MIT researchers have identified a critical defense mechanism that tumor cells employ to survive the toxic effects of chemotherapy--knowledge that could very soon lead to more effective cancer treatments.
Life sciences news // 06 January, 2007 03:01:22
Scientists have discovered a new source of stems cells and have used them to create muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory. The first report showing the isolation of broad potential stem cells from the amniotic fluid that surrounds developing embryos was published today in Nature Biotechnology.
Life sciences news // 02 January, 2007 03:01:46
Human memory, the ability to recall vivid mental images of past experiences, has been studied extensively for more than a hundred years. But until recently, there's been surprisingly little research into cognitive processes underlying another form of mental time travel -- the ability to clearly imagine or "see" oneself participating in a future event.
Life sciences news // 11 October, 2006 03:10:41
When faced with potential vaccine shortages during a flu outbreak, public health officials can turn to a new study by mathematical biologists at The University of Texas at Austin and the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control to learn how to best distribute the vaccine.
Life sciences news // 09 October, 2006 06:10:55
MIT and Hong Kong University researchers have shown that some simple biodegradable liquids can stop bleeding in wounded rodents within seconds, a development that could significantly impact medicine.
Life sciences news // 08 October, 2006 02:10:05
A new $4.4-million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow researchers at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, to develop techniques to turn brain cells on and off in animals as they go about their daily activities, allowing the scientists to understand the details of how brain activity leads to complex behaviors.
Life sciences news // 25 September, 2006 05:09:44
Using synthetic DNA formed into crosses, Y's and T's, Cornell researchers have created biocompatible, biodegradable, inexpensive hydrogels that can be easily formed into any desired shape for biomedical applications.
Life sciences news // 17 September, 2006 07:09:45
If eyes are "the windows of the soul," corneas are the panes in those windows. They shield the eye from dust and germs. They also act as the eye's outermost lens, contributing up to 75 percent of the eye's focusing power. On Sept. 11 in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, chemical engineer Curtis W. Frank presented a novel biomimetic material that's finding its way into artificial corneas.
Life sciences news // 12 September, 2006 02:09:03
Scientists have hit upon a scheme that could be used to sneak drugs past the barrier to treat afflictions such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, brain tumors and stroke.
Life sciences news // 09 September, 2006 05:09:45
A group of tannins found primarily in cranberries can transform E. coli bacteria, a class of microorganisms responsible for a host of human illnesses, including urinary tract infections, in ways that render them unable to initiate an infection.
