news from the lab

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 22.02
Engineers create cell phone-based sensor for detection of E. coli
UCLA RESEARCH ALERT FINDINGS: Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new cell phone–based fluorescent imaging and sensing platform that can detect the presence of the bacterium Escherichia coli in food and water.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 22.02
Study closes debate on folic acid and heart disease
Taking folic acid supplements is not going to have any meaningful effect on your risk of coronary heart disease. That's the conclusion of a comprehensive study led by Oxford University researchers that pretty much closes the door on this debate once and for all.

Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 22.02
Map reveals cancer hotspots
A new technique is helping researchers to pinpoint genetic information that contributes to cancer development. A research team, led by Professor Thomas Preiss from the John Curtin School of Medical Research at The Australian National University, has used a new mapping technique to reveal tell-tale "sign posts" in DNA's lesser-known relative, RNA - ribonucleic acid.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 21.02
What cancer cells need to travel
Cancer cells must prepare for travel before invading new tissues, but new Cornell research has found a possible way to stop these cells from ever hitting the road. Researchers have identified two key proteins that are needed to get cells moving and have uncovered a new pathway that treatments could block to immobilize mutant cells and keep cancer from spreading, said Richard Cerione, Goldwin Smith Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 20.02
Wildlife and cows can be partners, not enemies, in search for food
  Princeton University researchers conducted two large-scale experiments in Kenya that offer the first experimental evidence that allowing cattle to graze on the same land as wild animals can result in healthier, meatier bovines by enhancing the cows' diet.

Life Sciences - Environmental Sciences - 19.02
Yosemite’s alpine chipmunks take genetic hit from climate change
Global warming has forced alpine chipmunks in Yosemite to higher ground, prompting a startling decline in the species' genetic diversity, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 17.02
Old antibiotic could be a new weapon to fight TB
A cheap and safe antibiotic that is widely available in the developing world might have a new use as a tuberculosis (TB) treatment, according to new research. TB kills almost 2 million people a year worldwide, and is increasingly becoming resistant to the antibiotics used to treat it, but there are few new drugs in the pipeline.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 17.02
Unscrambling the Devil tumour
Researchers have mapped the genome of the Tasmanian Devil for the first time, a crucial step towards understanding the transmissible facial tumours decimating Devil populations and related human cancers.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 16.02
When body clock runs down, immune system takes time off
The circadian clock is a finely tuned genetic mechanism that regulates our sleep cycle and key metabolic changes during the 24-hour cycle. It also may help determine whether we get sick or not, according to a new Yale School of Medicine study published online Feb 16 in the journal Immunity.

Life Sciences - 16.02
Secret of sperm quality control revealed by Yale scientists
Yale researchers have discovered how the "guardian of the genome'' oversees quality control in the production of sperm - and perhaps in many other cells as well. The research published online Feb.

Life Sciences - Chemistry - 16.02
Bacteria disarmer activates fiber formation in Parkinson’s protein
The same substance that hampers the infection capability of bacteria can hasten the fiber formation of the protein that is involved in the development of Parkinson's disease. The study shows how important basic research is to our understanding of possible side effects from drug candidates interacting with various target proteins.

Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 14.02
Critical stage of embryonic development now observable
Not only is this approach uncovering events previously hidden from view, but it has other important potential applications.

Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 14.02
Malaria parasite goes bananas before sex: new study
New research from the University of Melbourne shows how the malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) changes into a banana shape before sexual reproduction, a finding that could provide targets for vaccine or drug development and may explain how the parasite evades the human immune system.

Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 13.02
Neuron memory key to taming chronic pain
Study suggests erasing neuronal memories may help control persistent pain For some, the pain is so great that they can't even bear to have clothes touch their skin. For others, it means that every step is a deliberate and agonizing choice.

Chemistry - Life Sciences - 10.02
Experts reveal how plants don’t get sunburn
Experts at the University of Glasgow have discovered how plants survive the harmful rays of the sun. UV-B wavelengths are the most powerful part of the daylight spectrum and are potentially damaging both to humans and plants.