Genetics
After making some ambitious plans in Florida which never materialized, The Jackson Laboratory has worked with officials in Connecticut to lay plans for a $1.1 billion genetics research institute. The project envisions 250,000 square feet of new lab space at the University of Connecticut's Health Center campus. Some 660 people will be hired to work at the complex. Story
Illumina has struck a collaborative research agreement with the Institute of Applied Genetics and the Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Release
Researchers have found new genetic markers for Type 1 diabetes. Release
Stem Cells
UK researchers are expecting an announcement from the Prime Minister which will create a $61 million stem cell research institute. "This centre will ensure the technology and people stay in Britain, and Britain can profit from the British scientific success," said David Bott, director of innovation at the Technology Strategy Board. Story
The big focus at the World Stem Cell Summit has been on translational approaches to taking promising new therapies and turning them into approved treatments. Story
Stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka was one of the most hotly discussed leading candidates for the Nobel Prize for medicine. He didn't win Monday for his work on iPS cells, but chances are his name will remain on the short list until he does. Story
Cancer Research
Irish scientists say they've made some promising preclinical progress on a new drug for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Story
Pointing to the overlap in the biology of cancer and diabetes, investigators found that mice with high levels of the cancer-promoting proteins Lin28a or Lin28b become more sensitive to insulin and less prone to diabetes when on a high-fat diet. Release