ALSO NOTED: Stem cell therapy threat; Immunization stimulates antibodies to attack tumors;WHO creates genetic "clearinghouse";

Stem Cell Research

New research indicates that cell death associated with diseases like Parkinson's and ALS could be caused by toxic factors surrounding motor neurons. If the research is confirmed, it could have implications in stem cell research. Therapeutic stem cells could face the same threats that caused the disease in the first place. Report

Results of two studies funded by Project A.L.S. and appearing in today's advance online publication of Nature Neuroscience demonstrate that embryonic stem cells may provide a new tool for studying disease mechanisms and for identifying drugs to slow ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Release

Seoul National University is investigating a journal study by a team of South Korean researchers to determine if they inflated the results of a study involving cloned wolves. This is the same team that was led by disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk. Report

How myoblasts identify other myoblasts and how they cling together had been established, but the way that the cell membranes fuse into one has remained a mystery. Now, a study by Weizmann Institute scientists has shed light on this mystery. Release

Cancer Research

Active immunization can stimulate the body to produce highly efficient IgE antibodies that attack tumors. This breakthrough, achieved in an animal model, is based on the combination of two established experimental methods. Report

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researchers have found that chaetocin, a by-product of a common wood mold, has promise as a new anti-myeloma agent. Results of their study show the by-product to be more effective than currently used therapies at killing multiple myeloma cells. Release 

Preliminary results from a large, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial for patients with primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor, a type of tumor usually found in the stomach or small intestine, showed that patients who received imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) after complete removal of their tumor were significantly less likely to have a recurrence of their cancer compared to those who did not receive imatinib. Release

Studies of human tumor cells implanted in mice have shown that the abnormal activation of four genes drives the spread of breast cancer to the lungs. The new studies by Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers reveal that the aberrant genes work together to promote the growth of primary breast tumors. Cooperation among the four genes also enables cancerous cells to escape into the bloodstream and penetrate through blood vessels into lung tissues. Release

Researchers have developed a new mouse model that can be used in research into one of the deadliest forms of ovarian cancer. Report

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have now developed a novel way to clone an antigen recognized by a helper T cell. The new antigen-cloning approach may allow scientists to design vaccines capable of directly stimulating helper T cells, aiding the development of vaccines not only for cancer but also for infectious diseases. Release

Snake venom toxin 'Vipera lebetina turanica' may be effective in inhibiting the growth of androgen independent prostate cancer, according to a report published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Release

More Research

The World Health Organization is creating an Internet-based "clearinghouse" of genetic information related to a long list of diseases, including malaria and Chagas. Report

A team of U.S. and Canadian researchers has found seven genes linked to a risk for developing Crohn's disease. Four of those genes are new to investigators, offering fresh targets for drug developers. Report

A new technology developed at the University of Toronto is revealing biochemical processes responsible for diseases such as cystic fibrosis and could one day pave the way for pharmaceutical applications. Release

Researchers have found that the number of proteins involved in liver regeneration are fewer than previously believed, making is easier to develop a new method to regenerate a patient's liver. Report

A test of 85 genetic variants believed to indicate a risk for heart disease show that they are not actually useful as biomarkers. Now the researchers say they will investigate 500,000 genetic variations to find the right ones. Report

Stretching a carbon nanotube composite like taffy, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Rochester Institute of Technology have made some of the first measurements of how single-walled carbon nanotubes both scatter and absorb polarized light, a key optical and electronic property. Release

Scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have uncovered a molecular mechanism that links a gene linked to Alzheimer's to the process of Alzheimer's disease onset. Release

Some mature brain cells can grow new extensions when the amount of three particular proteins on their surface increases, a new study shows. The research examined three related receptor proteins, called GPR3, GPR6 and GPR12, on nerve cells in the brains of rats. Release

The results of a new study suggest that bacteria that cause diseases like bubonic plague and serious gastric illness can turn the genes that make them infectious on or off. Knowing how disease-causing bacteria, like Yersinia pestis and E. coli, do this may one day help scientists create drugs that control the expression of these genes, thereby making the bacteria harmless. The findings appear in the April 13 issue of the journal Molecular Cell. Release

A multi-center team funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute has published in the April 13 issue of the prestigious journal Science the complete sequence for the genome of the rhesus macaque monkey. They concluded that the monkey shares genes that cause diseases in humans, while chimpanzees do not. Release