ALSO NOTED: Conference tracks stem cell advances; Researchers try to slow cancer; Scientists boost T-cells;

Stem Cell Research

A stem cell conference in San Francisco hosted a number of companies that have found it hard to attract venture support at a time the federal government has severely limited its role in supporting researchers in the field. Nevertheless, some 100 private stem cell companies have sprung up to tackle the field. Report

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is among the first medical centers in the country taking part in a novel clinical trial investigating if a subject's own stem cells can treat a form of severe coronary artery disease. Release

A new study involving a type of stem cells from the lungs of transplant patients demonstrates for the first time that these progenitor cells reside in adult organs and are not derived from bone marrow, which leads to the possibility that the cells may be able to help with the rejection of donated organs and with various kinds of lung disease. Report

Cancer Research

By mapping the interlocking structures of small molecules and mutated protein "receptors" in non-small cell lung cancer cells, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and their colleagues have energized efforts to design molecules that mesh with these receptors, potentially interfering with cancer cell growth and survival. Report

A gene known to prevent cancer also acts as a master regulator of the suntan response, researchers report in the March 9, 2007 issue of Cell. The team discovered in studies of mice and human skin that p53, a gene best known for keeping tumors at bay, is ultimately responsible for activating the tanning machinery that darkens the skin of so many sun-seeking beach-goers, thereby protecting them from sunburns. Release

A new study sheds light on how some small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including two that are currently being used clinically to treat cancer, interact with wild-type and mutated forms of the epidermal growth factor receptor. Release

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have determined the genetic reason why cystic ductal pancreatic cancer behaves differently, despite carrying the same basic genetic mutations as the more common and deadly type of ductal pancreatic cancer. Release

A new study shows that people with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of dying from cancer but not increased risk of developing cancer. Report

More Research

Reporting in the Feb. 20 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College has greatly boosted the number of immune T-cells able to shield transplanted pancreatic islet cells from attack by the immune system. Insulin-producing islet cells are deficient in type 1 diabetes. If they can replicate the process in humans, the scientists believe the procedure could do away with the need for powerful immunosuppressive drugs. Release

A study by the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, UC San Diego and the University of Michigan reports that mutations in a molecular channel found in heart muscle cell membranes of a fruit fly caused arrhythmias similar to those that are found in humans, suggesting that understanding how this channel's activity is controlled in the cell could lead to new heart disease treatments. Report

Scientists at MIT say that red blood cells change shape in order to fit through the bodies narrowest capillaries. The knowledge may help understand and fight blood disorders like malaria. Report

Researchers at the University of Manchester say that simple antifungals may be effective against tuberculosis. Chemicals in the antifungals called azoles kill TB bacteria, which is responsible for some two million deaths a year. Release

The parasite that leads to sleeping sickness can be lulled to sleep itself using a newly discovered pathway, according to research published online in EMBO reports. Report

In the UK health officials are replacing stainless steel door handles with copper to see if it slows the spread of MRSA. Report

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found for the first time that fruit flies' primitive immune systems may develop long-term protection from infection, an ability previously thought impossible for insects. The findings could have implications for new ways of developing human vaccines, especially for people with compromised immune systems. Report

New research suggests that gene therapy is a safe treatment method to explore in patients whose lower limbs are at risk for amputation because of poor circulation caused by blocked blood vessels. Release 

Researchers have identified markers unique to the cells of blood vessels running through ovarian tumors. The finding, while preliminary, could one day improve screening, diagnosis and treatment for this disease. Report

The formation of misshaped proteins--a process suggested to be behind neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's--can affect an important molecule of the immune system (MHC class I) says a group of Portuguese scientists in an article to be published in the Journal of Immunology. Release

Insight on fruit flies' immune system could lead to new types of vaccines, according to researchers at Stanford University. Release

A new study led by researchers at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick reveals that patients using cholesterol busting statins get a bonus benefit from such drugs as the Warwick researchers have now found that statins also have a positive effect on blood pressure levels. Report

University of Pittsburgh researchers have found that behaviors such as anger, hostility and aggression may be genetic, rooted in variations in a serotonin receptor gene. Release 

A University of Iowa study may provide an explanation for why some people get migraine headaches while others do not. The researchers found that too much of a small protein called RAMP1 appears to "turn up the volume" of a nerve cell receptor's response to a neuropeptide thought to cause migraines. Release