Life Science and Medical News from Around the Globe
Scientists at Rockefeller University have discovered a new methylated nucleotide in mammals. This discovery may revolutionize the study of epigenetics–i.e., inheritance not governed strictly by the sequence of nucleotides in a gene. The new methylated nucleotide (5-hydroxymethylcytosine) had previously been observed only in bacterial viruses. The Rockefeller researchers report that the new nucleotide is stable …
In a surprise finding, researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center have shown that a non-primate mammal (the red panda) can taste the artificial sweetener aspartame. Previously, only primates were believed able to taste this sweetener. The findings may shed light on how taste preferences and diet choices are shaped by molecular differences in taste …
A novel technique to move DNA strands through nanopores at a slow enough speed for accurate sequencing has been developed by physicists at Brown University. The techique involves the use of “magnetic tweezers” in conjunction with an electric field to move the DNA. The researchers believe that this new technique might serve as the basis …
Researchers have identified a lung cancer susceptibility gene (RGS17) that they believe may prove to be as important to lung cancer diagnosis and treatment as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have proven to be in breast cancer. They believe the RGS17 gene might eventually be used to identify high-risk patients who may benefit from earlier, …
Researchers report the development of two new anti-androgen drugs that retain their effectiveness in the face of increased expression of the androgen receptor. Patients with metastatic prostate cancer are normally treated with drugs that antagonize androgen function, but most of these patients progress to a more aggressive form of the disease that is driven by …
A new type of probe that allows researchers to visualize single molecules of RNA within living cells more easily than by existing methods has been developed by biomedical engineers at Georgia Tech and collaborating institutions. “The probes we designed shine bright, are small and easy to assemble, bind rapidly to their targets, and can be …