Stem Cell Research
Professor Osama Azmy at the Cairo's National Research Center says that her team was able to repair damaged ovaries in rats using mesenchymal stem cells. And she says the same approach has the potential to help women who suffer from ovary failure. Report
Harvard's George Daley, one of the leading stem cell scientists in the United States, says that the legal fracas over stem cell funding has emphasized just how "fragile and fickle" ESC research can be. Story
A research team from the University of Pittsburgh concludes that it's safe to use stem cells extracted from fat to use in breast reconstruction so long as the patient's cancer is dormant. Report
Genetics
Researchers at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research have found a genetic mutation that can cause levels of bad cholesterol to spike after a fatty meal. "We're now hunting for the second gene, and then once we know what it is, it will be easier to go into human blood samples and to look specifically at those two genes at the same time in human families and determine if those two genes together are acting in concert," said Dr. John VandeBerg, lead author of the paper. Story
Mice with a disabled RGS14 gene are able to remember objects they'd explored and learn to navigate mazes better than regular mice, suggesting that RGS14's presence limits some forms of learning and memory. Since RGS14 appears to hold mice back mentally, John Hepler, PhD, professor of pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine, says he and his colleagues have been jokingly calling it the "Homer Simpson gene." Release
Researchers say a gene variation linked to a protein associated with Alzheimer's could offer a new way to test the aggressiveness of the disease as well as find new therapies to treat it. Story
Scientists have found a region of DNA that acts like "volume control" for breast cancer, turning the volume of the disease up or down. Story
Cancer Research
Researchers at Dartmought will share a $12.8 million grant as they pursue new ways to kill cells responsible for breast and ovarian cancer. Report