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Genetic manipulation cuts nerve damage, boosts life span

A novel genetic manipulation significantly extends the life spans of flies by reducing the amount of wear and tear suffered by nerve cells in adults, according to new work published in Cell Metabolism. The findings support the idea that therapies designed to protect the adult nervous system by curbing the production of damaging free radicals might effectively increase longevity in other animals, including humans, the researchers said.

15 Feb 2005

Ingestion of afterbirth appears to promote maternal behavior in mammals

A behavioral neuroscientist at the University at Buffalo holds that the ingestion of afterbirth by a mother, a feature of pregnancy in nearly all non-human mammals, not only relieves postpartum pain, but optimizes the onset of maternal behavior by mediating the activity of specific opioid activity circuits in the brain.

13 Feb 2005

New primate-specific gene family that spans about 10% of human chromosome 2

A team of scientists led by Peer Bork, Ph.D., Senior Bioinformatics Scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, report today in the journal Genome Research that they have identified a new primate-specific gene family that spans about 10% of human chromosome 2.

13 Feb 2005

Scientists show knocking out key signals will cause diabetes

Using a revolutionary technique to turn off chemical signals inside the cell, scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that the different metabolic abnormalities present in type 2 diabetes can be caused by knocking out two key signals in liver cells.

11 Feb 2005

Project makes Europe a leader in biocrystallography

A project to create a common platform throughout Europe for researchers working in the field of ‘biological crystallography’ is underway thanks to a grant of 10 million euros from the EU’s 6th Framework Programme (FP6).

8 Feb 2005

Nano-sized particles enable researchers to visualize a tumor using only infrared light

Nano-sized particles embedded with bright, light-emitting molecules have enabled researchers to visualize a tumor more than one centimeter below the skin surface using only infrared light.

7 Feb 2005

New way to assess the potentially damaging effects of prenatal drug exposure

Scientists have demonstrated a new way to assess the potentially damaging effects of prenatal drug exposure--a technique that could also be used to monitor a fetus's response to therapeutic drugs--using sophisticated, noninvasive medical imaging tools.

7 Feb 2005

Compound, derived from a rare South American plant, stops the growth of human breast cancer cells

They started with a bare room and an idea. Now, after five years of painstaking, sophisticated tests, scientists at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered that a compound, derived from a rare South American plant, stops the growth of human breast cancer cells in laboratory cultures.

1 Feb 2005

Scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons

After years of trial and error, scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons, critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

30 Jan 2005

Avalanches in your brain could actually help you to store memories

Meeting a friend you haven't seen in years brings on a sudden surge of pleasant memories. You might even call it an avalanche.

26 Jan 2005

Scientists gain ground in understanding cell motility

One of the most basic yet least understood processes in our bodies is how cells crawl along tissues. This behavior is essential to the formation of an embryo and other processes, but it must be tightly controlled. A disturbance can lead to the spread of cancer cells or diseases like Spina bifida and Lissencephaly, in which cells fail to reach their proper destinations.

26 Jan 2005

Modern humans have sloppy gene control mechanisms which can make us susceptible to diseases

Our evolutionary ancestors’ lack of choice in the mating game has left modern humans exposed to disease, according to new research published in the journal PLOS Biology today.

25 Jan 2005

Scientists answer the question, why do some people always seem to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others?

Now scientists from the United Kingdom's Rothamsted Research Centre, the largest agricultural research centre in the United Kingdom are asking why some people always seem to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others? These scientists believe they may have found the answer and their work could lead to the development of novel insect repellents.

24 Jan 2005

Scientists unravel first step in translating genetic information in order to build a protein

Timing is everything, it seems, even in science. A team led by Johns Hopkins scientists has unraveled the first step in translating genetic information in order to build a protein, only to find that it's not one step but two.

24 Jan 2005

Scientists identify fat gene

UCLA/VA scientists have identified a new gene that controls how the body produces and uses fat. Called lipin, the gene may provide a new target for therapies to control obesity, diabetes and other weight-related disorders. The first issue of the new journal Cell Metabolism publishes the findings in its January 2005 edition.

19 Jan 2005

Scientists discover that microRNAs regulate thousands of human genes

For many years, DNA and proteins have been viewed as the real movers and shakers in genomic studies, with RNA seen as little more than a messenger that shuttles information between the two.

16 Jan 2005

Missing sequence of the human Y chromosome may contain genes controlling stature and tumor development

Scientists have reported in the journal Genome Research that they have successfully cloned and characterized a previously intractable DNA sequence: a 554-kilobase-pair genomic segment near the centromere of the human Y chromosome. This sequence contains eight putatively active genes that could be implicated in sex-associated height differences and gonadal tumor development.

16 Jan 2005

Scientists examine the role of small sputum macrophages in the widespread disease chronic obstructive bronchitis

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is one of the most common fatal diseases worldwide. In Germany alone, there are about 3-5 million patients affected. COPD includes both chronic obstructive bronchitis and emphysema. Both represent irreversible changes of the central and lower respiratory tract which are accompanied by coughing, mucus production and difficulty in breathing.

10 Jan 2005

Scientists identify genes that promote the growth and recurrence of skin cancer

Andrzej Dlugosz, M.D., a professor of dermatology in the U-M Medical School, and colleagues at the University of Michigan and the National Cancer Institute examined the functions of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway in basal cell carcinoma – the most common form of cancer – and uncovered a subset of tumor cells that were resistant to inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway.

10 Jan 2005

Scientists identify a protein that regulates alcohol-withdrawal seizures

Seizures are the most life-threatening, as well as disconcerting, symptoms of withdrawal in people who are alcoholics and who abruptly stop drinking. Heavy consumption of alcohol, or ethanol, the substance in beer, wine and liquor that is addictive, leads to changes in the brain.

10 Jan 2005

Medical Science News

Genetic manipulation cuts nerve damage, boosts life span

Ingestion of afterbirth appears to promote maternal behavior in mammals

New primate-specific gene family that spans about 10% of human chromosome 2

Scientists show knocking out key signals will cause diabetes

Project makes Europe a leader in biocrystallography

Nano-sized particles enable researchers to visualize a tumor using only infrared light

New way to assess the potentially damaging effects of prenatal drug exposure

Compound, derived from a rare South American plant, stops the growth of human breast cancer cells

Scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons

Avalanches in your brain could actually help you to store memories

Scientists gain ground in understanding cell motility

Modern humans have sloppy gene control mechanisms which can make us susceptible to diseases

Scientists answer the question, why do some people always seem to get bitten by mosquitoes more than others?

Scientists unravel first step in translating genetic information in order to build a protein

Scientists identify fat gene

Scientists discover that microRNAs regulate thousands of human genes

Missing sequence of the human Y chromosome may contain genes controlling stature and tumor development

Scientists examine the role of small sputum macrophages in the widespread disease chronic obstructive bronchitis

Scientists identify genes that promote the growth and recurrence of skin cancer

Scientists identify a protein that regulates alcohol-withdrawal seizures

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

How GLP‑1 Agonists Are Shaping the Future of Obesity Treatment With Dr Bryony Henderson

Flow chemistry, AI, and NMR: A next-gen approach to scalable API production

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