Last update: February 27, 2007 08:55 PM (All times are in UTC)
February 27, 2007
Oxygen is the quintessential two-edged sword of molecular biology: essential for (animal) life, but at the same time a perennial source of damage to macromolecules. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), arising from both external sources and the intrinsic metabolic machinery of the cell itself, have been implicated in many aspects of cellular aging. Of particular interest to [...]
February 27, 2007 04:04 PM
A report published in the April 15, 2007 issue of the International Journal of Cancer described the finding of a study funded by the National Cancer Institute that a greater intake of calories, attributable to a higher proportion of animal-sourced protein and fat, is associated with an increased risk of endometrial (uterine) cancer, and plant [...]
February 27, 2007 03:05 PM
February 26, 2007
Researchers at Stanford University have added one more trick to carbon nanotubes’ repertoire of accomplishments: a way to fight the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Chemistry professor Hongjie Dai and his colleagues have used carbon nanotubes to transport RNA into human white blood cells that defend the body from disease, making the cells less susceptible to [...]
February 26, 2007 01:49 PM
Evidence began mounting as long as 70 years ago that restricting calories while consuming necessary amounts of sustenance could increase one’s life span. Since then, a group called the North Carolina-based Calorie Restriction Society has sprouted whose 1,800 members routinely down about half of the daily caloric intake recommended by the Food and Drug Administration [...]
February 26, 2007 01:42 PM
In a recent meeting, African Union (AU) Ministers of Agriculture endorsed the development of the African Seed and Biotechnology Program (ASPB). The ministers, meeting in Libreville, Gabon, seemed to acknowledge that Africa is in short supply of quality seeds, and that’s why its agricultural sector remains in the doldrums. This situation is self-inflicted, and has more to do with the
February 26, 2007 08:28 AM
February 25, 2007
So did you put your money into Thermo, Millipore, Sigma or sadly Invitrogen the past 2 years?
February 25, 2007 05:30 PM
Chronic inflammation spurred by an immune system run amok appears to play a role in medical evils from arthritis to Alzheimer’s, diabetes to heart disease. There’s no grand proof of this “theory of everything.” But doctors say it’s compelling enough that we should act as if it were true — which means eating an “anti-inflammatory [...]
February 25, 2007 04:30 PM
Are you always on the hunt for a way to iron out the time lines etched in your face? Behold: a new study has found that multiple injections of Restylane, a popular “skin filler” believed to temporarily zap lines by literally filling them in, actually stimulates the skin to produce collagen, a protein that keeps [...]
February 25, 2007 04:24 PM
A special cocoa made to retain naturally occurring compounds called flavanols may have the potential to help maintain healthy brain function and chart the course for future research that could lead to new solutions for preventing cognitive decline and dementia, according to a panel of scientists who presented new data at the annual meeting of [...]
February 25, 2007 03:50 PM
Plant-based omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may have a protective effect on bone health, according to a team of Penn State researchers who carried out the first controlled diet study of these fatty acids contained in such foods as flaxseed and walnuts. Normally, most of the omega-3 fatty acids in the diet are plant-derived and come [...]
February 25, 2007 03:42 PM
Using gene chips to profile tumors before treatment, researchers at Harvard and Yale Universities found markers that identified breast cancer subtypes resistant to Herceptin, the primary treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. They say this advance could help further refine therapy for the 25 to 30 percent of breast cancer patients with this class of tumor. In [...]
February 25, 2007 03:33 PM
A protein known for its ability to “bridge” interactions between other cellular proteins may spur metastasis in breast cancer, the disease’s deadliest stage, a study from Burnham Institute for Medical Research has found.
February 25, 2007 03:26 PM
February 23, 2007
Habitual intake of caffeinated beverages provides protection against heart disease mortality in the elderly, say researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Brooklyn College. Using data from the first federal National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study, the researchers found that survey participants 65 or more years old with higher caffeinated beverage intake exhibited [...]
February 23, 2007 01:55 PM
Researchers from Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) at University of Copenhagen have identified a new group of proteins that regulate the function of stem cells. The results are published in the new issue of Cell.
February 23, 2007 01:53 PM
February 21, 2007
Pinpointing the genes involved in cancer will help chart a new course across the complex landscape of human malignancies. “If we wish to learn more about cancer, we must now concentrate on the cellular genome.” Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco penned those words more than 20 years ago in one of the earliest public calls for what [...]
February 21, 2007 02:40 AM
February 19, 2007
In an article appearing in AsianNews.it, the archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, is reported to have sent a letter to Philippines president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, urging her to stop the sale of genetically modified (GM) rice “because it poses health risks to consumers.” According to the cardinal, “Independent and environmentally-concerned local and international scientists
February 19, 2007 12:31 PM
February 18, 2007
U.S.National Institutes of Health researcher Peter Kwong said the study, published in the journal Nature, may reveal HIV's long-sought "site of vulnerability" that can be targeted with a vaccine aimed at preventing initial infection. "Having that site and knowing that you can make antibodies against it means that a vaccine is possible," Kwong said in a telephone interview
AIDS virus weakness detected - Yahoo! News
February 18, 2007 07:34 PM
Scientific Advances The MaRS Blog has a captivating story of Canada’s recent major diabetes discovery. The first discovery, in 1920, elucidated insulin’s central role in diabetes. The most recent discovery, also from the University of Toronto, has found a strong link between diabetes, pain nerves, and inflammation. Researchers were able to prevent and even reverse [...]
February 18, 2007 06:41 PM
To create a dialogue for important issues in biotechnology, BiotechBlog is adopting an open architecture. All user accounts have the ability to post articles (which are subject to review prior to posting). Give it a shot. Go head and create an account, get on your soapbox, and post some guest content. Guidelines for submissions are: BiotechBlog [...]
February 18, 2007 05:57 PM
February 17, 2007
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have derived uniparental embryonic stem cells - created from a single donor’s eggs or two sperm - and, for the first time, successfully used them to repopulate a damaged organ with healthy cells in adult mice. Their findings demonstrate that single-parent stem cells can proliferate [...]
February 17, 2007 03:56 PM
It appears that the skin, the largest organ in our body, is a kind of zoo and some of the inhabitants are quite novel, according to a new study. Researchers found evidence for 182 species of bacteria in skin samples. Eight percent were unknown species that had never before been described. It is the first study [...]
February 17, 2007 03:51 PM
February 15, 2007
A newly designed porous membrane, so thin it’s invisible edge-on, may revolutionize the way doctors and scientists manipulate objects as small as a molecule. The 50-atom thick filter can withstand surprisingly high pressures and may be a key to better separation of blood proteins for dialysis patients, speeding ion exchange in fuel cells, creating a new [...]
February 15, 2007 05:23 AM
The next health trend might come out of nursery school instead of the gym: A study of nearly 24,000 people found that those who regularly took midday naps were nearly 40% less likely to die from heart disease than non-nappers. Researchers suggest that siestas might protect the heart by lowering levels of stress hormones. Read rest of [...]
February 15, 2007 12:06 AM
February 14, 2007
For cells that hold so much promise, stem cells’ potential has so far gone largely untapped. But new research from Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists now shows that adult stem cells taken from skin can be used to clone mice using a procedure called nuclear transfer. The findings are reported in the [...]
February 14, 2007 01:06 PM
