Mayo Clinic

ALSO NOTED: Celebrated Japanese scientist heads to San Francisco; New trigger for Parkinson's;

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Stem Cell Research

Shinya Yamanaka, the Japanese scientist who made a breakthrough in transforming the skin cells of mice into embryonic stem cells, has joined the J. David Gladstones Institute in San Francisco. He believes he can reprogram human stem cells into ESCs in a year or two. He will move his entire lab, including 20 researchers, to California. Report

Stem cells transplanted into the brains of mice generate more numerous and more mature nerve cells if the brain cells called astrocytes are not activated. That knowledge may help advance stem cell therapies for neurological disorders. Release

The Hartford Courant concludes that state support for stem cell research in Connecticut is paying with new research projects at UConn, Wesleyan and Yale. Report

Scotland's STEM Cell Sciences has received a U.S. patent covering its stem cell selection technology. Report

Cancer Research

Dr. Eugene D. Kwon and a team of scientists at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN say that they have found an immune molecule that appears to shut down immune responses, playing a role in the recurrence of prostate cancer. Report

Dark vegetables and fruits like blueberries contain anthocyanins, which in recent animal studies slowed the growth of colon cancer cells by 50 percent to 80 percent. Report

One way tumors fly under the radar of the immune system is by using IDO, an enzyme used by fetuses to help avoid rejection, to recruit powerful regulatory T cells that turn down the immune response, researchers say. Release

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that a commonly prescribed diabetes drug kills tumor cells that lack a key regulatory gene called p53. Release

Genomics

Researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine have identified in a third gene a mutation that causes tumoral calcinosis, an inherited disorder that is characterized by the presence of lumps of calcium at inappropriate sites in the body, such as around the hip, elbow, shoulder, and knee joints. Release

Interleukin Genetics has initiated a study on the genetics of osteoarthritis in collaboration with Dr. Steven Abramson, Director of the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital for Joint Diseases of New York University Medical Center. Release

Science Foundation Arizona is providing $10 million in grants to eight research projects in order to strengthen the ties between researchers and businesses. Two Tucson groups, the Critical Path Institute and Ventana Medical Systems, will gain funds to advance new genetic tests for cancer drugs. Report

More Research

Neuroscientists have been working with new technology to turn sets of brain cells off and on, with the ultimate promise of one day developing a new approach to treating neurological and psychiatric illnesses. Report

Neuroscientists have found a new trigger for Parkinson's disease that could lead to new treatments for the disease. A new animal study concludes that the loss of norepinephrine-producing cells plays a role in Parkinson's. Report

New research at McMaster University is shedding light on the causes of Huntington's disease and possibly a new therapeutic approach. Report

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research's Del E. Webb Center for Neuroscience and Aging Research have found that the death of adult neurons and the arrested development of neural stem cells is responsible for HIV-associated dementia. And new therapies that block that system are needed to supplement antivirals on the market. Report

A scientist at Tel Aviv University has been introducing phages through the noses of patients in order to outflank the blood/brain barrier and dissolve plaque in the brains in order to delay the onset of Alzheimer's. Release

Australian scientists have been lining up to gain access to the $207 million Australian Synchrotron, a football field-sized device that can examine the molecular structure of matter--and point the way to new advances in therapeutics. Report

Prana Biotechnology has announced a new study regarding the effect of metal ions on Alzheimer's. Release

Researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say that common attributes of the reproductive apparatus of viruses offer a clue to treating a variety of viruses to broad-spectrum antivirals. Release

Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee have advanced studies on using single-walled carbon nanohorns, a particular form of engineered carbon-based nanoparticles, for drug delivery. Report

Carnegie Mellon University scientists have developed tiny, spherical nanogels that uniformly release encapsulated carbohydrate-based drugs. The scientists created the nanogels using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), which will ultimately enable the nanogels to deliver more drug directly to the target and to dispense the drug in a time-release manner. Release

A research team led by Dr. James Januzzi Jr. of the Massachusetts General Hospital's cardiology division has found a potential new biomarker for heart failure. Release

Mayo researchers find trigger for Huntington's

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Cynthia T. McMurray, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology at the Mayo Clinic, led a research team which has shed new light on the way Huntington's disease develops and how it might eventually be treated or cured. The neurodegenerative disease is triggered by an extra segment of the huntingtin gene that expands and produces a destructive protein that afflicts the brain when it grows too large. The researchers determined that the segment grows when cells try to eliminate oxidative lesions. Working with engineered mice which were designed to develop Huntington's, the researchers found that the oxidative lesions multiplied as they aged, correlating to the growth of the gene segment. They then removed an enzyme involved in oxidative repair work and found that the disease either stopped progressing or developed at a much slower pace. McMurray believes that the enzyme is also responsible for spurring the growth of the gene segment responsible for Huntington's, offering the enzyme--OGG1--as the target for a new therapy for Huntington's. Oxidative lesions also play a role in the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

- here's the release on the discovery

Related Article:
Huntington's study reveals insights on genetic testing. Report

ALSO NOTED: Cloning scientist forecasts new approach to stem cells; Leukemia cell linked to relapse is identified;

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Stem Cells

Acclaimed scientist Ian Wilmut told an audience in Connecticut that efforts on embryo cloning--often thwarted by government regulators--may be overtaken by research on reprogramming DNA so that adult stem cells can be used to create new stem cells. Report

NPR reports on state funding for stem cell research, and the researchers angling to use the funds to set up the leading programs that will guide most of the work around the globe. Report

In a first of its kind study, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new technique that transports therapeutic stem cells in a multilayer microcapsule that not only protects the cells from being attacked by the body's immune system but also enables them to be seen on X-ray. Release

In a study in rats, neural progenitor cells derived from human fetal stem cells have been shown to protect the vision of animals with degenerative eye disease similar to the kinds of diseases that afflict humans. The new study appears March 28 in the journal Public Library of Science One. Release

An Australian legal ethicist says that a new law on therapeutic cloning will encourage scientists to stay in Australia rather than emigrate. Having research based in Australia also would lure investments, says Loane Skene, and lead to more training for the next generation of scientists. Report

Cancer Research

Scientists at the Children's Cancer Institute Australia have identified the leukemia cell that is responsible for the most common kind of relapse in children. Report

An Institute of Medicine report says that a lack of standards and confusing regulatory authority have hampered the development of biomarkers needed to fight cancer. Report

A study by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota reports short-term success in using percutaneous cryoablation to freeze kidney tumors. Release

Scientists have discovered how an unusual protein helps a cell bypass damage when making new DNA, thereby averting the cell's self-destruction. But they also discovered that this protein, an enzyme called Dpo4, often makes errors when copying the genomic DNA sequence that later might cause the cell to become cancerous. Release

Preliminary results from an on-going multi-center study presented last week by independent researchers in Europe indicate that a new Gen-Probe PCA3-based test for prostate cancer yielded greater diagnostic accuracy than the free prostate specific antigen test on men with previous negative biopsy. Release

By mimicking nature's way of distinguishing one type of cell from another, University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists now report they can more effectively seek out and kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. Report

More Research

Japanese researchers say they have identified a protein that may contribute to the unhealthy buildup of synovial fluid linked to rheumatoid arthritis. The protein, Decoy receptor 3, offers a new approach to developing a medication to treat RA. Report

A conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health brought together a number of researchers to discuss possible cures for epilepsy. Report

Researchers are developing scaffold-like materials designed to be injected into the body where they will quickly solidify to fit any space, repairing damaged bones, spinal cords, arteries and other tissues. Because the material starts out as a liquid, it fills in the gaps between damaged or missing tissue before hardening into a gel, or "three-dimensional matrix" that eventually disintegrates as it is replaced by healthy tissue, said Alyssa Panitch, an associate professor in Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. Release

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children have found identified a protein that contributes to the wound healing process after a heart attack. Release

Soil bacteria could play a role in fighting depression by activating the neurons that create serotonin. Report

In studying the postmortem brain tissue of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia, researchers found that levels of miRNAs were lower among schizophrenia patients than in persons who were free of psychiatric illness. Release

Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease announced they have identified a critical genetic factor in the control of many aspects of heart form and function. Release

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown in a laboratory study that revving up a crucial set of muscle genes counteracts the damage caused by a form of muscular dystrophy. Report

Scientists at Maryland's Johns Hopkins University say they have identified the genetic mutations that trigger a hereditary form of fatal lung disease. Release

The immune system's response against amyloid-beta, the protein that forms plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, appears to protect the brain from damage in early stages of the devastating neurological disorder. A report from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers finds that lack of a protein required for recruitment of the brain's primary immune cell led to increased amyloid-beta deposits and earlier death in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. The paper will appear in the journal Nature Medicine. Report

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Donald W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center received $12.6 million from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to study cardiac death. Report

The Atlantic Philanthropies is donating $50 million toward the cost of UC San Francisco's new cardiovascular research center. Report

Researchers at Delft University of Technology can predict how nanostructuring--the extreme reduction of structure--will affect the performance of Li-ion batteries. The nanostructuring of battery materials is likely to be common practice in the future, but it is not always performance-enhancing. Report

Preliminary research suggests that use of a novel, potent drug to treat cholesterol disorders decreases triglycerides and increases HDL-C, the "good" cholesterol, but also raises some safety concerns, according to a study in the March 28 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the American College of Cardiology's annual conference. Release

Researchers at UC San Diego have discovered that iron-containing nanoparticles being tested for use in several biomedical applications can be toxic to nerve cells and interfere with the formation of their signal-transmitting extensions. Release

Among low-risk middle-aged people with subclinical atherosclerosis, the cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin reduces the rate of progression of arterial thickening and stops but does not reverse atherosclerotic disease, according to a study in the March 28 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the American College of Cardiology's annual conference. Release

For depressed people with bipolar disorder who are taking a mood stabilizer, adding an antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), according to results published online on March 28, 2007, in the New England Journal of Medicine. Release

A mutation in one gene HNF4A, associated with diabetes in the young, has been shown to be associated with an average increase in birth weight of 790g. Release

ALSO NOTED: Stem cells used to regenerate liver tissue;Gene mutation reduces number of colon polyps;

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Stem Cell Research

Researchers at Heinrich-Heine-University in Dusseldorf, Germany, used adult bone marrow stem cells to help quickly regenerate healthy liver tissue, enabling patients to eventually undergo a surgical resection. Release

The Los Angeles Times reports that California's stem cell institute gave a $2.6 million grant to a research center whose founder is involved in a controversy over the authorship of a medical journal article. Report

Scientists at Rockefeller University believe that cancer stem cells could be a key target for cancer vaccines. Release

An investigation by New Scientist has raised doubts about an adult stem cell study that claimed stem cells unexpectedly turned into cartilage. Report

Lawmakers in Florida are debating a proposal to contribute $20 million to stem cell research. The legislative gambit prohibits the money, though, from being used in embryonic stem cell research. Report

A professor at the University of Nevada has been perfecting the development of human organs in sheep. Report

A newly-discovered small molecule called IQ-1 plays a key role in preventing embryonic stem cells from differentiating into one or more specific cell types, allowing them to instead continue growing and dividing indefinitely, according to research performed by a team of scientists who recently have joined the stem cell research efforts at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Release

Cancer Research

Cancer biologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have found a gene mutation that can dramatically reduce the number of colon polyps that develop, and in turn, potentially cut the risk of cancer. Release

Two major research organizations in the Phoenix area have announced they will collaborate on an ambitious goal: creating a vaccine to prevent the development of cancer. Researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe and Mayo Clinic will use the latest developments in laboratory and clinical sciences to reach their goal--finding components in cancer that could be used to vaccinate against the occurrence of the disease. Report

Scientists who focus on the molecular signaling that underlies prostate cancer have discovered a compound that shows promise against a debilitating neurodegenerative condition known as Kennedy's disease, which is caused by a mutant gene. The compound, a distant chemical relative of a component of the spice curry, dramatically slowed the progression of the disease in mice that carried the mutant human gene that causes the disease. Release

A small molecule derived from the spacer domain of the tumor-suppressor gene Rb2/p130 has demonstrated the ability to inhibit tumor growth in vivo and could be developed into an anti-cancer therapeutic, according to researchers at Temple University's Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine. Release

More Research

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medical School have added color-detecting genes to mouse embryos, allowing them to see in full color. The research is expected to point the way to curing color blindness. Report

A team of scientists at MIT have transformed the lab bacteria E. coli into light harvesting organisms, switching their fuel from sugars to sunlight. The work suggests that it could be possible to create bacteria that can more efficiently produce drugs and chemicals. Report

The NIH has launched a large Phase III trial to determine if the nutritional supplement Creatine can slow progression of Parkinson's disease. Dr. John Fang, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center neurologist, says that the trial is needed to see if earlier studies pointing to a therapeutic effect are accurate. Report

Reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team greatly boosted the number of immune T-cells able to shield transplanted pancreatic islet cells from attack by the immune system. Insulin-producing islet cells are deficient in type 1 diabetes. Report

Using a $2.5 million, three-year grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Emory transplant researchers plan to develop pig islets as an alternative to human islets for transplant into patients with Type 1 diabetes. If their research is successful, clinical trials of the porcine islet transplants into humans could begin within the next three years. Report

A scientist at Virginia Tech has been experimenting with cellulose nanocrystals by attaching antibodies to the surface of the crystals. This design enables the nanocrystals to block cell receptors in the body, raising the prospect of a new approach to vaccines. Release

Gene therapy--the idea of using genetic instructions rather than drugs to treat disease--has tickled scientists' imaginations for decades, but is not yet a viable therapeutic method. One sizeable hurdle is getting the right genes into the right place at the right time. Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are now developing a tool to tackle this problem. Release

U.S. scientists have identified a fibrin-derived peptide that inhibits a specific inflammation process in mouse models of multiple sclerosis. Report

Psychiatric researchers at The Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have uncovered evidence of a new gene that appears to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Release

Using the massive computer-simulation power of the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego, researchers are zeroing in on the causes of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. Release

Although several genes are associated with autism, none lie in the region of human chromosome 7 associated with autism susceptibility. Now, a new study demonstrates that mice lacking CADPS2, which is encoded by a gene in the autism susceptibility region of human chromosome 7, exhibit autistic-like characteristics, leading to the suggestion that CADPS2 defects might predispose individuals to autism. Release

Scientists' inability to follow the whereabouts of cells injected into the human body has long been a major drawback in developing effective medical therapies. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a promising new technique for noninvasively tracking where living cells go after they are put into the body. Release

Researchers have identified a novel gene mutation that causes X-linked mental retardation for which there was no previously known molecular diagnosis, according to an article to be published electronically in The American Journal of Human Genetics. Release

Texas touts $3B plan for cancer research

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Taking a page from the California playbook on biomedical research, Texas has announced plans to invest $3 billion in cancer research over the next 10 years. Not surprisingly, the project draws on some of the state's highest-profile research organizations. The state is already home to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, named after testicular cancer survivor and high-profile athlete Lance Armstrong, the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Under the new project, the three will work together along with universities, medical schools and for-profit companies. Gov. Rick Perry didn't hide the fact that the project has a commercial as well as a humanitarian purpose, noting that the new fund would draw high-tech companies and high salaries to the state. To date, it's not clear where the funds will actually come from--though one proposal involves borrowing against bonds to produce $300 million a year--but two of the state's Republican lawmakers have at least committed to sponsor a bill creating the fund. A number of states have jumped on the bandwagon to provide funds for research. New York is examining a proposal from its new governor to offer $2 billion in funding, half of which would go to stem cell research.

- read the Washington Post report on the initiative

Related Articles:
Study finds women shortchanged on chemotherapy. Report
Mayo Clinic signs cancer research deal. Report

ALSO NOTED: Stem cells resist radiation; Genetic influence may be gender-based; Genetic mutations discovered for autism;

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:01:38 -0500

More Research

New research for UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine indicates that breast cancer stem cells are not only resistant to radiation, they may actually thrive when exposed to radiation. New drugs are needed to overcome the stem cells' resistance to radiation. Report

The influence of genes on blood pressure may vary based on gender, according to researchers at the University of California at San Diego. Release

A European team of researchers have found genetic mutations that are responsible for autism. The SHANK3 gene mutations resulted in language and communications disorders. Report

A group of UK researchers are using a grant to try and grow new blood vessels from skin stem cells. Report

Memory training and other non-drug treatments may one day help older adults ward off declines in mental function, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in an editorial in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Release

A study at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has concluded that the allergy drug cromolyn can slow tumor growth and improve the results of chemotherapy in mice with pancreatic cancer. Researchers say they plan to quickly test their conclusions on humans. Report

Researchers at the University of Southern California have discovered a direct link between loss of testosterone and the development of an Alzheimer's-like disease in mice. They also discovered that testosterone treatment slows progression of the disease. Release

An enzyme found at elevated levels in several human cancers has been linked to abnormal tumor growth in fruit flies, a discovery that provides a new model for understanding the link between stem cell biology and cancer, according to researchers at the University of Oregon. Release

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have successfully isolated nanoparticles from human kidney stones in cell cultures and have isolated proteins, RNA and DNA that appear to be associated with nanoparticles. The findings, which appear in the December issue of the Journal of Investigative Medicine, are significant because it is one step closer in solving the mystery of whether nanoparticles are viable living forms that can lead to disease--in this case, kidney stones. Release

Neurobiologists have discovered why the aging brain produces progressively fewer new nerve cells in its learning and memory center. The scientists said the finding, made in rodents, refutes current ideas on how long crucial "progenitor" stem cells persist in the aging brain. Release

A team of researchers at the University of Liverpool found that Shakespearean language sparked heightened brain activity in people reading the plays. Report

Melanomas (skin cancers) are more likely to grow rapidly if they are thicker, symmetrical, elevated, have regular borders or have symptoms, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology. Report

In a study recently published online by Developmental Biology, members of Dr. John Herr's laboratory at the University of Virginia Health System report the discovery of a new protein within a sperm's tail that could prove a key target for male contraceptive drugs. Release

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a group of novel genes that are critical in organ development. The scientists studied the roles of genes in the zebrafish secretome. This group of genes makes proteins that are located on the surface or outside of cells in the body, and are responsible for directing "patterning" in the body, or ensuring that cells divide, differentiate and migrate to properly form vital organs in the correct places during development. Release

A new study suggests biochemical changes associated with schizophrenia aren't limited to the central nervous system and that the disease could have more encompassing effects throughout the body than previously thought. The findings, scheduled for publication in the January 2007 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research, could lead to better diagnostic testing for the disease and help explain why those afflicted with it are more prone to other chronic health problems. Release

The unusual ability of the organism Toxoplasma to infect and reproduce inside almost all warm-blooded animals has led scientists to wonder about the tricks it uses so successfully to subvert the behavior of cells. Now, a team of Stanford University School of Medicine researchers, led by John Boothroyd, PhD, has shown for the first time how Toxoplasma manages to be so effective: They documented how it injects a particular protein into the cell it infects and how that protein then travels to the cell's nucleus where it blocks the cell's normal response to invasion. Release

New laboratory research suggests that lithium and other drugs that inhibit a particular enzyme, GSK-3 beta, should be used with caution in treating Alzheimer's disease because too high a dose can impair, rather than enhance, neuronal function. Release

The new neurons generated as a result of neural damage due to epilepsy show a reduced excitability that could alleviate the disorder, researchers have found. The researchers said their results suggest that therapies for epilepsy aimed at inducing neurogenesis could prove effective in alleviating the disorder. Release

Deals & Dollars

With California's $3 billion bond program to support stem cell research tied up in court, wealthy Californians have stepped in to contribute $31 million to get the work underway. And private dollars are also being used to create new labs on state campuses. Article

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $47 million to fund research into mounting a coordinated attack on a host of Third World diseases. Report

Protein acts as the body's quality inspector

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:01:39 -0400

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found a protein that acts as the body's quality control inspector for cells. In the normal process of cell division, there's a pause to allow for the detection of an incorrect genetic code in the DNA. When the wrong code is detected, a correction is made if possible or cyclin-dependent kinase 2 modifies another protein that orders the death of the damaged cell. The researchers say their work identifies a clear target for anti-tumor drugs.

"Quality control within dividing cells is essential because mistakes during duplication of the genetic code can lead to cancer. CDK2 is a key protein component in the cellular mechanism that leads to repair of damaged DNA," Donald Tindall, co-leader of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center prostate cancer research program, said in a statement.

- see this release on the protein research project

NIH program to create academic research consortium

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 20:01:39 -0400

The National Institutes of Health is injecting $100 million into a new project to create a consortium of universities that will cooperate on research projects. By 2012, the government plans to bring funding up to $500 million a year and expects to have 60 academic research centers involved, working cooperatively on advancing medical research. The goal is to push cooperation as medicine gets increasingly specialized and new genomic data is gathered. The NIH wants to end the days when lone researchers plugged away in isolated labs and herald a new era that will advance new therapies and speed investigative work. Among the first group to be involved: Columbia University; Rockefeller University; Mayo Clinic College of Medicine; Oregon Health & Science University; University of California, Davis; University of Pennsylvania; University of Rochester; University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; Yale University.

- here's the AP report on the financing

PLUS: Scientists around the country say the new financing system can spark a revolution in the way research is translated into new therapies that are approved for use. Report

ALSO NOTED: New discovery in metastasis;China to emerge as research leader;

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:01:38 -0400

More Research

The protein p120 catenin plays a key role not only as in the "glue" that holds cells together but as a catalyst in breaking them up as tumors metastasize, say researchers at the Mayo Clinic. And they believe that their discovery maps the way to a new designer drug that can help prevent cancer. The team focused on the early stages of metastasis. Researchers have noted that the p120 catenin protein seems mysteriously two-faced: While it normally strengthens cell-cell bonding, in some cases it can also negatively affect cell adhesion. They also have found that over-production of p120 increases a cell's ability to move. But the significance of these observations had eluded scientists. Release

A new target for cancer therapy has been identified by Monash University scientists investigating the cell signaling pathways that turn on a gene involved in cancer development. A team led by Associate Professor Jun-Ping Liu, from the Department of Immunology, has identified two proteins that are involved in stopping the gene from producing a protein called telomerase that is essential if cancer cells are to proliferate. Telomerase plays a key role in controlling the life span of cells by modifying structures called telomeres that are found at the end of chromosomes. Release

China has only made small inroads into the drug development world, but a host of outfits believe that China will eventually develop a major research industry that will devote itself to developing new therapies. Article

A researcher who worked with Korea's disgraced stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-Suk says he was repeatedly able to fabricate research without attracting Hwang's attention. Report

Researchers at the Burnham Institute studying histone deacetylase inhibitors found that they could counter muscle weakness and fiber deterioration associated with muscular dystrophy in two different mouse models. Deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A, currently being studied as a therapy for breast cancer, restored skeletal muscle mass and prevented the impaired function normally linked to MD. Report

A group of Parkinson's disease researchers concluded there are no observable differences between those who have two copies of the most common mutation of the recently discovered LRRK2 gene and those who have only one copy. Their study will be published in the September edition of the Archives of Neurology. Release

Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ties low levels of a hormone secreted by the uterus and embryos to problems with pregnancy and fetal development. The findings also suggest that the hormone, adrenomedullin, plays a key role in maternal susceptibility to pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication that occurs in the third trimester. Pre-eclampsia affects roughly one in 15 pregnant women and is the leading cause of death among expectant mothers. Release

Researchers from IDIBAPS, the Universitat de Barcelona and Queensland University in Australia have released their conclusions regarding the importance of caveolin-1 in liver regeneration. Without this protein, they say, liver regeneration does not occur. Release

A study undertaken at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has concluded that the moderate consumption of Cabernet Sauvignon may help reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's. Report

Curcumin, the active ingredient in the curry spice turmeric, has demonstrated an ability to block a gastrointestinal hormone that is linked to colorectal cancer, according to scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Curcumin has long been a mainstay in Indian traditional medicine. Release

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center believe they've found a mutation that shutters an important protein transport pathway that caused deformities in zebrafish. In humans, the mutation could cause craniofacial deformities. Their work is detailed in the September 17 online issue of Nature Genetics. Report

Physiologic Communications, a biotech company founded by University of Rochester Medical Center cardiologist Spencer Rosero, M.D., is developing implantable biosensors--integrating living cells with electronics--to create a "biological chip." When implanted, this chip can detect physiologic and chemical changes in the body, alerting physicians to the onset of disease. The company says that the first use of the chip may be in testing new therapies. Release

Lymphatic filariasis, a mosquito-borne tropical disease that afflicts 120 million people worldwide, can cause debilitating swelling of the legs and genital areas. According to a new study published in the open access journal PLoS Pathogens, these pathologies can be treated with doxycycline, a tetracycline antibiotic. Release

Researchers at the Warwick Medical School have uncovered some of the secrets of what can interfere with the protecting properties of Nitric Oxide for pregnant women. NO--a common pollutant--is also a critical compound required by pregnant women to avoid hypertension and pre-eclampsia. Release

Tools & Technology

Pfizer is using new data mining tools to better understand how to design clinical trials and discover new uses for drugs. Article

Oxford Instruments' new MQC benchtop NMR analyser has received an Instrument Business Outlook Industrial Design Award for innovation and distinction in analytical and life science instrumentation. Release

Bionas GmbH has launched a device for in vitro profiling of the metabolic activity of cells to understand cellular function. The Bionas 2500 is a bench-top instrument that measures multiple metabolic parameters simultaneously, such as acidification, oxygen consumption and adhesion of living cells for high quality and predictive safety pharmacological studies during preclinical phases of drug discovery. Release

TTP LabTech has initiated the second generation of high content screening systems with the launch of the triple laser Acumen eX3 microplate cytometer. Release

Deals & Dollars

A scientific consortium led by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill will receive a $21.3 million grant to research new drugs for African sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis) and Leishmania. Release

The National Center for Research Resources, a part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced it will grant $117.3 million to fund four new and seven continuing Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence. The awards support multidisciplinary centers that strengthen institutional biomedical research capability and enhance research infrastructure. COBREs are a component of the Institutional Development Award program, designed to improve the competitiveness of investigators in historically under-funded states. Release

ALSO NOTED: Irvine gets $10m for stem cell research

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Research Notes

PowderMed is pushing ahead with plans to begin human testing of a new H5N1 vaccine, blasting tiny particles of DNA that make up the H5 in the virus. Researchers will use helium to impregnate the skin with the experimental vaccine. The Oxford, UK company believes the new approach to needle-free vaccines can be used in a wide variety of therapies and can also cut the manufacturing time on vaccines to a fraction of what it currently requires using hen's eggs. Article

Scientists from Cornell University's medical school have successfully completed a small Phase I study in which they were able to stop or reverse the progress of Alzheimer's by treating patients with antibodies produced naturally in the body. Phase II is already underway. Article

UC Irvine reeled in a $10 million donation for its stem cell research program, much of it for a new research facility. Article

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have identified a gene mutation that disrupts potassium ion channels in heart muscles, which is responsible for atrial fibrillation. The gene mutation -- called KCNA5 - makes people five times more likely to suffer a stroke. Article

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have discovered a genetic code that dictates where nucleosomes are positioned on the DNA strand. Article

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found two proteins -- CapG and Gelsolin - that could play a key role in accelerating the proliferation of pancreatic cancer. The proteins help dictate cell movement and may help spread the cancer to other parts of the body. Article

Seeking to quell significant skepticism about his work, scientist Panos Zavos has described how he claims to have cloned a human embryo from human skin cells and transferred it, unsuccessfully, into a women's uterus. Article

Tools & Tech

GE Healthcare is donating advanced imaging equipment to the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix. TGen is focused on using advanced molecular genomics to advance the knowledge obtained from the Human Genome Project to find new therapies, diagnostics and prognostics. This new equipment will be used to better watch cellular morphology, among other things. Article

Kreatech Biotechnology BV has launched the "Genome-pULSe, arrayCGH Whole Genome Amplification and Labeling Kit," the latest addition to their product portfolio for arrayCGH analysis. Article

Clinical Data's Vital Diagnostics division has launched the Lumy Microplate Luminometer and Turbi-Quick POC immunoanalyzer, a new benchtop analyzer for the rapid quantification of immuno proteins in doctor's offices and small laboratories. Article

Clinical Data has also unveiled the Excyte 20 random-access ESR analyzer, which performs up to 80 sed rate tests per hour providing high-throughput automated ESR. Article

Deals and dollars

Albany Molecular Research, Inc. has inked a multi-year drug manufacturing deal with New River Pharmaceuticals. Article

Supertron Technologies, which develops solutions for high-performance preclinical and clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging coils, probes and accessories, has raised $3.5 million in a Series C financing. Article

And Finally… A hydrogen-powered toy car may offer a miniature snapshot of the future. Article