Like many these days, Shiva sits around too much, eating rich, fatty foods and sipping sugary drinks. He has the pot belly to prove it, one that nearly touches the floor — when he’s on all fours, that is. Shiva belongs to a colony of monkeys who have been fattened up to help scientists study the twin human epidemics of obesity and diabetes. The overweight monkeys also test new drugs aimed at treating those conditions.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 - 13:12
Within months of Alexe Webb's birth, her parents noticed eye problems. Alexe seemed unable to fix her vision on faces. Bright lights triggered prolonged bouts of staring. In dim light, she groped with her hands to find toys or snacks in plain view.
Friday, February 18, 2011 - 11:52
Nobody enjoys colonoscopies, including mice. University of Missouri researchers are excited about the potential of using genetic biomarkers to predict colon cancer caused by inflammation. A new method developed at the MU Research Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (RADIL) could eventually lead to a method that might eliminate colonoscopies altogether.
Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 14:07
Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 13:40
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that nitroxoline, an antibiotic commonly used around the world to treat urinary tract infections, can slow or stop the growth of human breast and bladder cancer cells by blocking the formation of new blood vessels. The results, appearing in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggest that nitroxoline shows promise as a potential therapeutic agent.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - 15:04
In new research from Saint Louis University, investigators have found evidence that a toxin produced by the brain is responsible for the series of cellular events that lead to Parkinson's disease. The study, published in PLoS One, found that the brain toxin DOPAL plays a key role in killing the dopamine neurons which trigger the illness.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 14:01
Although most people in developed countries get plenty of calories daily, their diets are often lacking in key nutrients that their bodies have evolved to expect. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in fish and walnuts, are one category of crucial ingredients that the body cannot make on its own.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - 13:16
A professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Missouri and his team have successfully performed a knee replacement procedure in dogs using biological cartilage. The cartilage was developed from the patient's own cells, which were grown in the lab and formed for insertion into the knee.
Monday, January 31, 2011 - 15:50
Biologists have grown beating heart cells directly from connective tissues in mice, skipping a previously required middle step -- the creation of stem cells.
Monday, January 31, 2011 - 15:39
After several years in the lab, researchers at City of Hope are reporting positive results in animal trials of a new treatment designed to both hunt down HIV-infected cells and stop the virus from spreading, according to a study published last week in the journal, "Science Translational Medicine."
Monday, January 24, 2011 - 12:39
MIT scientists have discovered that cells lining the blood vessels secrete molecules that suppress tumor growth and keep cancer cells from invading other tissues, a finding that could lead to a new way to treat cancer.
Thursday, January 20, 2011 - 15:20
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 — In a study published in the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell, a team of researchers led by Channing Der, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at UNC-Chapel Hill, took a step back to a simpler organism – a common roundworm – and made a discovery about how the Ras oncogene chooses a signaling pathway and how the consequences of that choice play out in cellular development – a key issue in cancer, which is characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.
Thursday, January 20, 2011 - 14:59
This molecule, a tiny strand of nucleotides called microRNA-29 or miR-29, has already been shown to be in short supply in certain neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 - 12:30
The researchers found decreased formation of cell-to-cell connections, cell division and amounts of growth factors in the fetuses of mothers fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 - 12:10
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center researchers have discovered a previously unknown feature of common tumor cells – massive overexpression of certain DNA sequences that do not code for proteins. These DNA sequences – called satellite repeats – have been studied for their role in chromosomal structure but previously were not suspected of having a role in cancer. The report will appear in the journal Science and is receiving early online release.
Friday, January 14, 2011 - 12:10
Research in rats suggests that "rebooting" the brain can help stop tinnitus, a condition characterized by persistent ringing or other noises in the ears.
Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 13:34
Using a mouse model, researchers have discovered that a molecular switch called EMMPRIN plays an important role in MS.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 - 12:19
Australian and international researchers have announced a potential breakthrough in lung cancer research – linking it to a genetic mutation for which blocking drugs already exist.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 - 12:00
A team of University of Missouri and Columbia University researchers have found a way to create these biological joints in animals, and they believe biological joint replacements for humans aren't far away.
Thursday, January 6, 2011 - 10:45
In a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Early Edition ahead of print), a team of researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and four collaborating institutions, identified a new and unexpected biological pathway that appears to contribute to the development of glaucoma and its resulting vision loss.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 - 11:18