HOUSTON, May 6, 2010 – The assembly of the first comprehensive DNA sequence of an amphibian genome will shed light on the study of embryonic development, with implications for preventing birth defects and more effectively treating many human diseases.
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers recently released study data showing children who lived near major highway or railroad intersections have higher diagnoses of asthma. The researchers used this study to show how neighborhood environment is a risk factor in understanding the development of pediatric asthma. The study appears in a recent addition of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
NEW YORK (May 6, 2010) – The Wildlife Conservation Society announced the results of the first-ever evaluation of a large, "landscape-wide" conservation approach to protect globally important populations of elephants and great apes.
In the last three years, a new technique for reprogramming adult cells has given scientists an easier and less controversial way to harness the power of embryonic-like stem cells to study human disease from its earliest beginnings in hopes of gleaning new insights into the root causes of disease and developing new therapies.
But the reprogrammed cells, known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, are different from embryonic stem cells in their ability to model a human genetic disease, a new cell-to-cell comparison shows.
Bacterial spores, the most resistant organisms on earth, carry an extra coating of protection previously undetected, a team of microbiologists reports in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology. Their findings offer additional insight into why spores of the bacteria that cause botulism, tetanus, and anthrax survive methods to eradicate them.
The study was conducted by researchers at New York University's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Loyola (Ill.) University's Medical Center, and Princeton University's Department of Molecular Biology.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) possess remarkable properties of self-renewal and pluripotency, the ability to become almost any kind of cell within the body. And yet they share the same genome or set of genes with lineage-committed cells, cells fated to be or do one thing.
Baltimore, MD— Proteins called cohesins ensure that newly copied chromosomes bind together, separate correctly during cell division, and are repaired efficiently after DNA damage. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found for the first time that cohesins are needed in different concentrations for their different functions. This discovery helps to explain how certain developmental disorders, such as Cornelia de Lange and Roberts Syndrome arise without affecting cell division essential to development.
Emory University scientists have discovered that simple peptides can organize into bi-layer membranes. The finding suggests a "missing link" between the pre-biotic Earth's chemical inventory and the organizational scaffolding essential to life.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – After menopause, 6 to 10 million women take hormone therapies, which are often a combination of estrogen and progestin, to replace hormones lost from inactive ovaries. Progestin is a hormone that is used to counteract the potentially negative effects of estrogen therapy on the uterus. In studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, evidence has been found that estrogen and progestin in hormone therapies increase the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
Press releases (embargo: 6 May, 16:45 CEST)
J. Hicks, USAGenome breakthrough allows scientists to identify and profile tumor cells from very small samplesResearchers have developed a powerful new technique for analyzing the genome of single tumor cells. The breakthrough allows them to study in fine detail the biology of how tumors develop.
Brussels, 6 May 2010 -- Researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the USA have developed a powerful new technique for analyzing the genome of single tumor cells. The breakthrough allows them to study in fine detail the biology of how tumors develop and has the potential to help doctors identify dangerous tumor cells from small samples such as fine-needle biopsies from the prostate or a non-invasive lesion in the breast.
Dr James Hicks from Cold Spring Harbor described the new technique at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
Brussels, 6 May 2010 -- An international team of researchers has discovered molecular evidence that may explain why some women with HER2 over-expressing breast cancer do not respond to drugs designed to target this important molecule.
The research, presented at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium, could have an important impact on future clinical trial design and treatment strategies in HER2 over-expressing breast cancer.
Brussels, 6 May 2010 -- A simple genetic test that uses just three genes is among the most effective means of classifying breast cancer into sub-types, US researchers report at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium. The findings are a significant step in bringing more personalized treatment into breast cancer.
The study is based on the already well-established fact that breast cancer is not one biologically homogeneous disease, but it is composed of several molecular sub-types each of which is characterized by distinct gene expression profiles.
Brussels, 6 May 2010 -- A new study of metastatic breast cancer shows that the number of circulating tumor cells patients have in their blood directly correlates with the length of their survival. Reported at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium, the results have the potential to improve the delivery of personalized therapy to these patients.
Research from the University of Leeds has identified how the virus which causes Kaposi's Sarcoma replicates and spreads – opening a door to a possible new treatment for the disease.
Kaposi's Sarcoma is a cancer caused by a human herpes virus and is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the most common cause of cancer amongst those infected with HIV.