News and applications for life science research professionals
Report: NPS hantavirus response followed policy
May 21, 2013 12:10 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsYOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Federal investigators probing the hantavirus outbreak blamed for three deaths at Yosemite National Park recommended on Monday that design changes to tent cabins and other privately run lodging first be reviewed by National Park Service officials. The report...
Pfizer halts study of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma drug
May 20, 2013 6:39 pm | by LINDA A. JOHNSON - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsDrugmaker Pfizer Inc. has halted a late-stage study of an experimental cancer compound being tested in patients with a certain form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, because an interim analysis showed the drug wasn't helping patients live longer. Pfizer said late Monday that it was stopping the study...
Sports seem OK for many with heart-zapping device
May 20, 2013 5:47 pm | by LAURAN NEERGAARD - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsNew research is challenging medical guidelines that say people with a heart-zapping device in their chests should avoid intense sports like basketball and soccer in favor of golf or bowling. Lots of patients ignore that take-it-easy advice and stay in the game, and Monday's findings suggest...
NYU Researchers Took Chinese Bribes
May 20, 2013 3:37 pm | by BY TOM HAYS - ASSOCIATED PRESS | News | CommentsThree New York University researchers from China divulged results from a federally funded study to Chinese competitors in exchange for tuition, rent and other expenses, federal prosecutors say. Yudong Zhu, a U.S.-educated NYU professor, and Xing Yang, a lab engineer, were released on bail after appearing in federal court in Manhattan to face commercial bribery and other charges. They left court without speaking to reporters.
Royalty Pharma increases bid for drugmaker Elan
May 20, 2013 2:33 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsRoyalty Pharma has raised its offer to buy Elan on the condition that shareholders reject the Irish drugmaker's push to refocus its business through a string of recently announced deals, including two new deals unveiled Monday. Royalty said Monday it will pay $12.50 in cash for each share of Elan...
Flat Top Microscope Stage for Upright Microscopes
May 20, 2013 1:38 pm | Prior Scientific | Product Releases | CommentsPrior Scientific introduces its latest motorized high precision microscope stage for upright microscopes—the H101F Flat Top Stage. The design of the H01F incorporates a completely flat top plate which eliminates any obstacle to objective rotation while ultra low profile sample holders facilitate the use of high NA objectives.
Big Data Unveils Exciting Head and Neck Cancer Targets
May 20, 2013 1:05 pm | by Cynthia Fox | Articles | CommentsGenome sequencing of head and neck cancers may quickly—and soon—spur new therapies. There are 20 tumor types being studied by the massive, $100 million Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the eighth to be unveiled. The first, glioblastoma, has been cited in a whopping 2000-plus manuscripts.
'Lifespan Machine' Monitors Worm Aging
May 20, 2013 12:00 pm | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsThe worm’s tail wriggles, a micrometer-scale twitch. A scanner captures the new posture. Software recognizes the motion. Life goes on in the Lifespan Machine, a new system devised in the lab of Walter Fontana that, essentially, counts dead worms.
FDA has safety concerns with Merck insomnia drug
May 20, 2013 11:42 am | by MATTHEW PERRONE - AP Health Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday released its review of the company's sleep aid,...
Multitasking Neurons Enhance Brain Flexibility
May 20, 2013 11:40 am | News | CommentsOver the past few decades, neuroscientists have made much progress in mapping the brain by deciphering the functions of individual neurons that perform very specific tasks, such as recognizing the location or color of an object. However, there are many neurons, especially in brain regions that perform sophisticated functions such as thinking and planning, that don’t fit into this pattern.
600 Volt Power Supply for Electrophoresis
May 20, 2013 11:25 am | Product Releases | CommentsHoefer introduced a 600 Volt Power Supply to its range of electrophoresis power supplies. This new midrange power supply unit is designed for electrophoresis and blotting techniques including large format and high throughput applications.
New MATH Method for Head, Neck Cancer
May 20, 2013 11:05 am | News | CommentsA new method of measuring the variety of genetic mutations found in cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. The research describes how a new way of measuring tumor heterogeneity was a better predictor of survival than are most traditional risk factors in a small group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Collaborative Application for Laboratory Services Management
May 20, 2013 10:52 am | Product Releases | CommentsAgileBio released a new version of its Lab Services Manager (LSM), a complementary application for its LIMS, LabCollector. LSM is a dedicated interface for the management of laboratory jobs, and analysis in a variety of life sciences industries as well as in academic research institutes having platforms or external services.
Biochemical Transformations Were Possible on Early Earth
May 20, 2013 10:50 am | News | CommentsThe study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes, the study’s findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when life began.
Osteoarthritis Progression Halted
May 20, 2013 10:30 am | News | CommentsScientists have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage.
