San Diego, Johns Hopkins and elsewhere discovered that dysfunctional proteins clog the transport system that

EMBL and partners begin MitoCheck, a multinational research project on cell cycle regulation

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) join forces with top scientists from eleven research institutes in Austria, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom for “MitoCheck” – the largest integrated research project on cell cycle control within the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme (FP6). The partners will receive an 8.5 million Euro grant to address a

Perhaps the most commonly mutated of all cancer-linked genes is the gene for a tumor suppressor called p53. Scientists estimate that at least half of human cancers involve mutant p53. In the course of performing its regular duties, the normal p53 protein binds to DNA, and a number of cancer-linked p53 mutations affect the DNA-binding region of the p53 protein.

But precisely how does the p53 protein bind to DNA? Since DNA binding is crucial to the protein’s usual function, the answer to thi

Canine genome available now to research community worldwide

The first draft of the dog genome sequence has been deposited into free public databases for use by biomedical and veterinary researchers around the globe, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today.

A team led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Ph.D., of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Mass., and Agencourt Bioscience Corp., Beverl

Adult stem cells in the brains of mice possess a broader differentiation potential than previously thought and may be capable of developing into other cell types including those involved in the formation of new blood vessels, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The finding could help resolve a critical question about these promising, but still mystifying cells. The report by Fred H. Gage, Ph.D., and colleagues at t

An Oregon Health & Science University research team has uncovered a novel form of transmission between neurons in the brain that is mediated by dopamine. The neurons are found in parts of the brain associated with movement, substance abuse and mental disorders.
Scientists at the Vollum Institute, OHSU School of Medicine, reported in a study published in the journal Neuron that the neurotransmitter dopamine is released from midbrain nerve cells in a much more precise, targeted manner than previo

Researchers seeking to direct cancer-killing immune cells against the deadliest brain tumors have three new targets that show promise in laboratory studies and in a Phase I patient trial, according to two articles in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

The antigens, previously associated with several other types of cancer cells, were recently found to be expressed in the most common and aggressive type of malignant brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Scientists at Ce

A drug derived from an ocean-growing sponge teams up to enhance the performance of the yew tree derivative Taxol® (paclitaxel) in preventing the growth of cancer cells, according to research published in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research. Indeed, discodermolide, a novel drug isolated from the marine sponge Discodermia dissoluta, works with paclitaxel to thwart tumor cell growth–with several times the efficacy that either drug alone exerts on proliferating cancer cells.

Stud

Mayo Clinic researchers have manipulated a human antibody to induce an anti-tumor response in living mice that consistently curbs — and often cures — malignant melanoma, one of the most lethal forms of skin cancer and the most common cancer of young adults.
In the July 15 edition of Cancer Research Mayo researchers report three innovative discoveries that advance the emerging field of cancer immunotherapy. Cancer immunotherapy refers to scientist-controlled manipulations of the immune system

A new genetic model for a motor disorder that confines an estimated 10,000 people in the United States to walkers and wheelchairs indicates that instability in the microscopic scaffolding within a key set of nerve cells is the cause of this devastating disability. The study, which is published in the July 13 issue of the journal Current Biology, provides a provocative new insight into the molecular basis of the disease called hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and suggests a new way to treat the in

Cornell University scientists are launching a full-scale study on the influence of climate on mosquito populations that transmit diseases such as West Nile virus (WNV) to humans. Funded by a $495,000 Global Programs grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the three-year project is a collaborative effort involving medical entomologists, climatologists, social scientists and risk analysts, as well as local and state health department officials.

“We propose to de

Conflicting regulation from local, state and federal authorities can cause inconsistent safety practices in the food retail business, but aggressive education can allow food handlers to better comply with safety measures according to food safety experts at this week’s annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists, the international not-for-profit scientific society.

In the retail sector, regulatory inconsistencies can be a problem when stores deliver products to off-site facilities

One of the strongest natural allies that cancer patients can tap to help fight tumor growth and metastasis may well be their own immune systems, and scientists affiliated with the Harvard University Medical School have devised ways of bolstering patients’ immune response against kidney and breast cancer.

In a paper published in the July 15 issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research, the Harvard research team documented tumor regression in two breast cancer patients, and stabilizat

Prostate cancer is much more likely to be aggressive if a key protein called Stat5 is found activated and in abundance in the cancer cells, report researchers from Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. By inhibiting this protein, called Stat5, doctors are exploring how to develop a new treatment strategy for advanced prostate cancer.

The new findings, reported in the July 15th issue of the journal Cancer Research, show that active Stat5 protein is particularly

According to a study published in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, genes expressed in benign tissue adjacent to prostate cancer tissue are much more similar to those expressed in prostate cancer tissue than previously thought. This finding, the first of its kind, may help predict populations both at risk for prostate cancer and for disease progression based on gene expression patterns, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.

“It is not clear what molecular eve

Sophisticated technology developed to ensure clean air for astronauts onboard space stations is now used in hospitals to capture and destroy airborne fungi, bacteria, spores and viruses. It can also eliminate microorganisms causing SARS, ebola, smallpox, and tuberculosis as well as anthrax.

Most of the airborne micro-organisms around us do not present grave hazards to healthy people, however they can pose serious threats to those with reduced immune resistance. The space technology ’Pla