Bioresearch & Disease Studies

EMBL Opens Advanced Training Centre

Heidelberg, Germany (Scicasts) - The German Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan, has officially opened the new training and conference centre for the life sciences on the campus of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg.

imaGenes GmbH Adds Certification of Roche NimbleGen DNA Methylation Analysis to Service Portfolio

Madison, WI, (Scicasts) - Roche NimbleGen has announce that imaGenes GmbH, located in Berlin, Germany, has passed the certification process to qualify as a Roche NimbleGen Certified Service Provider (CSP) for DNA Methylation Analysis. imaGenes is a solution provider for functional genomics and proteomics with a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality services for molecular life sciences. This is the second certification for imaGenes to provide service for NimbleGen arrays, following the successful certification as ChIP-chip CSP in December 2009, and makes them the first service provider in Europe with multiple certifications.

Research Program to Understand Malaria Receives $12.7 Million

Victoria, Australia (Scicasts) - A research program that aims to better understand malaria infection and develop treatments and vaccines for the disease has been awarded $12.7 million (US$11.5 million) by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Scientists Map Genetic Regulatory Elements for the Heart

Bethesda, Maryland and Chicago, IL (Scicasts) - According to a report from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Chicago, scientists have devised a new computational model that can be used to reveal genetic regulatory elements responsible for development of the human heart and maintenance of its function. 

Researchers Obtain Brain Recordings from Fruit Flies

Pasadena, CA (Scicasts) - According to a report from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), researcher at the Institute have obtained the first recordings of brain-cell activity in an actively flying fruit fly.

Scientists Synthesize Unique Family of Anti-cancer Compounds

New Haven, CT (Scicasts) - Scientists at Yale University have streamlined the process for synthesizing a family of compounds with the potential to kill cancer and other diseased cells, and have found that they represent a unique category of anti-cancer agents, according to a report from the Institute.

Comprehensive Study Predicts the Molecular Causes of Many Genetic Diseases

Novato, CA (Scicasts) - It is widely known that genetic mutations cause disease. What are largely unknown are the mechanisms by which these mutations wreak havoc at the molecular level, giving rise to clinically observable symptoms in patients. Now a new study using bioinformatics, led by scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research, reports the ability to predict the molecular cause of many inherited genetic diseases.

Gene that Improves Quality of Reprogrammed Stem Cells Identified

Singapore (Scicasts) - Scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have reported that a genetic molecule, called Tbx3, which is crucial for many aspects of early developmental processes in mammals, significantly improves the quality of stem cells that have been reprogrammed from differentiated cells. The report was published in the 7 Feb. 2010 issue of the journal Nature.

UC Riverside Establishes New Stem Cell Core Facility

Riverside, CA (Scicasts) - Stem cell research at the University of California, Riverside is about to gather speed thanks to the establishment of a new Stem Cell Core Facility (SCCF) – a shared facility providing infrastructure, equipment, and trained personnel for doing stem cell research that ordinarily would not be available in most laboratories.

Scientists Hack into Communication Systems of Cells

Hamburg, Germany (Scientists) - Cells rely on a range of signaling systems to communicate with each other and to control their own internal workings. According to a report from he European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Hamburg, Germany, scientists from the Institute have now found a way to hack into a vital communications system, raising the possibility of developing new drugs to tackle disorders like neurodegeneration, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

In a study published this week in Science Signaling, they have pieced together the first snapshot of what two of the system's components look like while interacting.

Researchers Track Paw Prints of Selective Breeding in Dogs

Seattle, WA (Scicasts) - From the Dachshund's stubby legs to the Shar-Pei's wrinkly skin, breeding for certain characteristics has left its mark on the dog genome. According to a report from the University of Washington (UW), researchers have identified 155 regions on the canine genome that appear to have been influenced by selective breeding.

Animal Behavioural Studies Can Mimic Human Behaviour

NEW YORK (Scicasts) - Studying animals in behavioural experiments has been a cornerstone of psychological research, but whether the observations are relevant for human behaviour has been unclear. Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have identified an alteration to the DNA of a gene that imparts similar anxiety-related behaviour in both humans and mice, demonstrating that laboratory animals can be accurately used to study these human behaviours.

Biologists Merge Methods, Results from Different Disciplines to Find New Meaning in Old Data

Durham, NC (Scicasts) - A growing number of scientists are merging methods and results from different disciplines to extract new meaning from old data, says a team of researchers in a recent issue of Evolution.

Uniform Method to Interpret Autism Spectrum Disorders Defined

Beer-Sheeva, Isreal (Scicasts) – According to a report from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, a researcher at the Institute has defined a new, integrated interpretation of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which makes it easier to understand both the commonalities and differences between ASD and other conditions.

Research Uncovers Origins of Deadly Facial Tumours Decimating Australia's Tasmanian Devil Population

Cold Spring Harbor, NY - An international team of scientists led by a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) investigator has discovered that the deadly facial tumours decimating Australia's Tasmanian devil population probably originated in Schwann cells, a type of tissue that cushions and protects nerve fibres.

Scientists Identify Key Signalling Pathway for Heart Development and Healing

Monterotondo, Italy (Scicasts) - Almost a century after it was discovered in fruit flies with notches in their wings, the Notch signalling pathway may come to play an important role in the recovery from heart attacks. In a study published 10 December in Circulation Research, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, have proven that this signalling pathway targets heart muscle cells and thus reveal its crucial role in heart development and repair.

Mass Spectrometry Technology Helps Isolate Biomarker for Acute Pediatric Appendicitis

San Jose, CA (Scicasts) - Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced that a team of researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston has identified a promising biomarker, known as LRG, that they believe will help physicians diagnose acute pediatric appendicitis more accurately and efficiently. The team conducted its research on a Thermo Scientific LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer and discovered several potential biomarkers, including leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein (LRG).

TGen Analysis Identifies Biomarkers for Diabetic Kidney Failure

Phoenix, AZ (Scicasts) - According to a report by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (Tgen), researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Institute and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.

Biologists and Engineers Decode the Next Frontier

Princeton, NJ (Scicasts) - According to a report from Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science, a team of biologists and engineers at the institute has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine.

New Down syndrome Treatment Suggested by Stanford/Packard Study in Mice

Stanford, CA (Scicasts) - At birth, children with Down syndrome aren't developmentally delayed. But as they age, these kids fall behind. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences needed for normal cognitive development.