ALSO NOTED: New chip technology replaces animal studies;ESCs developed from flawed embryos; Research points to new therapies fo

New Technology

Solidus Biosciences is one of several new companies that are out to commercialize new chip technology that can do away with the need to sacrifice thousands of rats and mice each year to study the toxicology of new therapies. Report

Stem Cell Research

Scientists at Children's Hospital Boston have developed stem cells from the flawed embryos discarded by fertility clinics. Each year clinics throw out thousands of embryos that are either flawed or considered of poor quality. The ESCs would probably have to be limited for use in research, says senior author George Q. Daley, but would be considered ethically acceptable to scientists. That argument isn't likely to carry much weight with religious conservatives, though. Article

Biologist Harry Heimberg of Vrije University Brussels in Belgium has led a team of researchers who have discovered a class of cells in adult mice that could heal an injured pancreas. If the same cells exist in humans, they may be used to create insulin secreting cells that could be used to cure diabetes. Report

New research has underscored the potential of adult stem cell therapies for stroke victims. Report

Korea's RNL Bio will advance its stem cell research at a new hub at Newcastle University in the UK. Report

The British Human Tissue Authority has granted a team of scientists approval to conduct experiments on the use of stem cell injections to repair injured hearts. Report

Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine have launched a study to see if stem cells can improve the circulation of patients with blocked arteries. Release

Eliot Spitzer's Empire State Stem Cell Board recently awarded $14.5 million worth of research grants to 25 New York based institutions. Release

Genetics

New research points to a connection between a person's genotype and their likelihood of responding to a medication for high blood pressure. Report

An Australian research team discovered that in a portion of patients, mental retardation is caused by a twofold production of two proteins (HSD17B10 and HUWE1). The work may point the way to new therapies for mental retardation. Release

A University of Rochester scientist discovered that the toxins in cigarette smoke wipe out a gene that plays a vital role in protecting the body from the effects of premature aging. Release

A new gene therapy that spurs the creation of endorphins, natural pain killers, was able to eliminate pain in rats for at least three months. Report 

Cancer Research

Oxford scientists say that the birth control pill gives women extended protection against ovarian cancer. Release

Researchers have identified a link between the diagnosis of diabetes and the onset of pancreatic cancer. Report

A team of chemists at Northwestern has shed new light on neopeltolide's structure and how it works, offering a lead to new, more-effective anti-cancer drugs. Release

Scientists have identified the cancer stem cells responsible for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Report

Researchers have identified a biomarker for early stage colon cancer. Report

More Research

Scientists at Rockefeller University and the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center have pinned down a molecule on the surface of human cells that helps keep particles of mutant strains of HIV from spreading. Release

Scientists say that bacterial nitric oxide synthase (bNOS) offers a new target for developers looking to combat anthrax. Report

Discovery of an unexpected protein-protein interaction has led University of Iowa scientists and colleagues to identify a drug that slows the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in mice and nearly doubles the animals' lifespan. Release

Researchers at Imperial College London and the National Institute of Health say that similar DNA segments have the ability to recognize each other. Report

And Finally... The top 20 venture capital deal of 2007. Report