Disease Research
France Confirms Initial Case of SARS-related Virus
May 8, 2013 6:17 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA 65-year-old Frenchman is hospitalized after contracting France's first case of a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS, and French health authorities say they are trying to find anyone who might have been in contact with him to prevent it from spreading.
Untangled Neurons Promising for Cell Growth
May 7, 2013 5:03 pm | News | CommentsTwo wrongs don’t make a right, they say, but here’s how one tangle can straighten out another. In new research, scientists employed techniques ranging from semiconductor-style circuit patterning to rat cell culture to optimize the growth of nerve cells for applications such as reconstructive surgery.
Protein Crucial to Sense of Smell
May 7, 2013 4:49 pm | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a protein that is critical to the ability of mammals to smell. Mice engineered to be lacking the Ggamma13 protein in their olfactory receptors were functionally anosmic– unable to smell. The findings may lend insight into the underlying causes of certain smell disorders in humans.
New Genetic Cancer Driver Found
May 7, 2013 4:45 pm | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsApproximately 90 percent of cancers start within tissues that form the inner linings of various organs. Decades of accumulated genetic mutations can, on occasion, induce cells specialized for growth in one-cell deep sheets to form disordered clumps that eventually become tumors.
Drug Fails to Slow Alzheimer's
May 7, 2013 7:53 am | by BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP CHIEF MEDICAL WRITER | News | CommentsBaxter International Inc. says that a blood product it was testing failed to slow mental decline or to preserve physical function in a major study of 390 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. The company says that people who received 18 months of infusions with its drug, Gammagard, fared no better than others given infusions of a dummy solution.
MicroRNAs Control Cancer Attack
May 6, 2013 4:27 pm | News | CommentsThe body's own immune system’s fight against breast cancer is controlled by genetic "fine tuners," known as microRNAs, according to a new study. Looking at 1,300 breast cancer samples, scientists found that the influence of these microRNAs, which help control how genes behave, varies between different subtypes of breast cancer.
Antibody a Possible Blood Cancer Treatment
May 6, 2013 4:10 pm | News | CommentsA single antibody could be the key to treating multiple myeloma, or cancer of the blood, currently without cure or long-term treatment. Using a "biological library" of thousands of antibodies, researchers singled out antibody BI-505, shown to have a powerful effect on the tumor cells.
3-D Living Patch Built for Damaged Hearts
May 6, 2013 4:01 pm | News | CommentsBiomedical engineers have grown three-dimensional human heart muscle that acts just like natural tissue. This advancement could be important in treating heart attack patients or in serving as a platform for testing new heart disease medicines.
Endogenous Antibiotic Exists in the Brain
May 6, 2013 3:39 pm | News | CommentsScientists have discovered that immune cells in the brain can produce a substance that prevents bacterial growth: Namely, itaconic acid. Until now, biologists had assumed that only certain fungi produced itaconic acid. A team has now shown that even so-called microglial cells in mammals are also capable of producing this acid.
Elevated Blood Sugar, Alzheimer's Possibly Linked
May 6, 2013 3:27 pm | News | CommentsA new study suggests a possible link between elevated blood sugar levels and risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. About 5 percent of men and women, ages 65 to 74, have Alzheimer's disease, and it is estimated that nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease.
Decoding Cancer Metastasis
May 6, 2013 12:25 pm | by Christina Smith | Articles | CommentsCombining two biological approaches, a research team from University of Michigan broke down the molecular signaling that leads to metastasis in prostate and breast cancer tumors. In the laboratory of Dr. Russell Taichman, one half of the lab looks at how very small embryonic-like cells (v-cells) help with tissue regeneration and wound healing, while the other half looks at how tumors metastasize to bone marrow.
Study Evaluates Nanomaterial Toxicity
May 6, 2013 9:52 am | News | CommentsFor the first time, researchers from institutions around the country have conducted an identical series of toxicology tests evaluating lung-related health impacts associated with widely used engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). The study provides comparable health risk data from multiple labs, which should help regulators develop policies to protect workers and consumers who come into contact with ENMs.
Lone Star Virus Identified Using Super-fast Sequencing
May 6, 2013 9:43 am | News | CommentsThe tick-borne Lone Star virus has been conclusively identified as part of a family of other tick-borne viruses called bunyaviruses, which often cause fever, respiratory problems and bleeding, according to new research. What made the work especially promising was the speed at which the virus was definitively identified.
Heart, Blood, Skeletal Muscle Can Share Genetic Origin
May 6, 2013 9:37 am | News | CommentsNew research out of the Lillehei Heart Institute at the University of Minnesota shows that by turning on just a single gene, Mesp1, different cell types including the heart, blood and muscle can be created from stem cells. Stem cell researchers have been trying to generate different cell types for regenerative medicine for years. The gene Mesp1 was particularly interesting to cardiac researchers.
Preventing Chemotherapy-induced Anemia
May 5, 2013 3:12 pm | by Einstein | News | CommentsCancer chemotherapy can cause peripheral neuropathy—nerve damage often resulting in pain and muscle weakness in the arms and legs. Now, researchers have discovered that chemo also induces an insidious type of nerve damage inside bone marrow that can cause delays in recovery after bone marrow transplantation.
Speedy Diagnostic Device Adapted for Bacterial Infections
May 4, 2013 8:00 pm | by Mass General | News | CommentsA handheld diagnostic device that MGH investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis and other important infectious bacteria. New research describes portable devices that combine microfluidic technology with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to not only diagnose these important infections, but also determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
Stem Cells, Heart Cells Communicate without Touching
May 3, 2013 10:16 am | News | CommentsStem cells drawn from amniotic fluid show promise for tissue engineering, but it’s important to know what they can and cannot do. A new study has shown that these stem cells can communicate with mature heart cells and form electrical couplings with each other similar to those found in heart tissue.
Gene Makes Cancer Less Cancerous
May 3, 2013 10:00 am | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a gene that, when repressed in tumor cells, puts a halt to cell growth and a range of processes needed for tumors to enlarge and spread to distant sites, in hope that this so-called “master regulator” gene may be the key to developing a new treatment for tumors resistant to current drugs.
Blood Test Tracks Tumor Evolution
May 3, 2013 9:50 am | News | CommentsBy tracking changes in patients’ blood, scientists have created a new way of looking at how tumors evolve in real-time and develop drug resistance. The research used traces of tumor DNA, known as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), found in cancer patients’ blood to follow the progress of the disease as it changed over time and developed resistance to chemotherapy treatments.
Scientists Create Genetic Playbook for AML
May 2, 2013 12:11 pm | News | CommentsA team of researchers has identified virtually all of the major mutations that drive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing blood cancer in adults that often is difficult to treat. The findings pave the way for developing better treatments for AML based on the genetic profile of a patient’s cancer.
Key Protein Promotes CNS Inflammation
May 2, 2013 11:07 am | by MD Anderson Cancer Center | News | CommentsScientists have identified an influential link in a chain of events that leads to autoimmune inflammation of the central nervous system in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The researcher spells out the pivotal role of Peli1 in the activation of immune cells called microglia that promote inflammation in the central nervous system in response to tissue damage or invasion by microbes.
Genetics Linked to Weight-loss Surgery Success
May 2, 2013 10:42 am | by Harvard Medical School | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a gene variant that helps predict how much weight an individual will lose after gastric bypass surgery, a finding with the potential both to guide treatment planning and to facilitate the development of new therapeutic approaches to treating obesity and related conditions like diabetes.
Hypothalamus May Hold Key to Aging
May 1, 2013 2:01 pm | by Einstein | News | CommentsWhile the search continues for the Fountain of Youth, researchers may have found the body’s “fountain of aging”: the brain region known as the hypothalamus. For the first time, scientists report that the hypothalamus of mice controls aging throughout the body.
Blood Vessel Stem Cells Have Dual, Opposing Roles
May 1, 2013 10:07 am | News | CommentsMany diseases– obesity, Type 2 diabetes, muscular dystrophy– are associated with fat accumulation in muscle. In essence, fat replacement causes the muscles to weaken and degenerate. Scientists have discovered the biological mechanism involved in this process, which could point the way to potential therapies.
Bacterial Defense System Has Valuable Genes
May 1, 2013 9:45 am | News | CommentsEven bacteria have a kind of “immune system” they use to defend themselves against unwanted intruders– in their case, viruses. Scientists are now able to show that this defense system is much more diverse than previously thought and that it comes in multiple versions.
