Scientists find the 'master switch' for key immune cells in inflammatory diseases

18-Jan-2011 - Scientists have identified a protein that acts as a 'master switch' in certain white blood cells, determining whether they promote or inhibit inflammation Scientists have identified a protein that acts as a "master switch" in certain white blood cells, determining whether they promote or inhibit ...

New tool for cell research may help unravel secrets of disease

18-Jan-2011 - Advancements in understanding rotational motion in living cells may help researchers shed light on the causes of deadly diseases, such as Alzheimer's, according to Ning Fang, an associate scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and faculty member at Iowa State University. In ...

Metabolomic biomarker research for the early detection of diabetes

International expert meeting on the current status, benefits, and opportunities of metabolomics in the nutritional sciences, diabetes research, and endocrinology

17-Jan-2011 - Metabolomic biomarker research is a young research area that carries great hopes for both medicine and the nutritional sciences, particularly for the early detection of genetically determined diseases. The first Round Table Meeting on Metabolomics & Diabetes took place in Vienna, bringing ...

In scientific first, researchers visualize naturally occurring mRNA

17-Jan-2011 - In a technique that could eventually shed light on how gene expression influences human disease, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time ever successfully visualized single molecules of naturally-occurring messenger RNA (mRNA) transcribed in ...

Researchers unzip MRSA and discover route for vaccine

17-Jan-2011 - University of Rochester Medical Center orthopaedic scientists are a step closer to developing a vaccine to prevent life-threatening methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections following bone and joint surgery. Other MRSA vaccine research has failed to produce a viable option for ...

VIB-K.U.Leuven scientists clear the way to alternative anti-angiogenic cancer therapy

14-Jan-2011 - Scientists attached to VIB and K.U.Leuven have succeeded in decoding a potential new anti-cancer mechanism. The researchers discovered that normalizing abnormal tumor blood vessels through HRG (histidine-rich glycoprotein) prevents metastasis of tumor cells and enhances chemotherapy ...

Environmental contaminants in foodstuffs

BfR research project on the intake of heavy metals and dioxins completed

14-Jan-2011 - The final report of the research project "Foodborne exposure to environmental contaminants" (LExUKon) is now available. In this project scientists of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) have calculated, together with colleagues from the Research and Advisory Institute for Hazardous ...

Adrenaline receptor ‘frozen in action’ by VIB researchers

Discovery means breakthrough for the development of new drugs based on GPCR’s

14-Jan-2011 - Adrenaline, the hormone that prepares our body to fight or flight, acts on a hyperdynamic receptor. This molecule switches so fast between several positions, that it was impossible to image it. Until now. Scientists, including Jan Steyaert of VIB and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, and ...

Scientists advance understanding of Listeria

13-Jan-2011 - Listeria is an opportunistic pathogen that causes brain infection, blood poisoning, abortion and death for about 500 Americans and a number of farm animals each year. But while its harmful strains can be more lethal than Salmonella, it exists in benign species and strains as well.By finding out ...

Cornell Chronicle: Leaf gene changes increase corn yield

Technique allows researchers to identify key maize genes for increased yield

12-Jan-2011 - A study published in Nature Genetics has identified the genes related to leaf angle in corn (maize) - a key trait for planting crops closer together, which has led to an eight-fold increase in yield since the early 1900s. The study, led by researchers from Cornell and the U.S. Department of ...