development

A gene's first 'kiss' sets off that affair known as puberty

...uberty's tell-tale physical changes, including the development of breasts in girls and voice change in boys. As such, this research begins to answer one of the most vexing questions about human development: What causes puberty to begin? How is it that the full repertoire of reproductive hormones can exist at bir...

Chemists create 'Superbowl' molecule; May lead to better health

In a development that could one day score a touchdown for better health, chemists in Australia have created a "superbowl" molecule that shows promise for precision drug delivery, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Shaped like...

Viral DNA sequence a possible trigger for breast cancer

...virus, but what role this sequence plays in cancer development has remained unexplored. Katz and colleagues now show that this sequence is contained in the Env protein of MMTV and show that expression of Env in mouse breast cells transforms them. This study puts the spotlight on a potential new mechanism for vi...

Wisconsin scientists grow critical nerve cells

...ing of a toe to the rolling of an eyeball. The new development could one day help victims of spinal-cord injuries... in a developing embryo. With the ticking clock of development in mind, Zhang and his team deduced that there is only a thin sliver of time - roughly the third and...

New push for public health, AIDS spending at African Union summit

...hat fighting AIDS is not just a health issue but a development issue," she said. "Now they have to deliver on the existing protocols and develop a serious and practical strategy." Mozambique is the only country that has, thus far, committed to allocating 15 per cent of its gross domestic product to healthcare...

Jump-starting T Cells In Skin Cancer

...hat are expanded after vaccination may help in the development of more effective anti-tumor vaccines. Tumor-specific T cells can be detected in the blood and the tumors of many melanoma patients, and yet these cells are unable to kill the tumor. What causes the impotence of these T cells is a mystery. Equally m...

Deficient DNA Repair Capacity Associated With Increased Risk Of Breast Cancer

...tudies of DNA repair capacity and the need for the development of better laboratory tests for such studies. "When... understand the role of DNA repair capacity in the development of cancer and possibly to develop interventions to reduce cancer incidence and mortality," they writ...

Spleen may be source of versatile stem cells

...ls,Hox11 is a controller of key steps in embryonic development - includingthe formation of the spleen - but it wa... - or potentially evencells of the nervous system, development of which depends on thecorrect production of Hox11."We know that if you have a major loss of blood, ...

Genes In The Interferon System Important In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

...ron effect.It is therefore possible to imagine the development of methods oftreatment for SLE based on blocking the function of the thyrosinkinaseenzyme," explains Lars Rönnblom.The other gene codes for a transcription factor, which also plays animportant role in regulating the interferon effect. Further functio...

Source of molecular triggers in cutaneous T cell lymphoma identified

...useful for cancer immunotherapy and promoting Treg development may be useful to induce tolerance in autoimmune disease and transplantation," ...

Protein discovery could unlock the secret to better TB treatment

...iscovery of Rpf in the TB bacteria could allow the development of methods to 'wake-up' all dormant bacteria in a patient allowing antibiotics to kill the bacteria and cure the disease." The team includes Prof Brian Henderson at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, Nicholas Keep from Birkbeck, University of London,...

Enzyme, lost in most mammals, is shown to protect against UV-induced skin cancer

...es ofdamage to tumor formation is critical for the development of therapiesthat could help prevent skin cancer. Moreover, CPDs and 6-4PPs haveparticular potential to cause lasting damage to mammalian cells becausephotolyases ?a class of enzymes capable of efficiently repairing theselesions ?have apparently been ...

It's not all genetic: Common epigenetic problem doubles cancer risk in mice

...her the loss of imprinting is involved in cancer's development or just in its progression. "Most researchers, in...f imprinting of IGF2 contributes to colon cancer's development in the mice. It doesn't cause tumors directly, but it creates an environment which is ripe for cance...

Topical treatment shown to inhibit HIV and herpes simplex virus infection

... efficacy of PRO 2000, a topical microbicide under development by Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "There is an urgent need for the development of safe and effective vaginal microbicides," Marla Keller, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at ...

Poor prenatal nutrition permanently damages function of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas

...ion of the mother. It also can occur with abnormal development of the placenta and its blood vessels, or high blood pressure, which damages vessels." In addition, many other factors can result in intrauterine growth restriction and low birth weight. The Joslin study, published in the March edition of Diabetes, ...

Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists identify immune-system mutation

...tor of the maturation process." Understanding the development of critical components of the immune system can contribute to medical advances in stimulating desirable immune responses and halting undesirable immune reactions, Kappes said. This understanding can further progress against various immune disorders, ...

Controversial drug shown to act on brain protein to cut alcohol use

...h findings aboutthe drug Ibogaine open the way for development of other drugs toreverse addiction without Ibogain...nowledge of a molecular mechanism thatshould allow development of a new class of drugs to treat addictionwithout Ibogaine's side effects," said Dorit Ron, PhD, UCS...

Elusive HIV shape change revealed; Key clue to how virus infects cells

...ison. He notes that some HIV inhibitors already in development seem to inhibit the shape change; the new findings...pin down how these compounds work and hasten their development into drugs. "The findings also will help us understand why it's so hard to make an HIV vaccine, and ...

Mouse brain cells rapidly recover after Alzheimer's plaques are cleared

...id clearance of brain plaques,made possible by the development of Abeta antibodies, affect theprogression of Alzh... would halt the progression of thedamage--stop the development of new swellings," says Brendza. "But whatwe saw was much more striking: in just three days, there w...

Genome of deadly amoeba shows surprising complexity, evidence of lateral gene transfer

...olytica genome sequence is expected to help in the development of new vaccines as well as diagnostic tests that c...A typing from the genome sequenced is allowing the development of "new diagnostic tests that help distinguish the most deadly substrains of the parasite." Dr. Alo...

Key molecule in plant photo-protection identified

...id clearance of brain plaques,made possible by the development of Abeta antibodies, affect theprogression of Alzh... would halt the progression of thedamage--stop the development of new swellings," says Brendza. "But whatwe saw was much more striking: in just three days, there w...

Newly-discovered class of genes determines ?and restricts ?stem cell fate

...hers found that Pax3, a gene critical in embryonic development of melanocytes ?cells that make and store the pigments in the skin and hair ?is also expressed in adult stem cells in the skin. "Our findings told us that a recapitulation of an embryonic program is occurring in resident stem cells in adult skin," e...

Plants, animals share molecular growth mechanisms

...e genes and their proteins are required for normal development and for normal cell-to-cell adhesion," Szymanski s...s DIS3 or the whole WAVE complex." For growth and development biochemical processes to proceed normally, activators such as ARP 2/3 are needed to trigger actin fi...

Recent breakthroughs in common adult leukemia highlighted in New England Journal of Medicine

...ro, Genova, Italia). "Previous theories about the development and progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia require revision. With new molecular and protein markers now identified, patients with features that portend poor outcomes may soon be treated earlier and more effectively," said Dr. Chiorazzi. "Once t...

Scientists detect probable genetic cause of some Parkinson's disease cases

... fresh evidence that genetics maycontribute to the development of some cases of Parkinson's disease. Thefindings could lead to the development of a genetic test to detect themutation in individuals at risk. The research team includesinvestigat...

Computers to be used to find blueprint for new influenza drug

...illiams said that his work is a more sophisticated development from similar modelling which produced two anti-influenza drugs, Relenza and Tamiflu, whose effectiveness is limited. He and Dr Ruggiero will study sialidases, enzymes used by the flu virus to snip off a special type of sugar, sialic acid, from the t...

Transplantation Of Monkey Embryonic Stem Cells Reverses Parkinson Disease In Primates

...Aneurons. The authors observed increased DA neuron development andsubsequently transplanted these neurons into monkeys treated with anagent called MPTP, which is considered a primate model for Parkinsondisease. These transplanted cells were able to function as DA neuronsand diminished Parkinsonian symptoms.In an...

A much-needed shot in the arm for HIV vaccine development

...at the Global HIV VaccineEnterprise will speed the development of a vaccine by bringing newcollaboration, resourc...ntific strategic plan will not only accelerate the development of alifesaving HIV vaccine but also boost African capacity in healthresearch to address new health t...

Inexpensive, mass-produced genes core of synthetic biology advances at UH

...ential benefits, as syntheticgenes could allow for development and production of safer, less toxicproteins that a...iral diseases. Thistechnology also will facilitate development of new medications throughthe creation of humanized yet synthetic antibodies that could beespecially...

HIV Patients May Be at Risk of Heart Problems When Taking Protease Inhibitor Drugs

...protease inhibitors may, in fact, be linked to the development of heart rhythm problems through the mechanism of blocking a channel. Ultimately researchers from the University of Wisconsin led by Craig January, M.D., Ph.D., discovered that protease inhibitors do block these key channels. "Our findings suggest t...

“Nano-scissors?laser shows precise surgical capability

...ering atThe University of Texas at Austin, led the development of thetechnique. It acts like a pair of tiny “nano-scissors,?able to cut,for example, nano-sized units like nerve axons, the parts of nervecells that carry nerve impulses away from the cells to muscles or toother cells.“This tool opens up a new front...

Finding Cures For Tropical Diseases: Is Open Source An Answer?

There's aparadigm in life science and drug development : only "lucrative""markets" get exploited by R&D companies. In many occasions I'veseen very promising drugs candidates or related research get cannedbecause no money was to be made with it, even if millions would havebeen saved worldwide. The usu...

Genome-wide mouse study yields link to human leukemia

... and a unique chemical signature implicated in the development of human leukemia, findings that open up a "treasu...e model as a good predictor of what happens in the development of human disease," he added. The findings appear in Nature Genetics online at http://www.nature.com...

Cytoplasm affects the number of vertebrae in carp-goldfish clones

... so-called "segmentation clock" early in embryonic development is controlled by the egg cytoplasm. Thus the egg c...of the nucleus and egg cytoplasm to the growth and development of vertebrates. ...

Breakthrough Microarray-based Technology for the Study of Cancer

A new development in the analysis of cancerhas been announced by Agilent Technologies. The company has reported aninnovative method that enables the rapid advance of microarray-basedcomparative genomic studies in cancer. According to the reportpublished in the Decembe...

Learning to fight an adversary that won't stay down

...igh throughput screening were expected to make the development of new antibiotic compounds easier and more productive. But in most cases the microbes continue to hold the upper hand ?and if three billion years of bacterial history is any kind of track record, we're in for an endless running battle, says Dr. Juli...

Found: Missing sequence of the human Y chromosome

..., or gonadoblastoma locus, whichis responsible for development of tumors associated with theundifferentiated gonad, has been genetically mapped to the region.Because the "missing" sequence described in this study contained eightputatively active genes, further functional testing of these genes mayreveal insights...

Mitochondrial DNA mutations play significant role in prostate cancer

...chondrial DNA (mtDNA) playan important role in the development of prostate cancer, according toresearch by scientists at Emory University School of Medicine and theUniversity of California, Irvine. The findings are published onlinethis week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS). Mitochondr...

Gene therapy converts dead bone graft to new, living tissue

... the foreign splint as living bone, is a promising development for the thousands of cancer and trauma patients ea...ertzman, executive vice president for research and development at the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. Other scientists have attempted to invoke a similar r...

Clam embryo study shows pollutant mixture adversely affects nerve cell development

...xplain how exposure to BCE affectshuman nerve cell development and how it might relate to neurologicaldisorders. ...ering neural development,and alterations in neural development are thought to be a cause ofautism," says Jill Kreiling, first author of the paper and a member ofRe...

Yale Scientists Find MicroRNA Regulates Ras Cancer Gene

...ound that these worms require let-7 RNA for normal development to occur. Without it, cells do not stop dividing and fail to differentiate into the normal structures of the worm ?instead they make an excess of their cells. After identifying let-7 as a cell division regulator, Slack's team used bioinformatics and...

Study identifies predictors of HIV drug resistance in patients beginning triple therapy

...xplain how exposure to BCE affectshuman nerve cell development and how it might relate to neurologicaldisorders. ...ering neural development,and alterations in neural development are thought to be a cause ofautism," says Jill Kreiling, first author of the paper and a member ofRe...

Mouse brain tumors mimic those in human genetic disorder

...children with NF1.Second, the time course of tumor development was similar to that seenin humans. Unlike most tum... cells in the brain. Butit was unclear whether the development of blood vessels and recruitmentof microglia helped trigger tumor formation or if they appeared only...

Automatic extraction of gene/protein biological functions from biomedical text

...he rapid advancement of biomedical science and the development of high-throughput analysis methods, the extraction of various types of information from biomedical text has become critical. Since automatic functional annotations of genes are quite useful for interpreting large amounts of high-throughput data effi...

Enzyme allows B cells to resist death, leading to leukemia

...is. Theauthors suggest that Lyn is involved in the development of B-CLL andthat this enzyme therefore represents an attractive target for therapy.The study will appear online on January 13 in advance of publication inthe February 1 print edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation....

Scientists rid stem cell culture of key animal cells

...and a co-author of the Nature Methods paper. "This development is a good step in that direction. Also, clinically, the feeder cells were one of the main sources of potential contamination with pathogens, so their elimination should improve safety. However, not all the animal components have been removed from the...

Protein Packages Found To Activate Genes; May Be What Regulates Development And Disease

...nown specifics of how genes get switched on during development of the human body and in diseases such as cancer. "Each type of cell in our bodies contains the same genes. What makes them do different things involves which genes are turned on," notes Bradley Bernstein, a pathologist at Harvard Medical School. He...

First 'atlas' of key brain genes could speed research on cancer, neurological diseases

...which transcription factor (TF) genes regulate the development of thatbrain region, and which of them to investig... is freely accessible to researchers studyingbrain development and disorders.To compile the atlas, the investigators first sifted through databasesof information f...

New research questions basic tenet of neuron function

...ontaneous release is thought to play a role in the development of the neural circuitry in the brain and body, while activity-dependent release is responsible for functions such as learning and memory. ...

Critical role in programmed cell death identified

...nues for studying and targeting a process vital to development and implicated in cancer and autoimmune diseases. ...essential for life; it's needed for nervous system development and it keeps the body up and running. Miscues and failures are instrumental in cancer, autoimmune di...

Genetically modified natural killer immune cells attack, kill leukemia cells

...icant technical hurdles that have until now slowed development of NK-based therapies for ALL, according to Dario ...y breakthroughs made by the St. Jude team were the development of a laboratory technique for rapidly producing a large, pure population of NK cells from a small sa...

Open microfluidic and nanofluidic systems

... relation between basic research and technological development in the micro- and nanoregime: open systems with di...he methods of theoretical physics. In general, the development of any new technology requires a systematic understanding of the underlying physics. This latter con...

Researchers discover molecule that causes secondary stroke

...ins given off by the brain bleed contribute to the development of specific molecules that later causes the constricting vasospasm." A research team led by Dr. Clark has now identified the molecules that trigger vasospasm, a breakthrough, he says, that "raises hopes of developing not only new ways to treat the co...

Researchers trace evolution to relatively simple genetic changes

...plasin pathway, an important part of the embryonic development process. The human disorder, one of the earliest o... molecule is expressed in ectodermal tissue during development and instructs certain cells to form teeth, hair and sweat glands. It also seems to control the shape...

Scientists reveal molecular secrets of the malaria parasite

...three stagesin their vertebrate hosts and a sexual development stage during whichthe parasite is transmitted between vector and host.The Science paper represents the culmination of four years ofcooperative work by scientists at several research institutes,including: the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the U.K...

Octopuses occasionally stroll around on two arms, UC Berkeley biologists report

...plasin pathway, an important part of the embryonic development process. The human disorder, one of the earliest o... molecule is expressed in ectodermal tissue during development and instructs certain cells to form teeth, hair and sweat glands. It also seems to control the shape...

Studies reveal methods viruses use to sidestep immune system

...thwart a host's immune defenses and may aid in the development of more effective drugs to fight hepatitis C and W... and control host immune defenses will aid in drug development to combat disease, he said. In the Virology paper, Dr. Gale and his research group found that a spe...

Development of portable infectious disease detector

...d medicaldiagnostics, agreed to collaborate on the development before theholidays.VIIBRE has spent the last three years developing the ability to measurethe metabolism of small groups of cells and studying how they respondto drugs, toxins and pollutants. To do so, the interdisciplinary teamhas developed two basi...

Alcohol's effects on gene expression in the central nervous system

...ng effects, sensitivity to the effects of alcohol, development of tolerance to the effects of alcohol, development of alcohol dependence, and alcohol withdrawal severity," he said. "For the average reader, knowing w...

Research Gives Hope For Liver Damage

...ated with internal bleeding, liver failure and the development ofprimary liver cancer. There is a huge imperative to develop newapproaches to the treatment of liver scarring. Exciting insights suchas these will inform the design of future therapies."Further research into macrophages is set to follow and scientis...