Aid in Biological News

Recovery act-funded research projects aid communities across the country

In the five months since passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), thousands of research-related awards have been made, supporting important scientific efforts across the country. ARRA delivered the largest increase in basic research funding in American history - $21.5...

Discovery to aid in future treatments of third-world parasites

Saranac Lake, NY - Schistosomiasis, one of the most important of the neglected tropical diseases, is caused by infection with parasitic helminths of the genus Schistosoma . These parasites are long lived (>10 years) and dwell within blood vessels, where they produce eggs that become the focus of ...

Cancer's distinctive pattern of gene expression could aid early screening and prevention

AUGUSTA, Ga. Distinctive patterns of genes turned off or left on in healthy versus cancerous cells could enable early screening for many common cancers and maybe help avoid them, Medical College of Georgia scientists say. Researchers are comparing chemical alterations, called DNA methylatio...

Computers aid in cracking deception in plants

COLUMBIA, Mo. If the growing presence of computer 'geeks' on television crime shows is any indicator, computers are increasingly becoming essential tools for detecting and combating skullduggery. However, television detectives are not the only ones taking advantage of these tools. Researchers als...

New study finds lowfat chocolate milk is effective post-exercise recovery aid for soccer players

JUNE 1, 2009, SEATTLE Soccer players and exercise enthusiasts now have another reason to reach for lowfat chocolate milk after a hard workout, suggests a new study from James Madison University presented at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting. Post-exercise consumption of lowf...

Study may aid efforts to prevent uncontrolled cell division in cancer

Researchers from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a remarkable property of the contractile ring, a structure required for cell division. Understanding how the contractile ring works to divide the cell may facilit...

Bull's-eye electrode helps interpret thoughts, deliver stimulus to aid paralyzed, epileptic patients

KINGSTON, R.I. May 19, 2009 A unique electrode developed for non-invasive use by a University of Rhode Island biomedical engineer is showing promising results in helping to interpret brain signals so paralyzed patients may control their environment. It is also being studied as a means of deliv...

Public trust doctrine could aid management of US oceans

DURHAM, N.C. -- Since Congress lifted a moratorium on offshore drilling last year, federal lawmakers have grappled with the issue of how best to regulate U.S. ocean waters to allow oil, wave and wind energy development, while sustainably managing critical fisheries and marine animal habitats. ...

NC State researchers find soy may aid in treating canine cancers

Researchers at North Carolina State University are looking to soy as a way to make traditional canine cancer therapy more effective, less stressful for the dog and less costly for the owners. Dr. Steven Suter, assistant professor of oncology, and NC State colleagues studied genistein - a molecu...

3 new informatics pilot projects to aid clinical and translational scientists nationwide

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded three contracts for pilot projects to improve informatics support for researchers conducting small- to medium-sized clinical studies. Each of the two-year contracts, which will total up to an estimated $4 million, represents a collaboration among...

Researchers describe protease inhibitor that may aid in diabetic retinopathy treatment

NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2009 Researchers from Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, and ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Francisco, announced today that they have demonstrated that a specific inhibitor of the protease plasma kallikrein, ASP-440, developed by ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals, may provide a ne...

Study: Excessive use of antiviral drugs could aid deadly flu

COLUMBUS, Ohio Influenza's ability to resist the effects of cheap and popular antiviral agents in Asia and Russia should serve as a cautionary tale about U.S. plans to use the antiviral Tamiflu in the event of widespread avian flu infection in humans, scientists say. Researchers analyzed almos...

Satellites helping aid workers in Honduras

Humanitarian aid workers responding to devastating flooding in Honduras have received assistance from space, with satellite images of affected areas provided rapidly following activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced a...

Grapes may aid a bunch of heart risk factors, animal study finds

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Could eating grapes help fight high blood pressure related to a salty diet? And could grapes calm other factors that are also related to heart diseases such as heart failure? A new University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests so. The new study, published in the...

NASA-enhanced dust storm predictions to aid health community

NASA satellite data can improve forecasts of dust storms in the American Southwest in ways that can benefit public health managers. Scientists announced the finding as a five-year NASA-funded project nears its conclusion. Led by investigators Stanley Morain of the University of New Mexico in A...

Sensitive laser instrument could aid search for life on Mars

IDAHO FALLS -- Minuscule traces of cells can be detected in a mineral likely present on Mars, a new study shows. The results, obtained using a technique developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, could help mission scientists choose Martian surface samples with the mos...

'Chemical equator' discovery will aid pollution mapping

Scientists at the University of York have discovered a 'Chemical Equator' that divides the polluted air of the Northern Hemisphere from the largely uncontaminated atmosphere of the Southern Hemisphere. Researchers from the University's Department of Chemistry found evidence for an atmospheric c...

New sensory devices will aid Parkinson's and stroke patients

People who have suffered a stroke or who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, could benefit from new research at Queen's University Belfast. Dr Cathy Craig from Queen's School of Psychology is researching the development of new sensory devices for those who normally have difficulty con...

Genome of saltwater creature could aid understanding of gene grouping

HOUSTON (Aug. 20, 2008) The genetic code of a simple saltwater creature could help researchers learn more about how groups of genes function in humans and other species. A study published this week in the journal Nature breaks down the genetic code of Trichoplax , a simple saltwater creatu...

Insect warning colors aid cancer and tropical disease drug discovery

Brightly colored beetles or butterfly larvae nibbling on a plant may signal the presence of chemical compounds active against cancer cell lines and tropical parasitic diseases, according to researchers at Smithsonian's Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Such clues could speed drug discovery an...

Accelerometer backpacks aid study of gliding behavior in the 'flying' lemur

Berkeley -- The "flying" lemur of Malaysia is the champion of all gliding mammals, able to drop from the forest canopy, glide more than the length of two football fields, execute 90-degree turns and then alight gently on a tree trunk. Researchers in Singapore, the United Kingdom and at the Univ...

Radioactive 'understudy' may aid medical imaging, drug development

Broadway stars have understudies. Now, an increasingly popular radioactive isotope has its own stand-in. Developed in part by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the substance might ultimately improve medical imaging, speed up clinical trials of many drugs and...

Resilience concepts poised to aid management of coastal marine ecosystems

The January 2008 issue of BioScience includes a special section entitled Managing for Resilience in Coastal Marine Ecosystems. The four articles in the section highlight different aspects of attempts to incorporate modern concepts from mathematical ecology into ecosystem-based management of coasta...

More comprehensive analysis of Klamath River basin needed to aid decision makers

WASHINGTON -- Two recent scientific studies attempt to better understand the Klamath River basin ecosystem. However, a new report from the National Research Council says for the studies to prove more useful for decision makers, a comprehensive analysis of the basin should be completed to identify...

MIT: 'Micro' livers could aid drug screening

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--MIT researchers have devised a novel way to create tiny colonies of living human liver cells that model the full-sized organ. The work could allow better screening of new drugs that are potentially harmful to the liver and reduce the costs associated with their development. Li...

Gamma interferon could aid fight against fungal infections

Interferon, the superhero cure for viral infections, may be a strong weapon in the battle against fungal infections in immunocompromised patients, according to an article in the November issue of Microbiology Today. Fungal infections (mycoses) were once seen as exotic diseases, but this is chan...

Bits of 'junk' RNA aid master tumor-suppressor gene

Little-known bits of RNA help master tumor-suppressor gene do its job, U-M cancer researchers find Three micro RNA genes appear to be key partners of protective gene p53; their loss is linked to common type of lung cancer ANN ARBOR, Mich. Scientists have shown in literally thousands of stu...

Newly created cancer stem cells could aid breast cancer research

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (August 13, 2007) In some ways, certain tumors resemble bee colonies, says pathologist Tan Ince. Each cancer cell in the tumor plays a specific role, and just a fraction of the cells serve as queens, possessing the unique ability to maintain themselves in an unspecialized state an...

DNA-damage test could aid drug development

In the daunting marathon that leads to successful drugs, promising drug candidates must pass toxicity tests before entering clinical trials. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Whitehead Institute have developed a cell culture test for assessing a compound's genetic toxicity ...

Knocking out survival protein could aid leukemia treatment

An effective way to fight leukemia might be to knock out a specific protein that protects cancer cells from dying, a new study shows. The findings suggest that a drug that can block this "survival protein" might on its own be an effective therapy. But such a drug used in combination with s...

Discovery could aid fight against cystic fibrosis infection

Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered one way that a hardy disease-causing bacteria could be surviving in the lungs of chronically infected cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. "This work is important because pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) use protein secretion s...

Discovery of agile molecular motors could aid in treating motor neuron diseases

(Philadelphia, PA) - Over the last several months, the labs of Yale Goldman, MD, PhD, Director of the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Erika Holzbaur, PhD, Professor of Physiology, have published a group of papers that, taken together, show pro...

Mouse mimics chronic leukemia, will aid drug development

A study by cancer researchers here reveals that a new strain of mice offers the first real animal model for an incurable form of chronic leukemia and should greatly aid the development of new drugs for the disease. The mouse, called the TCL-1 transgenic mouse, develops a malignancy that closely...

Indonesia - disaster relief aid in action

ISN's immediate response to this latest quake - to strike the Indonesian island of Java - was to call once again on its Renal Disaster Task Force (RDRTF). Under the leadership of Dr. Raymond Vanholder, the Task Force acted rapidly by sending two scouts to join a team from Médecins Sans Frontières (...

Role of protein in immune response may aid HIV research

A family of proteins that serve as the body's first line of defense against bacterial infections may provide a lifeline for individuals with compromised immune systems, according to researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine ?Northwest. In the July 28 issue of the Journal of Biolog...

Worm hormone discovery may aid fight against parasitic disease

New research at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows that on a biochemical level, hormone-like molecules in tiny worms called nematodes work similarly to the way in which certain hormones work in humans ?findings that one day may help eradicate worm infections that afflict a third of the world's po...

Medieval diaries aid scientists ascertain increase in hot spots due to global warming

The temperature of the northern hemisphere has increased over a larger area in the last century than at any time in the past millennium a report published in Science reveals this week. The study finds that the number of 'hot spots' has increased dramatically in the Northern Hemisphere in the las...

Powerful technique for multiplying adult stem cells may aid therapies

Adult stem cells may be free of the ethical concerns that hamper embryonic stem cell research, but they still pose formidable scientific challenges. Chief among these is the doggedness with which adult stem cells differentiate into mature tissue the moment they're isolated from the body. This makes...

Web model of influenza-host lifecycles will aid scientists in creating anti-viral drugs

A "starry sky" map linking the myriad interactions between the influenza virus and its human host will help guide researchers in creating new anti-viral drugs, say researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The on-line map, part of a project called Reactome, is intended to teach scientists a...

UCLA discovery will aid in treatment of patients with a deadly brain cancer

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer have identified key characteristics in certain deadly brain tumors that make them 51 times more likely to respond to a specific class of drugs than tumors in which the molecular signature is absent. The discovery of the telltale molecular signature ?the expres...