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New study reveals RNA may play a critical role in cancer treatment

Researchers from Yale University and Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., reversed the growth of lung tumors in mice using a naturally occurring tumor suppressor microRNA. The study reveals that a tiny bit of RNA may one day play a big role in cancer treatment, and provides hope for future patients battling one of the most prevalent and difficult to treat cancers.

7 Dec 2009

Computer search algorithms identify FDA-approved drugs that could be the basis for new medicines

A massive, data-crunching computer search program that matches fragments of potential drug molecules to the known shapes of viral surface proteins has identified several FDA-approved drugs that could be the basis for new medicines -- if emerging viruses such as the H5N1(avian flu) or H1N1/09 (swine flu) develop resistance to current antiviral therapies -- according to a presentation at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 49th Annual Meeting, Dec. 5-9, 2009 in San Diego.

7 Dec 2009

Scientists identify aggression-promoting pheromone in flies’ antenna

Have you ever found yourself struggling to get your order taken at a crowded bar or lunch counter, only to walk away in disgust as more aggressive customers elbow their way to the front? It turns out that flies do much the same thing, according to biologists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

7 Dec 2009

Scientists explore new strategies for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Studies with fruit flies have shown that the specialized nerve cells called neurons can rebuild themselves after injury.

7 Dec 2009

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives SU2C grant for cancer research

Matthew Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, has been awarded more than $700,000 by Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) for his high-risk/high-reward cancer research.

7 Dec 2009

Neuroscientists show how brain waves can be used to perform certain tasks

Neuroscientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, Fla., have demonstrated how brain waves can be used to type alphanumerical characters on a computer screen. By merely focusing on the "q" in a matrix of letters, for example, that "q" appears on the monitor.

7 Dec 2009

TGFb growth factor controls spread of cancer cells

The spread, or metastasis, of individual breast cancer cells from the main tumor into the blood circulation to the lungs and other body tissues and organs is under the control of a growth factor abbreviated TGFb, according to a study with laboratory mice that will be presented at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 49th Annual Meeting, Dec. 5-9, 2009 in San Diego.

7 Dec 2009

New data shows patients with Type II PNH cells experience platelet consumption and increased thrombosis risk

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced presentation of data showing that the presence of Type II paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) cells is correlated with thrombocytopenia, potentially indicating that patients with Type II cells experience ongoing platelet consumption and increased thrombosis risk.

7 Dec 2009

New approach to protein misfolding may lead to novel therapies for a number of diseases

In an encouraging new development, a team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has restored partial function to lung cells collected from patients with cystic fibrosis. While there is still much work to be done before the therapy can be tested in humans, the discovery opens the door to a new class of therapies for this and a host of other chronic diseases.

7 Dec 2009

Vitamin D supplements may aid in treating cancer

The findings support the growing association between vitamin D and cancer risk and outcomes, and suggest that vitamin D supplements might help even those patients already diagnosed with some forms of cancer, says Dr. Drake.

7 Dec 2009

New findings may yield more effective therapies for infants with blood cancer

Pediatric oncologists have identified specific genes, dubbed partner genes, that fuse with another gene to drive an often-fatal form of leukemia in infants. By more accurately defining specific partner genes, researchers expect to better predict which infants may benefit from particular treatments.

7 Dec 2009

Study explains how circadian rhythms can drive feeding and metabolism behaviors

One of the pioneers in research on sleep:wake circadian genes, Amita Sehgal, Ph.D., has discovered that fruit flies' appetite and consumption are controlled by two rival sets of clocks, one in neurons and the other in the fly fat body, which is analogous to the liver.

6 Dec 2009

Stem cell treatment: A new hope for Multiple Sclerosis

RNL Bio Co., Ltd, (www.rnl.co.kr) a leading biopharmaceutical company specialized in adult stem cell therapeutics announced today that a 46-year-old female, Kang Sook Park's Multiple Sclerosis improved tremendously after receiving stem cell treatment. Park was suffering from MS (Multiple Sclerosis), an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

6 Dec 2009

New study reveals genetic alteration can lead to severe childhood obesity

Scientists in Cambridge have discovered that the loss of a key segment of DNA can lead to severe childhood obesity. This is the first study to show that this kind of genetic alteration can cause obesity. The results are published today in Nature.

6 Dec 2009

Lab grown muscle cells raise hope for gastric reflux and fecal incontinence

A new study shows that muscle cells grown in the lab can restore an intestine's ability to squeeze shut properly. The work, performed in dogs and rats, might ultimately help treat patients with conditions such as gastric reflux and fecal incontinence.

5 Dec 2009

PharmAthene's Valortim demonstrates potential for anthrax treatment

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that the Company is presenting results of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of Valortim® in an inhalation anthrax model in the New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit.

5 Dec 2009

Critical enzyme activity provides new insight into heart disease mechanisms

Using a new mathematical model of heart cells, University of Iowa investigators have shown how activation of a critical enzyme, calmodulin kinase II (CaM kinase), disrupts the electrical activity of heart cells.

5 Dec 2009

Study on fruit flies may help in understanding the root cause of stem cell diseases

The body is a battle zone. Cells constantly compete with one another for space and dominance. Though the manner in which some cells win this competition is well known to be the survival of the fittest, how stem cells duke it out for space and survival is not as clear.

5 Dec 2009

Comparative study on African monkeys may provide novel targets for AIDS therapy

Two studies published this month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation provide a significant advance in understanding how some species of monkeys such as sooty mangabeys and African green monkeys avoid AIDS when infected with SIV, the simian equivalent of HIV.

5 Dec 2009

Researchers discover two new metabolic pathways

Case Western Reserve University researchers, from the School of Medicine's Department of Nutrition, discovered two new metabolic pathways by which products of lipid peroxidation and some drugs of abuse, known as 4-hydroxyacids, are metabolized.

5 Dec 2009