Stem Cell Research
California's StemCyte will open a facility in New Jersey and hire 12 people to do stem cell research work. The company was drawn to the state with $589,000 in state grants. StemCyte plans to do work in collaboration with scientists at Rutgers. Report
Two stem cell research projects at the University of Edinburgh have received 3.6 million pounds sterling from Scottish Enterprise, the Medical Research Council and the UK Stem Cell Foundation. Scientists will use the money to study how ESCs could be used to treat liver disease. The awards follow on from a collaboration set up in August 2006 between Geron and the University of Edinburgh to develop hESC-derived hepatocytes for the treatment of liver failure and for use in cell-based assays. Report
UW-Madison biologist James Thomson and Japan's Shinya Yamanaka have been listed as two of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine. Both researchers found ways to reprogram skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells, revolutionizing the field. Story
Genetics
The Miami Herald profiles Margaret Pericak-Vance and her husband, Dr. Jeffery Vance, two of the world's top geneticists. The two were recruited by the University of Miami medical school from Duke and developed the Miami Institute for Human Genomics with more North Carolina transplants and $34 million in research grants. Report
An international team of scientists have pointed to a link between high glucose levels and a mutated form of the G6PC2 gene. The mutated gene blocks the work of glucokinase, which controls glucose levels and raises the risk of an early death from cardiovascular disease. Story
Researchers in London are developing a genetic test to reveal the genetic disposition to myalgic encephalomyelitis, a debilitating disease. Report
Congress has now sent President Bush a bill that bars insurers and employers from discriminating against people based on their genetic profile. Report
Cancer Research
Scientists in Spain say that the more a prostate lesion expresses the PTOV1 gene, the more likely it will lead to cancer. While there is much yet to learn about the PTOV1 gene, researchers have found that high levels are often linked to cancer, just as a lack of the gene is associated with a lower cancer risk. Article
Whole-organ maps that superimpose genetic information over the terrain of cancerous bladders chart the molecular journey from normal cell to invasive cancer, an international research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports online at the journal Laboratory Investigation. Release
More Research
The Hartwell Foundation has provided a million-dollar grant to Cornell researchers involved in translational biomedical research work. Report
Prana Biotechnology says it has identified new pre-clinical drug candidates for Parkinson's disease. Release
Australian researchers investigating a virus that triggers arthritic inflammation say that they have found an existing therapy that can treat the condition. Report