News and applications for life science research professionals
The Lead
HIV Trial to Create New Immune Systems
June 18, 2013 | by Cynthia Fox | Articles | Comments
People living with HIV will be treated with genetically engineered stem cells next month by the team of Nobel Prize-winning immunologist David Baltimore, PhD, Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology, California Institute of Technology. The goal: to create, in patients, new immune systems resistant to HIV.
Fungus Joins New Species List
June 19, 2013 10:24 am | News | Comments
A new species of fungus that causes life-threatening infections in humans and cats has been...
RNA Counting Improved in Pathogenic Bacteria
June 19, 2013 10:12 am | News | Comments
Small molecules of RNA (tens to hundreds of nucleotides in length) play a key regulatory role in...
Human Cells Caught Making Hydrogen Sulfide
June 19, 2013 9:55 am | Videos | Comments
A new study confirms directly what scientists previously knew only indirectly: The poisonous “...
Smoking, Osteoporosis Link Explained
June 19, 2013 11:34 am | News | CommentsHuman bone breaks down and regenerates naturally all the time, in a perfectly balanced dance that maintains skeletal integrity. As people age, bone tends to deteriorate faster, causing osteoporosis and other disorders. Smoking artificially accelerates bone degeneration as well. For the first time, researchers have described the mechanics of how certain toxic compounds in smoke break down bone.
Protein Essential for Normal Heart Function
June 19, 2013 11:15 am | News | CommentsA new study shows that a protein called MCL-1, which promotes cell survival, is essential for normal heart function. The study found that deletion of the gene encoding MCL-1 in adult mouse hearts led to rapid heart failure within two weeks, and death within a month.
Aspirin Fights Cancer by Slowing DNA Damage
June 19, 2013 11:00 am | News | CommentsAspirin is known to lower risk for some cancers, and a new study points to a possible explanation, with the discovery that aspirin slows the accumulation of DNA mutations in abnormal cells in at least one pre-cancerous condition. In the study, researchers analyzed biopsy samples from 13 patients with a pre-cancerous condition called Barrett’s esophagus who were tracked for six to 19 years.
FDA investigates Zyprexa Relprevv patient deaths
June 18, 2013 1:31 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal regulators are investigating the deaths of two patients who received injections of a longer-lasting version of Eli Lilly's antipsychotic Zyprexa. The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that the patients died three to four days after receiving an appropriate dose of the drug known...
DNA Confirmation of Cervical Cancer Test Specimen
June 18, 2013 1:21 pm | Product Releases | CommentsStrand Diagnostics and Manhattan Labs announced the availability of the myPAP test. Developed to complement a Papanicolaou (Pap) test by confirming a patient’s identity and helping physicians to proceed confidently with treatment recommendations, the myPAP test compares the DNA profiles of the Pap specimen with a reference DNA sample taken via cheek swab at the time of the Pap test.
Platform for Label-free Biomolecular Assays
June 18, 2013 1:08 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSAW Instruments’ sam X platform is based on the company’s Surface Acoustic Wave technology, the biosensors measure changes in mass and viscoelasticity at the chip surface based on changes in the high frequency acoustic oscillations running across the chip surface.
Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry System Combines Three Mass Analyzers
June 18, 2013 12:51 pm | Product Releases | CommentsThe Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system combines its three mass analyzers—quadrupole, Orbitrap, and linear ion trap—in a novel “Tribrid” architecture that offers depth of analysis of complex biological samples.
Next-gen Sequencing Leads to New Virus Detection
June 18, 2013 11:37 am | News | CommentsIn new research researchers describe a technology that can detect new, previously unknown viruses. The technique uses blood serum as a biological source to categorize and discover viruses. Taking advantage of the complete deciphering of the human genome, researchers used a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach called transcriptome subtraction to identify viral genetic material in the blood.
Drawing Pad Monitors Learning-disabled Brains
June 18, 2013 10:58 am | News | CommentsFor less than $100, University of Washington researchers have designed a computer-interfaced drawing pad that helps scientists see inside the brains of children with learning disabilities while they read and write. To create the system, researchers hollowed out a ballpoint pen and inserted two optical fibers that connect to a light-tight box in an adjacent control room where the pen’s movement is recorded.
'Chase and Run' Mechanism Explains Cancer Metastasis
June 18, 2013 10:35 am | News | CommentsA mechanism that cells use to group together and move around the body– called "chase and run"- has been described for the first time by scientists. The new study focuses on the process that occurs when cancer cells interact with healthy cells in order to migrate around the body during metastasis.
Sweetener a Possible Parkinson's Therapy
June 18, 2013 10:18 am | News | CommentsMannitol, a sugar alcohol produced by fungi, bacteria, and algae and a common component of sugar-free gum and candy,is also used in the medical field. Now, researchers have found that mannitol also prevents clumps of the protein α-synuclein from forming in the brain— a process that is characteristic of Parkinson's disease.
Alzheimer's Drug Restores Lost Brain Connections
June 18, 2013 10:02 am | News | CommentsThe first experimental drug to boost brain synapses lost in Alzheimer’s disease has been developed by researchers. The drug, called NitroMemantine, combines two FDA-approved medicines to stop the destructive cascade of changes in the brain that destroys the connections between neurons, leading to memory loss and cognitive decline.
Researchers Tackle MERS with SARS Approach
June 18, 2013 9:46 am | News | CommentsA pair of researchers who in the past created compounds to block the SARS virus are now tackling the new Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS-CoV. The team's successful work on SARS paved the way for them to swiftly work on MERS CoV, reducing parts of the process that would normally take years to a matter of month.
Deadly year for encephalitis feared in India
June 18, 2013 4:16 am | by BISWAJEET BANERJEE - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsA mosquito-borne disease that preys on the young and malnourished is sweeping across poverty-riven northern India again this monsoon season, with officials worried it could be the deadliest outbreak in nearly a decade. Encephalitis has already killed at least 118 children this year, and...
Singapore fumes after pollution hits 16-year high
June 18, 2013 1:35 am | by SATISH CHENEY - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsSingaporeans rolled back military training, kept cough-stricken children indoors and considered wearing protective masks to work Tuesday after a smoky haze triggered by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia caused air pollution to briefly hit its worst level in nearly 16 years. The Pollutant...
