Stem Cell Research
UNC researchers have revealed how a protein called Tet1 helps stem cells keep their "stemness" in a paper published in Nature. Release
Nerve stem cell transplants may help slow the progression of macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in the developed world, U.S. researchers said on Monday. Report
International Stem Cell Corporation and Insight Bioventures India Private Limited have signed a letter of intent concerning funding and establishment of an Indian affiliate of ISCO (ISCO India). Release
Genetics
Malaria kills nearly 1 million people a year, but it has a weakness--to infect humans, it needs mosquitoes. In a potential step toward eradicating the disease, researchers report that they have developed a genetically engineered breed of mosquito that cannot be infected by the malaria-causing parasite. Story
Vanderbilt University has sold a genetic research tool to private investors who intend to speed its development and make its technology available to biotech companies. Report
Genetic research may help explain the link between smoking and cancer, cardiovascular disease, and a host of other diseases. In the largest study of its kind, researchers confirmed that exposure to cigarette smoke dramatically altered genes in a wide range of negative ways, including those previously linked to tumor growth, inflammatory disease, and immune system suppression. Report
Cancer Research
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have identified a mechanism that could explain how patients move into the worst phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Release
Painters are 30 percent more likely to develop bladder cancer than other workers. The danger rises if someone has worked in the trade for 10 years or more. The workmen are exposed to chemical amines which are also found in cigarette smoke. News