Stem Cell Research

A long lineup of Indian groups is pushing new research into stem cells as analysts project a big future for stem cell treatments in the subcontinent. Report [1]

Human embryos that are discarded every day as medical waste from in vitro fertilization clinics could be an important source of stem cells for research, according to a team of researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Release [2]

Researchers report success using stem cells to treat brittle bone disease in embryonic rats. This approach could offer therapy prior to birth. Report [3]

Researchers backing embryonic stem cell work in Michigan have submitted language for a constitutional amendment that would lift the state's prohibition on the work. Report [4]

British scientists have used ESCs to make sperm cells, making it possible for lesbian couples to have their own biological children. Report [5]

Cytori Therapeutics enrolled the first two patients in a clinical trial using adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells in the treatment of heart attack. Report [6]

The UK is backing away from regulations that would have restricted stem cell research. Report [7]

Genetics

University of Oregon scientists say they have identified a gene that is the key switch that allows embryonic cells to form into muscles in zebrafish. Release [8]

Utah researchers have identified six genes linked to higher rates of cold sores. Report [9]

Research into new infertility treatments may be assisted by identifying the role of the PTEN gene in preventing eggs in the ovary from developing too quickly. Report [10] 

Using a mouse model of Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS), the Stowers Institute's Trainor Lab has demonstrated that it can prevent this rare disorder of craniofacial development either by inactivating a gene implicated in the abnormality or by inhibiting its protein product. Release [11]

US researchers have reported that genetic mutations increase the risk of preterm birth, after establishing a link between the mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene and inflammatory injury to the placenta and developing baby. Release [12]

A genetic variation can seriously aggravate chronic lung disease in passive smokers. Report [13]

Genetic research has drawn a link between rheumatoid arthritis and an early death from cardiovascular disease. Release [14]

Cancer Research

A study of identical twins has for the first time confirmed the existence of cancer stem cells that cause the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Release [15]

The microRNA miR-21 may be helpful in predicting outcomes for people with colon cancer. Report [16]

An Italian study concludes that high levels the Ki-67 protein are associated with poor prognosis in women with early-stage breast cancer. Report [17]

A new study may explain why women with a mutation in the BRCA1 gene face up to an 85 percent lifetime risk of breast cancer. Release [18]

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center have discovered biomarkers that predict which patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer will respond to a combination treatment of the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex and the growth factor receptor blocker Tarceva. Release [19]

Synthetic chemists say that a natural molecule found in a deep-sea sponge could help them design better cancer therapies. Release [20]