ALSO NOTED: Gates Foundation backs orphan drug program; Yamanaka forecasts looming stem cell cures; RNA blocks cancer; Autism l

Spotlight

The Gates Foundation has put up $19 million to fund a hunt for a new drug to treat sleeping sickness, a malady that affects huge numbers of the world's poorest people but rarely attracts the attention of drug developers looking for the next big thing in therapeutics. Article

Stem Cell Research

Kyoto University's Shinya Yamanaka has taken a look into the future of stem cell research, and predicts that new cures and healing therapies can be available within 10 years. "This is because technology is very simple," he said. "All you need is a basic technology, cell biology" and "you don't need special technology or equipments." Report

California's stem cell institute says its $3 billion initiative has helped lure 24 of the world's top stem cell scientists to the state. Report

Wake Forest University Institute for Regenerative Medicine researchers were able to create embryonic stem cells by removing individual cells from an embryo without harming the embryo. Report

Researchers at the Biomedical Research Institute at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston were able to change the surface of stem cells in a way that guided them to a predetermined spot in the body--a procedure that is likely to have a major impact on new programs aimed at tissue regeneration. Report

A group of UC Irvine scientists recently published a study on a more efficient way to differentiate stem cells in the international journal Stem Cells. Release

Stanford University has snared a $20 million donation for its stem cell research work. Report

Cancer Research

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have identified small pieces of RNA that suppress the spread of breast cancer to the lungs and bone. The new research shows that the most invasive and aggressive human breast cancer tumors are missing three critical microRNA molecules. When the researchers put those molecules back into human breast cancer tumors in mice, the tumors lost their ability to spread. Release

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have determined that cancer stem cells for multiple myeloma build resistance to chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Report

A team of researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory say that they have identified a biological switch that triggers metastasis. Report

Fruit flies are likely to play a bigger role in cancer research following new insights into disease pathways. Release

Genetics

Autism has been linked to two genetic defects; one that causes the disease in a tiny fraction of cases and another implicated in increasing a person's chances of having the disease. Article

An assay to determine apolipoprotein E genotypes has been developed by Chinese researchers that can help diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease. Release

A Chinese university reports that a pig genetically engineered to glow fluorescent green passed that trait to its young, demonstrating that pigs could be bred to produce organs for human use. Report

Researchers report that "variants in a specific gene, RGS4, predict the effectiveness of different antipsychotic treatments." Release

Scientists have identified six new genetic variants linked to heart disease risk. Release

Tools

Nycomed and Trenzyme have signed multi-year cooperation agreement for services in the areas of molecular biology, protein expression, and protein purification. Report 

Scientists at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute have developed the world's first gene detection platform made up entirely from self-assembled DNA nanostructures. The results, appearing in the January 11 issue of the journal Science, could have broad implications for gene chip technology and may also revolutionize the way in which gene expression is analyzed in a single cell. Release

Thermo Fisher Scientific has been awarded the Frost & Sullivan Market Leadership Award for its high content screening offering. Release

And Finally... The FDA approvals of 2007. Report