Curing Death by Curing Aging - March 2008 Archives

The Immune System and Cancer (3/31/2008)

New Insights into a Not Always Healthy Interplay ...> Full Article

Mobile Cancer Stem Cells - The Real Bad Guy? (3/31/2008)

New Model of Metastasis Formation Presented ...> Full Article

Expansion of a monocyte subset in HIV patients could serve as a biomarker for progression of the disease (3/31/2008)

Amount of monocytes may indicate at what stage the virus is in. ...> Full Article

Complexities Of Genetic Susceptibility To Tuberculosis Revealed (3/31/2008)

Researchers working in Vietnam have identified a genetic variant that predisposes people to developing a lethal form of tuberculosis (TB), tuberculous meningitis, if they are infected with a strain of TB known as the Beijing strain. The work underlines the importance of studying both sides of the complex host-pathogen interaction and its role in susceptibility to disease. ...> Full Article

Scientists Find a Key Culprit in Stroke Brain Cell Damage (3/30/2008)

Researchers have identified a key player in the killing of brain cells after a stroke or a seizure. ...> Full Article

Findings reveal how dengue virus matures, becomes infectious (3/30/2008)

Biologists have determined why dengue virus particles undergo structural changes as they mature in host cells and how the changes are critical for enabling the virus to infect new host cells. ...> Full Article

Coronary calcium testing predicts future heart ailments (3/30/2008)

Study identifies practical, noninvasive procedure for preventing heart attack and heart disease ...> Full Article

New Study Finds Exposure to Low Levels of Radon Appears to Reduce the Risk of Lung Cancer (3/29/2008)

Exposure to levels of radon gas typically found in 90 percent of American homes appears to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer by as much as 60 percent, according to a study published in the March issue of the journal Health Physics. The finding differs significantly from the results of previous case-control studies of the effects of low-level radon exposure, which have detected a slightly elevated lung cancer risk (but without statistical significance) or no risk at all. ...> Full Article

Large multicenter study suggests new genetic markers for Crohn's disease (3/29/2008)

Results shed light on special genetic vulnerabilities of Ashkenazi Jews ...> Full Article

Ant guts could pave the way for better drugs (3/29/2008)

Scientists have discovered two key proteins that guide one of the two groups of pathogenic bacteria to make their hardy outer shells -- their defense against the world. ...> Full Article

Grant Focuses on Link Between Chemical Exposure and Prostate Cancer (3/29/2008)

With questions lingering about the estrogen-mimicking chemical Bisphenol A, anenvironmental health expert hopes to shed new light on the relationship between the man-made chemical and prostate cancer. ...> Full Article

Basis created for directing and filming blood vessels (3/28/2008)

A new method of filming blood-vessel cells that move in accordance with targeted signals has been developed ...> Full Article

Mounting evidence shows red wine antioxidant kills cancer (3/28/2008)

Researchers pinpoint how resveratrol induces pancreatic cancer cell death ...> Full Article

Multi-Institutional Study Identifies New Form of Inherited Risk of Cancer (3/28/2008)

Genetic Analysis of Colon Cancer Patients Reveals Higher Levels of Autozygosity - Identical Copies of DNA Inherited From Both Parents - Than Controls ...> Full Article

Fear that freezes the blood in your veins (3/28/2008)

Study shows that people with anxiety disorders tend to suffer from increased blood clotting ...> Full Article

Spit Tests May Soon Replace Many Blood Tests (3/27/2008)

Easy-Access Body Fluid May Provide Less Invasive Diagnosis Thanks to Proteomics ...> Full Article

Review Of Group-Based Cancer Trials Reveals Flaws In Studies' Design And Analysis (3/27/2008)

A new study reviewing 75 group-randomized cancer trials over a five-year stretch shows that fewer than half of those studies used appropriate statistical methods to analyze the results. The review suggests that some trials may have reported that interventions to prevent disease or reduce cancer risks were effective when in fact they might not have been. ...> Full Article

Promising new drug targets identified for Huntington's disease (3/27/2008)

Research has provided a number of promising new drug targets for Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disease. ...> Full Article

Scientists Discover New Way of Selectively Killing Cancer Cells (3/27/2008)

A professor has discovered a chemical mechanism that can selectively kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. ...> Full Article

Apple pectin, apple juice extracts shown to have anticarcinogenic effects on colon (3/27/2008)

The apples and apple juice you consume may have positive effects in one of the most unlikely places in the body - in the colon. New research has demonstrated that both apple pectin and polyphenol-rich apple juice components actually enhance biological mechanisms that produce anticarcinogenic compounds during the fermentation process. ...> Full Article

Gene Therapy Can Cause Leukemia In Large Animals (3/26/2008)

Individuals with a number of life-threatening genetic diseases of the immune system have been successfully treated by gene therapy -- that is, they were infused with early precursors of immune cells that had the correct form of the defective gene delivered into them by agents known as retroviral vectors. ...> Full Article

Heart failure treated 'in the brain' (3/26/2008)

Beta-blockers heal the heart via the brain when administered during heart failure, according to a new study by UCL (University College London). Up to now, it was thought that beta-blockers work directly on the heart, but the new study shows that the drugs may also act via the brain, suggesting that future therapies to treat cardiovascular disease could be targeting the central nervous system. ...> Full Article

Sewer-gas-induced suspended animation is rapid and reversible (3/26/2008)

Heart rate and metabolism drop, while blood pressure and oxygen levels maintained ...> Full Article

Cancer Treatments In Phase 3 Trials Successful Up To Half Of The Time (3/26/2008)

About one-fourth to one-half of new cancer treatments that reach assessment in phase 3 randomized clinical trials are eventually proven successful ...> Full Article

Scientists see Norwalk virus' Achilles heel (3/25/2008)

Using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, an international team led by University of Calgary researcher Ken Ng has determined the detailed structure of the enzyme the Norwalk virus uses to make copies of its genetic code in order to replicate itself. The information is crucial to developing drugs that could be used to treat outbreaks of Norwalk and other related viruses. ...> Full Article

African 'sniffer' rats used to develop TB breath test (3/25/2008)

Researchers are developing a unique breath test for tuberculosis (TB) - a disease that continues to kill more than two million people every year world-wide and is again becoming more prevalent in developed countries like New Zealand. ...> Full Article

Impaired sense of smell may be early indicator of Parkinson's disease (3/25/2008)

Impaired sense of smell occurs in the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) and there is mounting evidence that it may precede motor symptoms by several years, although no large-scale studies had confirmed this. In the first study involving the general population, researchers found that smell impairment can precede the development of PD in men by at least four years. The study is published in the Annals of Neurology, the official journal of the American Neurological Association. ...> Full Article

Coming soon: Cell therapies for diabetes, cancer? (3/24/2008)

Therapies using stem cell transplants are advancing promising treatments for such conditions as Alzheimer's Disease, neurological diseases and spinal cord injury, and heart disease. Now, scientists think that stem cell transplants may ultimately benefit those who suffer from diabetes or cancer. However, important questions need answers: Given the shortage of human pancreatic islet tissue, can stem cells be used to provide insulin cells that can be stored and secreted from a bioartifical pancreas? Can islet cells be frozen for long periods of time, retain their integrity and be transplanted? If tumors contain cancer stem cells, how can the stem cells be targeted and destroyed to provide improved therapies? ...> Full Article

A stronger heart with flavonoids (3/24/2008)

A new scientific work confirms the beneficial effects of these compounds on human health. And the heart stays young longer ...> Full Article

Scans spot hidden tumors in rare cancer syndrome (3/24/2008)

Study suggests PET/CT may have value in screening Li-Fraumeni patients ...> Full Article

Research promising for cystic fibrosis (3/23/2008)

May serve as model for HIV therapies ...> Full Article

Subterfuge, counter-surveillance and assassination: The body's fight with cervical cancer (3/23/2008)

The virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer has a serious weakness which may provide hope for new treatments for the disease. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover new effect for insulin (3/23/2008)

Plays previously unknown role in aging and lifespan ...> Full Article

New research provides genetic clue to Parkinson's disease (3/22/2008)

Gene linked to development of the disease in those with a family history ...> Full Article

Researchers unmask proteins in telomerase, a substance that enables cancer (3/22/2008)

One of the more intriguing workhorses of the cell, a protein conglomerate called telomerase, has in its short history been implicated in some critical areas of medicine including cancer, aging and keeping stem cells healthy. With such a resume, telomerase has been the subject of avid interest by basic scientists and pharmaceutical companies alike, so you'd think at the very least people would know what it is. ...> Full Article

Scientists report first 3-D view of anti-cancer agent (3/22/2008)

Researchers have created the first three-dimensional image of how a well-established chemotherapy agent targets and binds to DNA ...> Full Article

Findings may help reduce effects of hemorrhagic shock (3/22/2008)

Half of deaths after serious injury occur when the circulatory system collapses. However, supplementing a potent stimulator of the body's protective systems - interleukin-6 - may help reduce the death-dealing effects of hemorrhagic shock ...> Full Article

Gene and activity level of HDL-associated protein linked to risk of heart disease (3/21/2008)

The gene for the HDL-associated protein paraoxonase 1 (PON1) appears to be associated with coronary artery disease ...> Full Article

Grape skin compound fights the complications of diabetes (3/21/2008)

Resveratrol in grape skins could stop diabetic complications such as heart disease, retinopathy and nephropathy, research finds ...> Full Article

Blood disorder protects against severe malarial anaemia (3/21/2008)

Researchers have moved a step closer to understanding why alpha-thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, appears to offer protection against severe malarial anaemia. The key appears to be in the abnormally large number of small red blood cells which characterises thalassaemia. ...> Full Article

Decoding malaria's 'post code' system provides a potential drug target (3/21/2008)

Research has revealed the code used by the malaria parasite to move essential proteins around inside its structure. ...> Full Article

Study verifies that cholesterol-associated gene variants can predict cardiovascular events (3/21/2008)

Gene panels may someday identify patients needing more intense monitoring, treatment ...> Full Article

Scientists show that a microRNA can reduce lung cancer growth (3/21/2008)

A small RNA molecule, known as let-7 microRNA (miRNA), substantially reduced cancer growth in multiple mouse models of lung cancer ...> Full Article

New insight into the genetics of brain tumor formation (3/20/2008)

Researchers identify a potential new neuronal tumor suppressor ...> Full Article

Researchers discover how stealthy HIV protein gets into cells (3/20/2008)

>Scientists have known for more than a decade that a protein associated with the HIV virus is good at crossing cell membranes, but they didn't know how it worked. A multidisciplinary team from the University of Illinois has solved the mystery, and their findings could improve the design of therapeutic agents that cross a variety of membrane types. ...> Full Article

Romanian community provides insight into genetic factors associated with vitiligo (3/20/2008)

An isolated, inbred Romanian community has a higher than average frequency of the skin disease vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases, suggesting a genetic variation that may indicate susceptibility to the condition in a broader population ...> Full Article

Insight into HIV's 'On-Off' Switch Shows Promise for Therapy, Understanding Cellular Decisions (3/20/2008)

Researchers have discovered how a genetic circuit in HIV controls whether the virus turns on or stays dormant, and have succeeded in forcing the virus towards dormancy, a finding that shows promise as an avenue for HIV therapy ...> Full Article

Bonn scientists discover new hemoglobin type (3/20/2008)

Instruments falsely report anoxia in affected people ...> Full Article

New Method Selects Eggs With Best Chance Of Leading To Successful Pregnancy (3/19/2008)

A research team supervised by Université Laval scientist Marc-André Sirard has identified genetic markers that allow the selection of eggs with the best chance of leading to successful pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF). This finding could both increase the success rate of single embryo transfer and diminish the risk of multiple pregnancies. The details of the method developed by the researchers, for which an international patent application has been filed ...> Full Article

New Longevity Genes Identified: Yeast, Worms And People May Age By Similar Mechanisms (3/19/2008)

Scientists have identified 25 genes regulating lifespan in two organisms separated by about 1.5 billion years in evolutionary change. At least 15 of those genes have very similar versions in humans, suggesting that scientists may be able to target those genes to help slow down the aging process and treat age-related conditions. ...> Full Article

Survival Mechanism of T lymphocytes Uncovered (3/19/2008)

Discovery may allow a better understanding of T cell homeostasis as well as provide a basis for rational approaches for the development of compounds to treat autoimmune as well as lymphoproliferative disorders ...> Full Article

Tanning, Sun Exposure Increase Risk For Early Skin Cancer (3/18/2008)

Teen-agers are flocking to tanning beds in record numbers, despite repeated cancer warnings from physicians. Shari Croy was one of those golden-brown teen-agers. Now 46, she's battling skin cancer. ...> Full Article

Overweight, obese women improve quality of life with 10 to 30 minutes of exercise (3/18/2008)

Sedentary, overweight or obese women can improve their quality of life by exercising as little as 10 to 30 minutes a day, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism. ...> Full Article

Gene Variant Increases Breast Cancer Risk (3/18/2008)

Researchers have shown that a common gene variant increases the risk of developing breast cancer. ...> Full Article

Modified Virus Vaccine Shows Breast Cancer Promise (3/18/2008)

Researchers have shown that vaccinating mice with a modified form of a virus containing proteins from breast cancer cells can kill large breast cancer tumors and tumors that have spread to the lungs. The rodent model of cancer used in this study closely resembles a type of breast cancer seen in humans called HER2-positive. Although other cancer vaccines have shown activity in the treatment of very small tumors, their ability to influence large, established tumors, such as many HER2-positive breast cancers, has proven difficult. The study, led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, appeared in the March 15, 2008, issue of Cancer Research. ...> Full Article

Scientists discover how TB 'develops invincibility' against only available treatment (3/17/2008)

Scientists have uncovered a dramatic new twist in the battle against TB ...> Full Article

Researchers initiate phase I diabetes trial (3/17/2008)

Scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have initiated a phase 1 clinical trial to reverse type 1 diabetes. The trial is exploring whether the promising results from the laboratory of Denise Faustman, MD, PhD, can be applied in human diabetes. Faustman's previous studies have shown that mice with a form of diabetes that closely resembles type 1 diabetes in humans can be cured. In the animal studies, a commonly used vaccine that provides protection against tuberculosis, called Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was used effectively to deplete the abnormal immune cells that attack and destroy the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. The first step in the human study, which is currently enrolling volunteers, is to determine whether the same strategy using BCG vaccination can be used to modify the abnormal autoimmune cells that are present in type 1 diabetes, sometimes called "juvenile-onset" diabetes. ...> Full Article

Gene Hunters Fine-Tune Marker for Common Obesity Gene (3/17/2008)

In Children's DNA, a Hint of a Mutation's Ancestral African Origin ...> Full Article

Novel Discovery by Scientists Could Lead to Much-Needed Treatment for Kidney Failure (3/17/2008)

The unwanted activation of an important cell-signaling pathway may play a role in two kidney problems that are major causes of end-stage renal disease, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found. Their research, which opens up a novel approach for treating kidney failure, is described in the March issue of Nature Medicine. ...> Full Article

Low-Level Exposure to 'Asbestos-Like Mineral' From Montana Vermiculite May Increase Risk for Lung Disease (3/17/2008)

Workers exposed to low levels of an asbestos-like mineral from Montana more than two decades ago are at an increased risk for lung disease today ...> Full Article

Soy compound may halt spread of prostate cancer (3/16/2008)

A compound found in soybeans almost completely prevented the spread of human prostate cancer in mice ...> Full Article

New technique takes a big step in examination of small structures (3/16/2008)

A team led by a Purdue University researcher has achieved images of a virus in detail two times greater than had previously been achieved ...> Full Article

A tumor of the pancreas mimicked by colonic duplication? (3/16/2008)

A case of cystic colonic duplication in an adult mimicked a tumor of the pancreas and the diagnosis was established by histopathological examination of the resected specimen after distal pancreatectomy. ...> Full Article

Specialized natural killer cells in human tonsils pack a punch (3/16/2008)

Tonsils are a source of sore throats and an excuse for ice cream. But they also provide an important protective service, their immune-cell-rich tissue acting as the body's first defense against the germs about to be swallowed or inhaled. Researchers have known that tonsils are packed with B cells, which flag invaders for other cells to attack. But a new study by Rockefeller University scientists shows that tonsils also house a different, very specialized cell that helps protect against the Epstein Barr virus (EBV). ...> Full Article

Is increased Slug expression associated with the progression to esophageal cancer? (3/16/2008)

Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry and tissue array reveal that the progression to adenocarcinoma is associated with increased Slug expression and this may represent a mechanism of E-cadherin silencing ...> Full Article

Ibuprofen Destroys Aspirin's Positive Effect on Stroke Risk (3/15/2008)

Stroke patients who use ibuprofen for arthritis pain or other conditions while taking aspirin to reduce the risk of a second stroke undermine aspirin's ability to act as an anti-platelet agent, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown. ...> Full Article

New chemical can kill latent tuberculosis bacteria (3/15/2008)

Eliminating this dormant but threatening form of the bacteria could prevent TB's spread, Weill Cornell researchers say ...> Full Article

A protein that triggers aggressive breast cancer (3/15/2008)

SATB1 is a nuclear protein well known for its crucial role in regulating gene expression during the differentiation and activation of T cells, making it a key player in the immune system. But SATB1 has now revealed a darker side: it is an essential contributing factor in the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. ...> Full Article

Research could put penicillin back in battle against antibiotic resistant bugs that kill millions (3/15/2008)

Research led by the University of Warwick has uncovered exactly how the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae has become resistant to the antibiotic penicillin. The same research could also open up MRSA to attack by penicillin and help create a library of designer antibiotics to use against a range of other dangerous bacteria. ...> Full Article

Study helps explain fundamental process of tumor growth (3/15/2008)

Unique metabolic process first identified eight decades ago is found to be key ...> Full Article

Mouse model for mesothelioma reproduces human disease (3/14/2008)

Scientists have established a mouse model for human malignant mesothelioma (MM) that will provide valuable insight into cancer development and progression along with new directions for design of therapeutic strategies. The research, published by Cell Press in the March issue of Cancer Cell, may eventually lead to a substantially improved outlook for patients with this devastating disease. ...> Full Article

Researchers Highlight Anti-Cancer Benefits of Vitamin D (3/14/2008)

Vitamin D has long been recognized for its role in making healthy bones, but a growing body of evidence now suggests that it can also significantly reduce the risk of developing several types of cancers. ...> Full Article

Inhaled tuberculosis vaccine more effective than traditional shot (3/14/2008)

A novel aerosol version of the most common tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, administered directly to the lungs as an oral mist, offers significantly better protection against the disease in experimental animals than a comparable dose of the traditional injected vaccine, researchers report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Researchers develop a method to select eggs with the best chance of leading to successful pregnancy (3/14/2008)

A research team supervised by Université Laval scientist Marc-André Sirard has identified genetic markers that allow the selection of eggs with the best chance of leading to successful pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF). This finding could both increase the success rate of single embryo transfer and diminish the risk of multiple pregnancies. The details of the method developed by the researchers, for which an international patent application has been filed, are explained on the website of the scientific journal Human Reproduction. ...> Full Article

Is a cup of tea really the answer to everything - even anthrax? (3/14/2008)

A cup of black tea could be the next line of defense in the threat of bio-terrorism according to new international research ...> Full Article

Post-stroke clot-busting therapy beneficial for patients on aspirin (3/13/2008)

Patients given a clot-busting drug following stroke appear to have better outcomes if they were already taking anti-platelet medications, despite an apparent increased risk for bleeding in the brain. ...> Full Article

Researchers ID behavioral risk factors for head and neck cancers (3/13/2008)

Sex practices and lifestyle are culprits ...> Full Article

Screening For Mrsa At Hospital Admission Not Associated With Reduced Rates Of Infection In Surgical Patients (3/13/2008)

New findings do not support the recommendation for universal screening on hospital admission for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections in surgical patients ...> Full Article

Magnesium associated with lower risk for some strokes in male smokers (3/12/2008)

Male smokers who consume more magnesium appear to have a lower risk for cerebral infarction, a type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, according to a report in the March 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...> Full Article

Recurrent Low-Grade Carcinoma of the Ovary Less Responsive to Chemotherapy Than More Common Ovarian Cancers (3/12/2008)

The retrospective study is the first to analyze how women with low-grade tumors respond to chemotherapy in recurrent setting and confirms clinical impressions that the tumors are chemoresistant, said lead author David M. Gershenson, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at M. D. Anderson. Previous studies have shown similar tumor resistance in newly diagnosed patients, and there is currently no standard of care for women facing the disease. ...> Full Article

Pandemic flu may be well mitigated until a vaccine is available (3/12/2008)

Researchers model flu to help guide national pandemic planning ...> Full Article

Researchers demonstrate protective role of microRNA (3/11/2008)

Genetic snippets linked to cancer also key to embryonic cell development ...> Full Article

Research Reveals How Food Poisoning and Bioterrorism Toxins Could Be Tamed (3/11/2008)

New insights into how plant toxin ricin kills cells could help scientists develop drugs to counteract poisonings ...> Full Article

Researchers identify colorectal cancer gene (3/11/2008)

Study is a step towards the future of genetic testing for the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Americans ...> Full Article

Low micro-RNA Level Linked to High Gene Activity in AML (3/10/2008)

A new study suggests that a type of acute leukemia may occur in part because abnormally low levels of one small molecule result in the over-activity of genes important to the disease. ...> Full Article

Einstein researchers discover gene mutations linked to longer lifespans (3/10/2008)

Mutations in genes governing an important cell-signaling pathway influence human longevity, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found. ...> Full Article

Researchers find potential cancer drug (3/9/2008)

Small-molecule drug selectively kills tumor cells by activating p53 protein ...> Full Article

Scientists seek to disarm TB's 'molecular weapon' (3/9/2008)

Researchers seek to gain edge in war against ancient foe ...> Full Article

New Genetic Research Could be Key to Uncovering a Deadly Form of Heart Disease (3/9/2008)

The devastating heart condition known as left main coronary artery disease is the worst form of heart disease and develops silently. Victims often experience no symptoms before sudden death. But new genetic research led by scientists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Duke University could lead to a simple blood test to detect the abnormality in those people most at risk. ...> Full Article

In Novel Strategy Against AIDS, Einstein Researchers Genetically Engineer Immune Cells Into Potent Weapons for Battling HIV Infection (3/8/2008)

By outfitting immune-system killer cells with a new pair of genes, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University transformed them into potent weapons that destroy cells infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Their novel strategy of genetically engineering immune cells to redirect their infection-fighting ability toward killing HIV-infected cells could lead to an entirely new approach for combating AIDS and other viral diseases. ...> Full Article

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Mutations Yield New Therapy Clues (3/8/2008)

DNA mutations found in a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has a poor prognosis has led researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues to a better understanding of how the cancer develops and how it might be treated. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify new genetic marker for breast cancer (3/7/2008)

An international group of investigators led by scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and the National Cancer Institute has identified a new genetic marker of risk for breast cancer. Women with this DNA variation are at a 1.4 times greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to those without the variation. The findings are to be published online on March 3, 2008 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Partnership could help boost Artemisinin supply and treat up to 200 million malaria patients each year (3/7/2008)

The Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH), the US-based nonprofit pharmaceutical company, together with synthetic biology innovator Amyris Biotechnologies, and leading pharmaceutical company sanofi-aventis today announced they have entered into an agreement for the development of semisynthetic artemisinin, a key ingredient i first-line malaria treatments. This partnership will build on technology originated by Professor Jay Keasling at the University of California, Berkeley ...> Full Article

Scientists discover how cigarette smoke causes cancer (3/6/2008)

Everyone has known for decades that that smoking can kill, but until now no one really understood how cigarette smoke causes healthy lung cells to become cancerous. In a new research report published in the March 2008 print issue of The FASEB Journal, researchers from the University of California, Davis, show that hydrogen peroxide (or similar oxidants) in cigarette smoke is the culprit. ...> Full Article

Researchers find key step in programmed cell death (3/6/2008)

The discovery provides insight into how certain proteins, including Hax1, work and how they control the process of apoptosis ...> Full Article

HPV Vaccine for Men? (3/6/2008)

New vaccine used to prevent sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) in women and girls could play the same role in men and boys ...> Full Article

Family Of Liver Cancer Genes Discovered (3/6/2008)

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Stony Brook University Medical Center has identified a family of genes linked to the development of liver cancer. Principal Investigator Wadie F. Bahou, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Genetics, and colleagues discovered in a mouse model that the loss of one specific gene (Iqgap2) in this family causes Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). They also found that when another member of the gene family (Iqgap1) is turned on, a more aggressive form of the disease occurs. ...> Full Article

Gene Expression Differences Between Europeans And Africans Affect Response To Drugs, Infections (3/6/2008)

Differences in gene expression levels between people of European versus African ancestry can affect how each group responds to certain drugs or fights off specific infections, report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Expression Research Laboratory at Affymetrix Inc. of Santa Clara, CA. ...> Full Article

Protein protects lung cancer cells from efforts to fix or kill them (3/5/2008)

A protein that helps lung cancer cells thrive appears to do so by blocking healthy cells' ability to fix themselves when radiation or chemicals such as nicotine damage their DNA, according to a University of Florida study to be published Friday (Feb. 29) in the journal Molecular Cell. ...> Full Article

Thalidomide Shows Promise For Treatment Of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer, Study Suggests (3/5/2008)

Thalidomide, a drug blamed in the 1950s for causing birth defects, is now showing promise as a safe and effective treatment for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, according to a study led by a University of Minnesota Cancer Center researcher. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover gene that blocks HIV (3/5/2008)

A team of researchers at the University of Alberta has discovered a gene that is able to block HIV, and in turn prevent the onset of AIDS. ...> Full Article

Protein in embryonic stem cells control malignant tumor cells (3/5/2008)

A protein that governs development of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) also inhibits the growth and spread of malignant melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, Northwestern University researchers have discovered. Metastatic melanoma, which develops from the transformation of skin pigment cells or melanocytes, has a death rate of more than 80 percent and a median survival of less than 7.5 months. ...> Full Article

Blueberry and green tea containing supplement protects against stroke damage (3/5/2008)

A unique dietary supplement called NutraStem® has been shown to have beneficial effects following experimental stroke. A nutritional supplement product, NutraStem also known as NT-020, is a proprietary formulation of blueberry, green tea, vitamin D3 and carnosine extracts- a combination of nutritional ingredients thought to be potent in protecting against brain damage. ...> Full Article

Extract of broccoli sprouts may protect against bladder cancer (3/4/2008)

A concentrated extract of freeze dried broccoli sprouts cut development of bladder tumors in an animal model by more than half ...> Full Article

New blood marker may predict prostate cancer spread (3/4/2008)

Information could lead to more accurate prediction of cancer metastasis thereby improving patient management. ...> Full Article

HIV breakthrough: Researchers identify protein that fights immunodeficiency (3/4/2008)

A Canada-U.S. research team has solved a major genetic mystery: How a protein in some people's DNA guards them against killer immune diseases such as HIV. In an advance online edition of Nature Medicine, the scientists explain how the protein, FOX03a, shields against viral attacks and how the discovery will help in the development of a HIV vaccine. ...> Full Article

Tumor Vaccines Developed by Researchers (3/4/2008)

A new study reveals how Keck School researchers have discovered a new molecular player that will help create a better vaccination against tumors. ...> Full Article

Red Meat Consumption Linked to Colorectal Cancer (3/4/2008)

For most Americans, meals tend to center around meat. To significantly decrease a person's risks of developing colorectal cancer, experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center suggest a new approach to meal planning that focuses more on fruit and vegetable dishes. ...> Full Article

Researchers Pursue Multiple Approaches to Preventing and Treating Type 1 Diabetes (3/3/2008)

Type 1 diabetes, formerly called insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes or childhood-onset diabetes, affects 1 to 2 million people in the U.S. and millions more worldwide. In this country, it is second only to asthma as the most common chronic disease in children. However, it may begin at any age, when for yet-unknown reasons, a person's immune system mistakenly attacks beta cells that produce insulin. Patients with this type of diabetes are dependent for life on insulin injections or insulin medications. ...> Full Article

Blocking Growth Protein Kills Prostate Cancer Cells, Inhibits Tumor Growth (3/3/2008)

Researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have shown that they can effectively kill prostate cancer cells in both the laboratory and in experimental animal models by blocking a signaling protein that is key to the cancer's growth. The work proves that the protein, Stat5, is both vital to prostate cancer cell maintenance and that it is a viable target for drug therapy. ...> Full Article

Researchers Find Possible Target to Treat Deadly Bloodstream Infections (3/3/2008)

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a possible target to treat bloodstream bacterial infections. ...> Full Article

Combination Vaccine Protects Monkeys from Ebola and Marburg Viruses (3/3/2008)

An experimental, combination vaccine against Ebola and Marburg viruses using virus-like particles (VLPs) provides complete protection against infection in monkeys. Researchers from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) report their results today (Feb. 26) at the 2008 ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, MD. ...> Full Article

New Drug Targets for Preventing Cell Death (3/3/2008)

A new compound that blocks an early step in cell death could lead to a novel class of drugs for treating heart attacks and stroke. ...> Full Article

Enzyme reinforces tumor-causing role of the nuclear coactivator SRC-3 (3/3/2008)

High levels of the enzyme atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) increases the activity of the cancer-associated protein steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) in cancer cells that depend on estrogen to promote their growth, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell. ...> Full Article

Technology enables researchers to 'see' native virus structure at near-atomic levels (3/2/2008)

Using a cryo-electron microscope and a large collection of computers, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and their colleagues succeeded in seeing the three-dimensional structure of an entire bacterial virus shell at 4.5 Ĺ resolution, or 100 millionth of a centimeter. ...> Full Article

Cancer-related protein may play key role in Alzheimer's disease (3/2/2008)

The findings may provide another piece of the puzzle in figuring out how tau proteins can poison nerve cells in the brain. ...> Full Article

Out-of-whack protein may boost Parkinson's (3/2/2008)

A single change in a protein may play a role in whether someone develops Parkinson's disease, say University of Florida Genetics Institute researchers writing in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Scientists Create Artificial 'Cells' that Boost the Immune Response to Cancer (3/2/2008)

Using artificial cell-like particles, Yale biomedical engineers have devised a rapid and efficient way to produce a 45-fold enhancement of T cell activation and expansion, an immune response important for a patient's ability to fight cancer and infectious diseases, according to an advance on line report in Molecular Therapy. ...> Full Article

Research Scientists Devise Approach that Stops HIV at Earliest Stage of Infection (3/2/2008)

Unique Two-Step Process Based on Latest Viral Discoveries ...> Full Article

Bacterial 'battle for survival' leads to new antibiotic (3/2/2008)

Holds promise for treating stomach ulcers ...> Full Article

Scientist announces 'unexpected and exciting advance' in study of cancer type (3/1/2008)

Hope Against Cancer provide new funding for research into lymphoblastic leukaemia ...> Full Article

Drug for Anemic Cancer Patients Raises Risk of Death (3/1/2008)

Millions of cancer patients take drugs to boost their red blood cells and health when they become anemic after chemotherapy. But a new study by Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine shows these drugs, called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), actually raise patients' risk of death, possibly by stimulating the growth of cancer cells. ...> Full Article

Researchers Identify and Shut Down Protein that Fuels Ovarian Cancer (3/1/2008)

Team pinpoints blood vessel promoter's role and targets it with siRNA ...> Full Article

First global malaria map in decades shows reduced risk (3/1/2008)

About 35 percent of the world's population is at risk of contracting deadly malaria, but many people are at a lower risk than previously thought, raising hope that the disease could be seriously reduced or eliminated in parts of the world. ...> Full Article