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BioTechCircle News®

 

April 2011

 

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Issue 94

See all previous issues at Archives

 

You can now follow our comments and updates on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BioTechCircle

 

In this articles section: links to 76 free Web articles in 15 major categories.

The major categories are in alphabetical order and further subdivided to make it easy for you to locate news and developments in technology, the business and the markets in the life science areas of interest to you. We’ve provided brief synopses to help you decide which articles you’d like to read. Simply click on the title to go directly to the original article.

 

Here are the major categories.

 

Agri-Biotech (7 articles)

Biobusiness Management (5 articles)

Clinical Trials (2 articles)

Diagnostic Tools (2 articles)

Drug Delivery (1 article)

Industry (13 articles)

Investments/Government Support (1 article)

Novel Applications (2 articles)

Organizations (3 articles)

People Profiles (1 article)

Personalized Medicine (1 article)

Platform Technologies (15 articles)

Research Advancements (15 articles)

Research Tools (6 articles)

Therapeutic Category (2 articles)

 

For a brief explanation of how we categorize the articles, please see "Express Guide to Monthly Web Articles at: http://www.techmanage.net/expressguide_articles

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AGRI-BIOTECH

Subcategory: Crops

Future Farm: A Sunless, Rainless Room Indoors

The Washington Times (11-Apr-11)

Bioengineers have taken the concept of a greenhouse a step further, growing

vegetables, herbs and house plants in enclosed, regulated environments where

even natural light is excluded. Sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be

harmful, says researcher.

Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel

Methane Bugs Turn Coal into Gas

Mead Gruver ChemInfo (06-Apr-11)

Coal is full of microbes that consume the fossil fuel & break it down into

methane gas. Two companies want to develop this naturally occurring

phenomenon on a large scale to create vast amounts of natural gas in

energy-rich places like Wyoming.

Economics, Pysics Are Roadblocks for Mass-scale Algae Biodiesel Production,

Study Finds

Kansas State University (05-Apr-11)

The total mass of Earth never changes, and in order to be sustainable, mass

conservation and especially a closed carbon mass balance must be maintained

for the algae diesel production and consumption system, says expert.

Subcategory: Environment

Soils of Northern U.S. Forests Are High in Mercury

Sara Peach Chemical & Engineering News (19-Apr-11)

A systematic inventory of mercury concentrations in 14 forests across the

continental U.S. revealed that, in general, soils at higher latitudes contained

more mercury than those at lower latitudes. Climate change could cause

release of this mercury.

Subcategory: Microorganisms

Bacterial Genome May Hold answers to Mercury Mystery

Morgan McCorkle Oak Ridge National Laboratory (08-Apr-11)

Methylmercury, a potent human neurotoxin, appears in the environment

when the naturally occurring bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans strain

ND132 transforms inorganic mercury into its more toxic form.

Subcategory: Miscellaneous

Drought-exposed Leaves Adversely Affect Soil Nutrients, Study Shows

Brian Wallheimer Purdue News (05-Apr-11)

Red maple leaves accumulate about twice as much tannin than normal when

exposed to hot, droughtlike conditions. The tannins, which defend leaves from

herbivores and pathogens, interfere with the function of common enzymes in

soil.

Subcategory: Startups

Companies Advance Biobased Chemicals

Michael McCoy Chemical & Engineering News (25-Apr-11)

McCoy describes 2 new venture-capital-backed start-ups building plants to

make chemicals out of nonfood cellulosic biomass. Both are focusing on

higher-value industrial chemicals rather than ethanol.

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BIOBUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel

Retooling A Bacterial Biofuel Factory

Carmen Drahl Chemical & Engineering News (31-Mar-11)

Rising gas prices, modern biotechnology revive interest in an

early-20th-century butanol fermentation process, using the slow-growing

bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum. Best known for producing butanol as

fuel for World War II-era planes.

Subcategory: Environment

Despite Economy, Green Roofs Bloom

The Dirt (21-Apr-11)

A survey of corporations involved in green roof design and development

found that 8-9 mil sq ft of green roofs were added in 2010. Much of this

growth occured in cities like Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Subcategory: Patent/Intellectual Property Issues

Making Medical Treatment Claims Patent-Eligible Subject Matter After

Prometheus v. Mayo: A Prescription for Success

Jay Pattumudi Bio-IT World (08-Apr-11)

Making a medical treatment claim patent-eligible should involve applying

natural phenomenon and include specific treatment steps, should also include

a specific treatment regimen involving an administration of specific drugs for

specific diseases.

The Battle Over Biosimilars

Ted Agres Drug Discovery & Development (01-Apr-11)

If the FDA decides that the health care reform law refers to data exclusivity,

generic competitors will have to wait 12 years before gaining access to a

reference drug’s underlying composition. If it refers to marketing, data access

could be in 4 years.

Subcategory: Privacy/ Records Management

The Cost of Electronic Health Record Storage

John D. Halamka Mass High Tech (06-Apr-11)

How do we preserve it for a sufficiently long period of time to maximize value

to patient, caretaker, and scientists? Halamka links to paper on a tiered

storage approach to information lifecycle management, other resources.

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CLINICAL TRIALS

Subcategory: Geographic focus

Biotech’s Missed Opportunity: Small-Town and Rural America

Luke Timmerman Xconomy (18-Apr-11)

There are good reasons for biotech and pharma companies to take a closer

look at lower-cost “second cities” in the U.S. Doctors in smaller cities that are

included in clinical trials early on are more likely to champion new treatment

strategies.

Subcategory: Subject Enrollment/Management

ALS Study Shows Social Media's Value as Research Tool

Amu Dockser Marcus Wall Street Journal (25-Apr-11)

Early example of how social networking (SN) could play a role in clinical trials

shows that SN may be most useful for testing efficacy of off-label or

off-patent compounds that patients are using but are unlikely to ever attract

pharma company interest.

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DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

Subcategory: Immunology/ Infectious Diseases

New Test Spots Infections in Hours, Rather than Days

Katherine Bourzac Technology Review (15-Apr-11)

The sooner a hospital lab can identify the cause of a patient's infection, the

faster that patient can be put on the right antibiotics. New test uses magnetic

nanoparticles to detect blood-borne infections in hours instead of days.

Subcategory: Proteomics

In Search Of Misfolded Proteins

Laura Cassiday Chemical & Engineering News (25-Apr-11)

A new assay detects small, soluble aggregates of misfolded proteins that form

at early stages of disease. Technique could enable earlier diagnosis of diseases

such as Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes.

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DRUG DELIVERY

Subcategory: Musculoskeletal

Injectable Gel Could Spell Relief for Arthritis Sufferers

Brigham and Women's Hospital (12-Apr-11)

Reviews “The Holy Grail of drug delivery...an autonomous system that

[meters] the amount of drug released in response to a biological stimulus,

ensuring that the drug is released only when needed at a therapeutically

relevant concentration.”

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INDUSTRY

Subcategory: Bioethics

The Loaded Ethics of DNA Hacking

Marcus Wohlsen Salon (09-Apr-11)

The disruptive power of DNA changes the terms of the open-source

argument. A biohacker, either careless and unlucky or brilliant and evil, could

theoretically unleash a swine flu variant that resists all treatment by known

antivirals, has no off switch.

Subcategory: Databases

Open Source Biology Deserves a Shot

Luke Timmerman Xconomy (11-Apr-11)

Researchers around the world are pouring huge volumes of genomic data onto

their private servers, hoping to make groundbreaking discoveries. Should

genomic data be private, or should it be poured into a free and open database

that all scientists share?

Subcategory: Disease Prevention

Twin Dangers: Malnutrition and Obesity

Alvin Powell Harvard University Gazette (27-Apr-11)

Nutrition sits amid 3 major problems of global health: reducing malnutrition

and infectious disease; growth of chronic diseases like heart disease and

diabetes in developing nations; globalization of dietary habits and fast foods.

Subcategory: Education

Learning Science through Gaming

Peter Dizikes MIT News (19-Apr-11)

A special science-mystery project, “Vanished,” is a 2-month-long game

intended to take the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills kids often

develop playing other forms of video games, and translate those habits into a

scientific context.

Subcategory: Environment

Waste Ash from Coal Could Save Billions in Repairing U.S. Bridges & Roads

American Chemical Society (29-Mar-11)

Nearly 70% of about 130 million tons of flyash produced by coal-burning

electric power plants goes to landfills every year. New coating material for

concrete made from flyash is hundreds of times more durable than existing

coatings, costs half as much.

Yellowstone Supervolcano Fed by Bigger Plume

Paul Rincon BBC News (13-Apr-11)

The underground volcanic plume at Yellowstone in the US may be bigger than

previously thought, according to a study by geologists, using variations in the

electrical conductivity of rocks to produce a new picture of the plume.

The Heat Is On: NIST Zeroes in on Ice Maker Energy Consumption

NIST (12-Apr-11)

Refrigerators user 8% of the total energy consumed by 111 million U.S.

households. Only ~25% of extra energy consumed by ice makers is used to

cool, freeze water. Remaining energy is for electric heaters to release cubes.

Room for improvement!

Subcategory: Food

RFID Can Help Food Industry Prevent Illness Outbreaks: Report

Brian T. Horowitz eWeek (19-Apr-11)

Automatic data collection RFID tags with sensors can detect, record if at any

time the temperature for a container of vegetables hits 40 degF rather than

the ideal 34 degrees, or if berries get too cold and freeze rather than remaining

at 34-36 degF.

Subcategory: Gene Sequences

DNA Sequencing: From Revolutionary to Routine

Alan Dove Drug Discovery & Development (01-Apr-11)

Gene sequencing has become so ubiquitous that even researchers who would

never consider themselves molecular biologists now use it routinely. Reviews

types of sequencing services available, benefits to using them.

Subcategory: Geographic focus

Top 10 Most - and Least - Green U.S. States

Daily Finance (22-Apr-11)

Thousands of data points -- comprising 49 separate metrics coming from a

number of sources -- were reflected in 27 final categories, including toxic

waste, carbon footprint, alternative energy use. Greenest state: Vermont.

Least green: Ohio.

Subcategory: Miscellaneous

Foolish Science

Paul Livingstone R & D Magazine (01-Apr-11)

Science-based April Fool's jokes from around the world. How many would

YOU be taken in on? Full disclosure: I would have "bit" on at least one! But

I'm not telling which.

Can Hobbyists and Hackers Transform Biotechnology?

Amanda Gefter Technology Review (21-Apr-11)

Biohackers, do-it-yourself biology hobbyists want to bring biotechnology out

of institutional labs and into our homes. In Biopunk, journalist Marcus

Wohlsen surveys the rising tide of the biohacker movement.. Raises practical,

philosophical questions.

Subcategory: Obstetrics/ Gynecology

UK Government Urged to Permit Use of Techniques to Prevent Transmission of

Mitochondrial Diseases

Wellcome Trust (20-Apr-11)

Scientists want U.K. government to allow researchers to replace the defective

mitochondria - the 'batteries" - of a fertiliZed egg, preventing transmission of

mitochondrial diseases from a mother to her child.

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INVESTMENTS/ GOV. SUPPORT

Subcategory: Education

HHMI Announces Competition for $60 Million in Grants for Undergraduate

Colleges

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (05-Apr-11)

Institute changes its approach to school grants in hopes of getting better

information about which kinds of science education programs succeed in

developing the talent and leadership skills of students. Goal: produce better

scientists, science teachers.

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NOVEL APPLICATIONS

Subcategory: Education

Inefficient Engineering, Dragon Economics

Lauren K. Wolf Chemical & Engineering News (25-Apr-11)

Describes the winning process of the annual Rube Goldberg machine contest

for high school, college teams. This year's competition: build a machine that

takes at least 20 steps to water a plant in less than 2 minutes. Next year: pop

a balloon.

Subcategory: Microorganisms

Solar Power Goes Viral

David L. Chandler MIT News (25-Apr-11)

A genetically engineered version of a virus called M13, which normally infects

bacteria, can control arrangement of nanotubes on a surface, keeping the tubes

separate and apart so they can’t short out the circuits or clump.

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ORGANIZATIONS

Subcategory: Bioterrorism

Biosecurity Effort Expands to Africa

Glenn Hess Chemical & Engineering News (11-Apr-11)

The Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program is being expanded to

confront the threat of bioterrorism. Ebola, Marburg, and Rift Valley Fever

viruses occur naturally in Africa, where civil upheaval and terrorism are

widespread.

Subcategory: Environment

Boeing Announces New Factory Will be 100% Powered by Renewable Energy

Brit Liggett Inhabitat (25-Apr-11)

Boeing's new 787 jet assembly plant in South Carolina will be completely

powered by renewable energy. The solar panels on the roof will provide most

of the energy needed for operations, supplemented with purchase of

renewable energy certificates.

Subcategory: Evolution Research

New Exhibition Examines the Future of Our Species

Wellcome Trust (15-Apr-11)

HUMAN+, a major new exhibition, explores questions such as What is the

next step for humankind? Can we defeat ageing and extend our lives

indefinitely? People are invited to donate their DNA to a major research

experiment on the D4 dopamine receptor gene.

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PEOPLE PROFILES

Subcategory: Environmental

Richard Branson Has Deep-sea Ambitions, Launches Virgin Oceanic

Paul Smalera Fortune Magazine (06-Apr-11)

Branson will visit the deepest points of the world's oceans: Mariana Trench

(Pacific), Puerto Rico Trench (Atlantic), Diamantina Trench (Indian), South

Sandwich Trench (Southern Atlantic), Molloy Deep (Arctic). Video link to discussion.

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PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

Subcategory: Oncology

Decoding Cancer Patients’ Genomes Is Powerful Diagnostic Tool

Caroline Arbanas Washington University in St. Louis (19-Apr-11)

Discusses the power of sequencing cancer patients’ genomes as a diagnostic

tool, helping doctors decide the best course of treatment and researchers

identify new cancer susceptibility mutations that can be passed from parent

to child.

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PLATFORM TECHNOLOGIES

Subcategory: Computing Systems

Researchers Make the Leap to Whole-cell Simulations

Diana Yates University of Illinois (30-Mar-11)

Researchers build a computer model of the crowded interior of a bacterial cell

that accurately simulates the behavior of living cells. The "in silico" cells are

the first to model entire cells representing the complete contents of the cellular

cytoplasm.

Subcategory: Environment

Theorists Crack LED Lighting Performance Problem

UC Santa Barbara (19-Apr-11)

Discovering the cause of LED droop, a problem that's made light-emitting

diodes (LEDs) impractical for general lighting purposes will develop a new

generation of high-performance, energy-efficient lighting.

Solar Power without Solar Cells: A Hidden Magnetic Effect of Light could Make

It Possible

University of Michigan (13-Apr-11)

At the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not

conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are

100 times stronger than previously expected. Due to optical rectification.

Subcategory: Genomics

Race Car Code for Computational Biology

Texas Advanced Computing (31-Mar-11)

Most traits are determined by a complex network of genes working together

to control the biochemical processes that determine the emergence of a trait.

Genes are like a control system that every minute of every day are turning

each other on and off.

Subcategory: Imaging

Researchers Get a First Look at the Mechanics of Membrane Proteins

Diana Yates University of Illinois (18-Apr-11)

Computational methodology combined wih cryo-electron microscopy

produces the first detailed view of the elaborate chemical and mechanical

interactions that allow the ribosome to insert a growing protein into the

cellular membrane.

Subcategory: Nanotechnology

Origami: Not just for paper anymore

Anne Trafton MIT News (27-Apr-11)

Some scientists DNA, see the highly stable and programmable molecule, as an

ideal building material for nanoscale structures that could be used to deliver

drugs, act as biosensors, perform artificial photosynthesis and more.

New Biosensor Microchip Could Speed up Drug Development

Stanford School of Medicine (19-Apr-11)

New microchip could hold more than 100,000 magnetically sensitive

nanosensors that can simultaneously monitor thousands of times more

proteins than existing technology, deliver results faster and assess the strength

of the bonds.

Subcategory: Oncology

Cancer Genomics

Emily Singer Technology Review (01-May-11)

In a single patient, you have both the tumor genome and the normal genome;

answers result much more quickly by comparing the two. Information can

help predict a patient's prognosis and identify which drugs are most likely to

work for that patient.

Subcategory: Personalized Medicine

Following the Genomic Road Map

Alvin Powell Harvard University Gazette (22-Feb-11)

As our understanding of the human genome has advanced, the complexity of

many diseases has emerged. Other challenges: growing amount of data and

ambiguity of information. Value is in knowing that certain medicines work

better on some people than others.

Subcategory: Proteomics

RNA Dynamics Deconstructed

Nicole Davis Harvard University Gazette (24-Apr-11)

Approach offers many windows into the life cycle of RNA and will enable

other scientists to investigate what happens when something in a cell goes

wrong: measuring how much messenger RNA (mRNA) is produced and how

much is degraded.

How to Separate a Sheep from Its Flock

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (27-Mar-11)

In healthy cells, more than 500 different kinases help keep all manner of

essential processes running smoothly. Glitches in these can trigger diabetes,

impair immune function, or drive the spread of cancers.

Nano Fit-ness: Helping Enzymes Stay Active and Keep in Shape

Michael Mullaney Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (06-Apr-11)

A new technique for boosting the stability of enzymes makes them useful

under a much broader range of conditions. Technology could be adapted to

better control nanoscale environments, as well as increase the activity and

selectivity of different enzymes.

UC San Diego Chemists Produce First High-Resolution RNA "Nano Square"

Kim McDonald UC San Diego (04-Apr-11)

The ability to carry structural information encoded in the sequence of the

constituent building blocks is a characteristic trait of RNA, a key component

of the genetic code. The nano square self-assembles from 4 corner units.

Ends of Chromosomes Protected by Stacked, Coiled DNA Caps

University of Pennsylvania ( 19-Apr-11)

Telomeres can be protected by caps made up of specialized proteins and

stacks of DNA called G-quadruplexes, or "G4 DNA." Loss of caps may

contribute to human aging, Werner syndrome, and Bloom syndrome.

Subcategory: Virology

Speeding up Biomolecular Evolution

Steve Bradt Harvard University Gazette (10-Apr-11)

Fast-replicating bacterial viruses, also known as phages, accelerate the

evolution of biomolecules in the laboratory. Could ultimately allow the

tailoring of custom pharmaceuticals and research tools from lab-grown

proteins, nucleic acids, and others.

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RESEARCH ADVANCEMENTS

Subcategory: Cardiology/ Vascular Diseases

Simple Injection Could Limit Damage from Heart Attacks and Stroke

University of Leicester (19-Apr-11)

Excessive inflammatory response is partly responsible for the morbidity and

mortality associated with heart attacks and strokes. A single antibody

injection in animals is shown to disrupt the molecular process that leads to

tissue and organ destruction.

Subcategory: Food

Genetic Variants Associated with Caffeine Intake Identified

Brigham and Women's Hospital (08-Apr-11)

Identification of genes that have an impact on daily caffeine consumption

offers opportunities to better understand physiologic and health conditions

such as sleep, energy and blood sugar metabolism, mood, mental and physical

performance.

Subcategory: Immunology/ Infectious Diseases

Discovery of Two New Genes Provides Hope for Stemming Staph Infections

Indiana University (12-Apr-11)

Staph is becoming more and more multi-drug resistant, so discovery of two

genes that encode copper- and sulfur-binding repressors in Staphylococcus

aureus means two new potential avenues for control.

Scientists Make Genetically Modified Fungus that Stops Mosquitoes from

Spreading Malaria

Maria Cheng newser (07-Apr-11)

In lab experiments, mosquitoes exposed to a genetically modified fungus show

a sharp drop in levels of the parasite. The same process of genetic

modification could also be used to target other insect-spread diseases like

dengue and West Nile virus.

Space: Medicine's Final Frontier

Ed Yong Wired (25-Apr-11)

Bacteria turn into superbugs in the gravity-free environment of space,

gathering together, gaining strength and becoming much more effective at

causing disease. Findings represent a significant risk to the health of

space-faring humans.

Subcategory: Neurology

Scripps Research Scientists Identify Mechanism of Long-Term Memory

Mika Ono Scripps Research Institute (13-Apr-11)

"The phenomenon of spaced conditioning is conserved across all species. No

one really knows why it's important to long-term memory formation but there

appears to be something magical about that rest period during learning."

Fatigue and Sleep Woes Worsen Neurocognitive Problems in Childhood Cancer

Survivors

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (11-Apr-11)

Cancer survivors might benefit from periodic screenings for fatigue and sleep

disturbances. The results might be useful for helping adult cancer survivors,

who also battle fatigue, sleep difficulties and neurocognitive problems.

Engineered Mice Make Better Choices

Courtney Humphries Technology Review (06-Apr-11)

Mice engineered to produce more new neurons in the hippocampus are better

at discriminating between similar choices. Drugs that can boost adult

neurogenesis are currently being investigated for depression, anxiety, and

neurodegenerative disease.

Quantifying Your Sleep

Emily Singer Technology Review (05-Apr-11)

The Quantified Self is a collection of people who employ sensors, trackers,

and data analysis tools to monitor intimate details of their lives. Describes

using Zeo device to track sleep patterns, how they change with different

factors, including weather.

Anti-Depressants Boost Brain Cells after Injury in Early Studies

University of Rochester Medical Center (18-Apr-11)

Patients with brain injuries who had been prescribed anti-depressants were

doing better in unexpected ways than their counterparts who were not taking

such medications. Memory also seemed improved.

Subcategory: Oncology

PI3K At The Clinical Crossroads

Lisa M. Jarvis Chemical & Engineering News (11-Apr-11)

P13K enzymes are involved in a host of functions that contribute to the

ability of cells to thrive. Their activity is so pervasive that a mutation in one

enzyme isoform is present in a wide range of cancers. Companies are eager to

drugs inhibiting them.

Cancer Cells’ Survival Kit

Richard Saltus Harvard University Gazette (27-Apr-11)

New research show how cancer cells escape from tumor suppression

mechanisms that normally prevent these damaged cells from multiplying.

Potential link between this cell proliferation control mechanism and the

cognitive deficits caused by Down syndrome.

Biophysicist Targeting IL-6 to Halt Breast, Prostate Cancer

Ohio Supercomputer Center (19-Apr-11)

The small protein molecule Interleukin-6 (IL-6), produced in the body to

combat infection and injury, is elevated up to 40-fold n various categories of

cancer patients. Scientist uses a supercomputer to search for the best

configuration to block IL-6.

Developing Cancer Drugs Based on Genomics

Emily Singer Technology Review (19-Apr-11)

Startup plans to use the growing amount of genomic information about cancer

to create new drugs targeted at the mechanisms that drive specific subtypes of

the disease, that is, genetic mistakes, not by the cancer's location in the body.

Loss of Cell Adhesion Protein Drives Esophageal and Oral Cancers in Mice

University of Pennsylvania (12-Apr-11)

The protein p120-catenin (p120ctn) that helps cells stick together is

frequently absent or out of place in these cancers, but it’s unclear if its loss

causes the tumors. Finding might lead to targets for therapy, early detection.

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RESEARCH TOOLS

Subcategory: Computing Systems

Biomatters Adds New Algorithms

Bio-IT World (11-Apr-11)

Wide choice of algorithms offer researchers direct access to the full power of

an institution’s computing grid or cluster using software, new algorithms and

capabilities to easily offload high-intensity processing to computer clusters

from their desktops.

Subcategory: Databases

The State of Mutation Curation

Kevin Davies Bio-IT World (05-Apr-11)

The Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD) contains more than 110,000

different disease-causing or disease-associated mutations in more than 4,000

different human genes. Background of history and funding challenges.

Decoding Human Genes is the Goal of a New Open-Source Encyclopedia

Penn State (19-Apr-11)

ENCODE is a massive database cataloging many of the functional elements of

the entire collection of human genes. ENCODE data are being made available

to the scientific community and to the public as an open resource.

Subcategory: Genome Sequence

Nanopore-Based Genome Sequencer

Drug Discovery & Development (28-Apr-11)

Roche and IBM agree to develop a nanopore-based sequencer that will

directly read and decode human DNA quickly and efficiently. Advantages in

cost, throughput, scalability, and speed compared to sequencing currently available

or in development.

Charting Signs on the Genomic Highway

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (24-Mar-11)

Stretches of non-coding DNA contain instructions for when, where, and to

what degree each of the genes should be turned on. New maps show where

certain markers of genetic regulation are found on each of the human

chromosomes in a variety of cell types.

Subcategory: Imaging

Polarized Microscopy Technique Shows New Details of How Proteins Are

Arranged

The Rockefeller University (18-Apr-11)

Scientists develop a new technique that can help deduce the orientation of

specific proteins within the cell by turning their instruments toward the

nuclear pore complex, a huge cluster of proteins that serves as a gateway to a

cell’s nucleus.

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THERAPEUTIC CATEGORY

Subcategory: Disease Prevention

Safety of Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Tetsuya Tanimoto et al. The Lancet (18-Apr-11)

Japanese experts propose the collection and storage of autologous

peripheral-blood stem cells (PBSCs) in case of workers' accidental overdose of

radiation exposure. This banking of a worker's own cells offers numerous

advantages over donor cells.

Subcategory: Wound/Tissue Repair

Researchers Inject Nanofiber Spheres Carrying Cells into Wounds to Grow Tissue

University of Michigan (17-Apr-11)

To repair complex or oddly shaped tissue defects, an injectable cell carrier is desirable to achieve accurate fit, minimize surgery. Nanofibrous hollow

spheres are combined with cells and then injected into the wound. More

effective than cell matrix.

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