ALSO NOTED: Hormone promotes prostate cancer; Genetic mutation heightens risk of arrythmia; Search for anti-cancer therapies in

Scientists at the Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center in Madison, WI have determined that the hormone androgen increases the amount of chemicals in the prostate gland which promotes the development of prostate cancer. And they have found a drug that blocks the pathway, increasing rates of survival and inhibiting tumor development. Report

A team of researchers have found a mutation in the Caveolin-3 gene that heightens the risk of cardiac arrhythmia. Release

A University of Utah led a team of researchers in a study of the potential cancer therapies to be found in small aquatic creatures. They studied the symbiotic bacteria present in marine life, some of which have anti-cancer properties. Release

MIT researchers Stephen J. Lippard and Mi Hee Lim are reporting on their study of nitric oxide's role in living cells. NO plays a variety of roles including male sexual function, regulating bone mass and blood pressure. Release

Scientists at Harvard University have developed a computer model that, for the first time, can fully map and predict how small proteins fold into three-dimensional, biologically active shapes. The work could help researchers better understand the abnormal protein aggregation underlying some devastating diseases, as well as how natural proteins evolved and how proteins recognize correct biochemical partners within living cells. Release

A group of researchers say that they're work investigating insulin-like growth factor 1 may well pave the way to finding new therapies for motor neuron disease and spinal cord injuries. Article

Using existing human genomes, scientists are reconstructing old viruses. The role of human endogenous retroviruses role in cancer can now be examined. Article

Scientists are exploring the idea that family clusters of bird flu may indicate that genetic triggers could be necessary for human-to-human transmission. Report

HIV-positive nonprogressors may prove an important piece of the puzzle in curing AIDS. Report

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered a previously unknown cause for a severe, early-onset form of kidney disease and renal failure in children: recessive mutations in a gene called phospholipase C epsilon or PLCE1. Genetic testing is advised. Release

Preliminary trials of an MEK enzyme inhibitor have shown that it is capable of producing long-lasting stable disease in patients with advanced solid cancers. Tests showed that the drug inhibited key targets in the patients' tumors, and now it is being tested in phase II clinical trials. Release

Cell biologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have provided further evidence that a gene thought to play a role in suppressing tumors actually can protect against the development of pre-cancerous cell growth as well. The researchers say that the gene, caveolin-1 (Cav-1), which they found in two major types of breast cells, could be a potential target for future drugs aimed at preventing breast cancer. Release

Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Medical College say that they've found fresh evidence to suggest that a microscopic nanoparticle--a carbon-based fullerene known as DF-1--can protect tissue from radiation as well as standard therapy. Report

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have identified changes in brain chemistry that may be associated with the dementia that many cancer patients develop after whole-brain radiation treatment. Release

Writing for The Times, Nigel Hawkes considers the argument between fast-and-dirty efficacy studies for stem cell therapies versus a careful and deliberative approach to investigating the field. Comment

Researchers at the University of Southern California and the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal in Canada have been exploring the role that the Par-3 protein plays in myelin formation during nerve development. The theory is that Par-3 could be manipulated in a way that would foster the creation of myelin, a while film that coats nerves. Report

Duke University Medical Center scientists say that their study of zebrafish shows that they can re-grow damaged hearts, pointing in a direction that one day might allow tissue regeneration in humans. Report

Researchers at the University of Louisville have gathered promising data from a study of a new vaccine that can prevent lung cancer in mice. Release

A new brain study finds major differences between women with serious depression and healthy women in a brain-chemical system that's crucial to stress and emotions. The study adds further evidence that depression has its roots in specific alterations within the brain--specifically in the endogenous opioid system that is a central part of the brain's natural pain and stress-reduction system. Release

A protein with the ironic name "Srcasm" can counteract the effects of tumor-promoting molecules in skin cells, according to new research by investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Using animal models, the researchers discovered that Srcasm acts like a brake in epithelial cells, preventing uncontrolled cell growth caused by a family of proteins called Src kinases. This finding, published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, suggests a target for future gene therapy to treat skin, head, neck, colon, and breast cancers. Release

A growth factor known to be important for the survival of many types of cells stimulates rapid extension of corticospinal motor neurons--critical brain cells that connect the cerebral cortex with the spinal cord and that die in motor neuron diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). Release

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have for the first time implicated the muscle protein myosin VI in the development of prostate cancer and its spread. Release

Deals & Dollars

The NIH has granted the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center $8.5 million to continue its work modeling cells. Creating computer models of cells that can mimic real ones is considered a major goal in biomedical science. Report

The American Federation for Aging Research has provided a $59,000 grant to Dr. Genevieve Neal-Perry to investigate the influence one region of the brain has on menopause. Report

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation has announced a $200,000 award to the Parkinson Study Group to fund new programs that facilitate the clinical research process so that treatments and therapies move at an accelerated rate. Release

Dr. Lee Ellis of the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has won a $250,000 grant for carcinoid research. Report

Tools & Technology

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have introduced a new series of research articles, "Spotlight on Molecular Profiling," in the latest issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. The series will highlight molecular profiling studies that provide broad-spectrum genomic and proteomic data that could prove useful for the discovery of new drugs and biomarkers. Release

The UK's fastest supercomputer--the HPCx machine--has been upgraded to make 15.4 trillion calculations per second. But the machine has been steadily slipping down the list of the fastest supercomputers in the world. Most recently it has been ranked 59th out of the top 500. Report

Bio-IT covers the consolidation of the electronic data capture market. Article

And Finally… Chemical scientists and engineers who have not changed jobs are earning more money these days, but high unemployment levels have only slightly moderated, according to a new report from Chemical & Engineering News. Salaries for the employed are up 5 percent while unemployment in the field has only dropped .5 percent to 8.7 percent. Release