Biotechnology Headlines

News from The Scientist

The future of U.S. science policy ()
With an administration change at hand, research could come out of the shadows and into the political light

Science and politics ()
The call for a presidential science debate went unheeded, but it was worthwhile

$400 million for genomics institute ()
The largest act of US philanthropy for biomedical research will bring permanence to the Broad Institute

Genetics News From Medical News Today

Blood 'Fingerprints' For Cancer (Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT)
Serum microRNAs (miRNAs) can serve as biomarkers for the detection of diseases including cancer and diabetes, according to research published online this week in Cell Research. The findings pave the way for a revolutionary non-invasive diagnostic tool. miRNAs are a class of naturally occurring small non-coding RNAs that have been linked with cancer development.

Unique Immune Functions Discovered In Arteries From Distinct Regions Of The Body (Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT)
Human arteries play distinct roles in the immune system depending on their anatomical location, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered. Their findings explain why vascular diseases affect different parts of the arterial network and could help doctors fine-tune the treatment of such diseases as atherosclerosis and vasculitis. Atherosclerosis causes heart attacks and strokes because it occurs preferentially in arteries supplying the heart and the brain.

Studying The Accuracy Of DNA Editing In Mammals (Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT)
Imagine having to copy an entire book by hand without missing a comma. Our cells face a similar task every time they divide. They must duplicate both their DNA and a subtle pattern of punctuation-like modifications on the DNA known as methylation. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have caught in action one of the tools mammalian cells use to maintain their pattern of methylation.

Biology / Biochemistry News From Medical News Today

Nanoscale Droplets With Cancer-Fighting Implications Produced By Scientists (Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT)
UCLA scientists have succeeded in making unique nanoscale droplets that are much smaller than a human cell and can potentially be used to deliver pharmaceuticals. "What we found that was unexpected was within each oil droplet there was also a water droplet - a double emulsion," said Timothy Deming, professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Bioengineering and a member of both the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.

Studying The Accuracy Of DNA Editing In Mammals (Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT)
Imagine having to copy an entire book by hand without missing a comma. Our cells face a similar task every time they divide. They must duplicate both their DNA and a subtle pattern of punctuation-like modifications on the DNA known as methylation. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have caught in action one of the tools mammalian cells use to maintain their pattern of methylation.

Cardiac Cell Transplant Studies Show Promise In Cardiac Tissue Repair (Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT)
Two studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (17:6) examine the efficacy of transplanting bone marrow cells (BMCs) for the repair of heart tissue. The first study found that implanting adult cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) in combination with BMCs has two advantages over transplanting cardiomyocytes alone.