Revolution

Revolutionary nanotechnology illuminates brain cells at work

Until now it has been impossible to accurately measure the levels of important chemicals in living brain cells in real time and at the level of a single cell. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology and Stanford University are the first to overcome this obstacle by successfully applying genetic nanotechnology using molecular sensors to view changes in brain chemical l...

NHGRI expands effort to revolutionize sequencing technologies

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced it has awarded grants totaling more than $32 million to advance the development of innovative sequencing technologies intended to reduce the cost of DNA sequencing and expand the use of genomics in biomedical research and health care. "The efforts are aimed at speeding the...

Fruit fly research set to revolutionize study of birth defects

A Queen's University study of fruit flies that may revolutionize the way birth defects are studied has identified the genes affected by a widely-prescribed drug known to cause birth defects. Methotrexate (MTX), a popular cancer-fighting drug also used to treat psoriasis, ectopic pregnancies, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus, lasts a long time in the body and causes birth defects in childre...

Software might revolutionize glucose monitoring in critically ill patients

Researchers have developed a new computerized system to easilymonitor the levels of glucose in the blood of patients in intensivecare. A study published today in the open access journal BMC MedicalInformatics and Decision Making reports that GRIP, a computersoftware that assists in the monitoring of glucose levels incritically ill patients, saves nurses time and effort and is moreefficient...

Nanopore method could revolutionize genome sequencing

A team led by physicists at the University of California, San Diego has shown the feasibility of a fast, inexpensive technique to sequence DNA as it passes through tiny pores. The advance brings personalized, genome-based medicine closer to reality. The paper, published in the April issue of the journal Nano Letters, describes a method to sequence a human genome in a matter of hours at a...

Revolution in the fight against cancer & viruses

A recent scientific discovery could herald the introduction of fast, effective treatments for cancer and viruses. "The process, called RNA interference, blocks the production of p...

Patients to benefit from novel technology revolutionizing high-speed molecular imaging

The new technologically advanced D-SPECT camera enables shorter image acquisition times, provides better image quality and opens the door to new diagnostic procedures using simultaneous multi-isotope imaging--providing the potential to revolutionize functional imaging, according to results released at SNM's 53rd Annual Meeting June 3? in San Diego. "The potential of using more than one tr...

A revolution in the monitoring of unborn babies

New technology, the size of a mobile phone, which could save the life of an unborn child, has been developed by scientists from The University of Nottingham. The device monitors the baby’s heart for signs of potential danger. It is small and easy to use so that mother’s-to-be can keep a regular check on their baby’s heart beat without having to go into hospital and be attached to a machine. No ot...

A new study of living cells could revolutionize the way we test drugs

Researchers have made a breakthrough by detecting the electrical equivalent of a living cell’s last gasp. The work takes them a step closer to both seeing the ‘heartbeat?of a living cell and a new way to test drugs. To stay alive, individual biological cells must transfer electrically charged particles, called ions across their cell membranes. This flow produces an electrical current that...