1. Researchers find a possible tumor suppressant

Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Andersen Cancer Center say they have discovered a single gene--BRT1--that may play a role as a tumor suppressor. BRT1 is under expressed in ovarian, breast and prostate cancer cell lines, say the researchers, whose work is published in Cancer Cell. Defects in the gene inhibit DNA damage response and create genomic instability that fosters the spread of cancer. The researchers conducted lab experiments that showed BRT1 plays a role in DNA repair and preventing the division of a damaged cell to prevent replication. Using small interfering RNA to silence the genes in human mammary epithelial cells caused chromosomal aberrations in 21.2 percent to 25.6 percent of cells.

The researchers conclude: "BRIT1 defection seems to be a key pathological alteration in cancer initiation and progression, and as such, further understanding of its function may well contribute to novel, effective therapeutic approaches for cancer."

- see the report on BRIT1 from Medical News Today
- here's a link to the full study

2. Huntington's study reveals insights on genetic testing

Working with a team of scientists, neurologist Ira Shoulson, M.D., of the University of Rochester Medical Center has been undertaking a study of Huntington's disease that provides some real insight into how people will respond to a wave of genetic tests that are being developed and marketed. The group is repeatedly testing a group of 1,001 people who are at high risk of developing Huntington's, an incurable disease. These people, who have at least one parent who had the disease, have a 50 percent chance of developing it themselves. Interestingly, though, while a blood test exists to see if they have the gene that causes the disease, only one in ten of people who are at risk chose to be tested. The purpose of the test is to find therapies to alleviate or postpone the development of the disease. The team doesn't know why, but more than twice as many women as men have signed up to take part in the study.

- here's the report from EurekAlert for more information

PLUS: While we're on the subject of genetic testing, researchers say that they have developed one that reliably predicts whether the most common form of lung cancer will occur after surgery. Article

3. New nanowire device developed to detect pathogens

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a nanowire barcode device that can detect a range of pathogens such as anthrax and ricin. Using an electrochemical procedure, the researchers deposited tiny quantities of the pathogens on the nanowires, making a small immunoassay device that can be used in the field to identify agents used in a possible bioterror attack. Using a mix of different metals, the researchers were able to create unique stripes for each pathogen, making it something like a unique "bar code" that allows for quick identification.

- see the government release on nanowire

4. Researchers find gene that blocks hep C virus

Scientists at the Monash Institute of Medical Research have discovered a gene that stops the replication of the hepatitis C virus in mice. The gene--protein kinase R--is promoted by the protein interferon that is naturally produced in the body. Their work is published in the Journal of Virology. Currently, interferon therapy is the only effective treatment for slowing down the progress of hepatitis C. Untreated, the virus is replicated at up to one trillion viral particles per day. But the researchers note that there are various strains of the virus. They plan to continue their work to shed light on why some patients are responsive to interferon therapy and others aren't.

- read this report from EurekAlert on the study

5. Indonesia opens up access to bird flu gene codes

Just before Indonesia announced its forty-throed bird flu death, researchers around the globe got some welcome news. Indonesian health officials announced that they were taking off the restrictions on sharing the gene sequences of its avian flu virus. Those sequences, the genetic code to the virus, are considered crucial to understanding how the disease is changing. Indonesia has presented some of the most alarming cases of avian flu clusters, including family clusters where the disease evidently jumped from human to human. The World Health Organization had been restricted in sharing the sequences with a handful of laboratories. Now, though, the wraps are evidently coming off and researchers can gain the information they need from a public web site. According to Indonesian officials, they learned only recently about the hue and cry in research circles about the need for greater transparency in the process. Indonesia, however, has demonstrated that it can't organize an effective response in halting the spread of the virus, which is continuing to raise fears of a human pandemic.

- here's the article on Indonesia's response from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)

Zebrafish effective animal model for cancer research

Researchers at Phylonix Pharmaceuticals say that they have determined that zebrafish are a useful animal model for the study of cancer. Report

More Research News

A team of scientists has created a set of DNA probes that bind to cancer cells, making them easier to spot during the diagnostic phase of treatment. Up to now, cases of leukemia have been diagnosed by looking for genetic changes in cells that characterize the lethal disease. The scientists created DNA probes that were labeled with a fluorescent protein and then determined that one of them bonded with the leukemia cells. The next phase of research will determine of other fluorescent proteins will stick to specific cancer subsets, providing a range of opportunities for early diagnosis. Report

Scientists have found an RNA binding protein that exists in both humans and fresh water planarians that plays a role in maintaining stem cell population. The discovery is important because freshwater planarians have an ability to regenerate lost body parts, making it a significant area of interest in stem cell research. Report

A single gene--the alpha-synuclein (SNCA) gene--is responsible for at least three percent of Parkinson's cases and may be a factor in a far greater number than that. Report

Scientists at Wake Forest University have been studying the role of nitric oxide in enhancing the way the brain processes sensory information. The molecule is released during periods of mental arousal. Researchers say their work on nitric oxide and brain processes could help lend new insight into brain disorders such as epilepsy and schizophrenia. Report

Scientists at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital say that they have discovered that the gene YAP plays a role in promoting various forms of cancer. Report

Looking for ways to grow better neural and other stem cell lines for therapeutic purposes, scientists at UCLA's stem cell institute were able to produce a superior line of neural stem cells from fetal tissue compared to a line developed from a federally approved stem cell line. The line produced from the federally approved stem cell line had a lower level of CPT 1A, a condition that causes hypoglycemia. Release

Scientists at the University of Utah have reversed the evolutionary process to recreate a 530 million year old mouse gene. In order to highlight how the evolutionary process works by splitting genes which subsequently mutate, the scientists created the ancient gene by taking two existing genes and putting them back together again. Report 

Two new studies point to a link between obsessive compulsive disorder and a glutamate transporter gene called SLC1A1. The gene contains a protein that regulates the flow of glutamate through brain cells. Variations in the flow of glutamate may be associated with increased risk of OCD. Report

Using mass spectrometry technology, the FDA has developed a new technique designed to quickly distinguish a hoax from a real bioterror attack. Using heat to vaporize the material, the material is then hit with argon atoms to create ionization, which is submitted to a database of materials for rapid identification. Corn starch can then be separated from anthrax more easily. It takes just a few minutes to run the test and results are available in a few hours at a cost of about $2 a test. Report

Brown University scientists studying pattern formations in biology spent a good part of the last two years studying why proteins called microtubules created wave-like patterns as they multiplied. They concluded that chemical bonding and mechanical instability were responsible for the patterns. These microtubules play a critical role in helping cells divide and giving them their shape. Report

Scientists working on SARS say that the virus uses a protein--nsp1--that works to scuttle the body's immune response. Report

A research team at the University of Central Florida has found a defense peptide in lower primates that prohibits the HIV-1 virus from infecting blood cells. That peptide was eliminated from advanced primates during the evolutionary process. But the peptide may serve as an effective new therapy to combat HIV. Release

Tools and Technology

ES Cell International reports that it has created new embryonic stem lines that can be used in research labs. The lines were derived from human cells, making them usable for new studies into stem cell therapies. Report

GenoMatix has released MatBase, which contains genomic transaction factor binding sites and protein binding domains, related literature, more than 27,000 known TF-gene interactions, experimentally verified complexes with other TFs (promoter modules), and weight matrix descriptions for the DNA binding sites of TFs. Report

Thermo Electron Corporation has launched its next generation hybrid FTICR mass spectrometer, the LTQ FT Ultra. Report

TriMark Publications has released its Clinical Chemistry Analyzers report, which the markets for small lab and highly-automated, large lab platforms, as well as accessory equipment such as reagents, supplies and manufacturers' original equipment manufacturer additional equipment. Release

Axela Biosensors launched its new dotLab System, which provides the drug discovery, biomarker validation and translational research markets with a benchtop platform for protein characterization and biomolecular interaction monitoring. Release

KREATECH Biotechnology has expanded its gene expression product line to incorporate ULS amplification and labeling kits for specific use on CombiMatrix microarrays for all Kreatech's current aRNA labeling kits and RNA ampULSe amplification and labeling kits. Release

Mettler Toledo has introduced a pH Kit specific to the pharmaceutical industry. The S40P pH meter is a complete kit that combines the S40 SevenMulti pH meter, an InLab410 pH electrode and all necessary cables and buffer standards ideal for running samples in the pharmaceutical industry. Release

Deals and Dollars

A new $16 million grant from the National Science Foundation to the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center could help inspire new methods for the mass production of materials like DNA fragments. That kind of mass fabrication approach could fundamentally alter the way researchers do their work. Article

Genizon BioSciences has inked a licensing and collaboration deal with Genentech, granting the South San Francisco biotech giant an exclusive license to Genizon's GeneMap of disease-associated genes generated from a whole genome association study of Crohn's disease patients from the Quebec Founder Population. Release

A $14.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health will fund an international, multidisciplinary effort led by the University of Iowa to leverage two recent genetic discoveries into possible treatments for age-related macular degeneration. Report

The NIH has granted $3 million to Thermedical to test a radiofrequency-based ablation device that kills cancerous tumors by overheating them. Report

And Finally… Drain covers in one Belgian city are disappearing as high metal prices make them a lucrative target for thieves. Report