Drug slows eye disease; Stem cells cure brain disorder; New pathway for epilepsy therapies

Stem Cell Research

Neural stem cells have been used to cure myelin deficiency disorder in mice. Report

Inspired by the suffering of his patients, Dr. Shelley Chawla wrote a book about a family's struggle with embryonic stem cell research. And now the neurologist's book is being made into a movie. Story

A Nobel laureate says his work has led him to conclude that more than one type of adult stem cell exists in the intestine, indicating that the science may be both more complicated that previously believed as well as ultimately more promising in terms of delivering effective therapies. Report

Scientists in Melbourne have obtained Australia's first shipment of induced pluripotent stem cells from the University of Wisconsin--derived from reprogrammed skin cells. Report

Researchers studying embryonic stem cells have explored the first fork in the developmental road, getting a new look at what happens when fertilized eggs differentiate to build either an embryo or a placenta. Release

Scientists have used human stem cells to dramatically improve the condition of mice with a neurological condition similar to a set of diseases in children that are invariably fatal, according to an article in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell. Release

Bolstered by supportive policies and public research dollars, the United Kingdom, Israel, China, Singapore and Australia are producing unusually large shares of human embryonic stem cell research, according to a report from the Georgia Institute of Technology in the June 2008 issue Cell Stem Cell. Release

Genetic Research

New insights offered by genetics have helped Iowa researchers identify a new pathway for epilepsy that can stop seizures from occurring. That insight offers a new approach to developing epilepsy drugs. Report

Scientists say they have found a genetic trigger behind the development of enlarged hearts, a potentially lethal condition. The discovery could lead the way to new therapies. Story 

Investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a genetic variation associated with an earlier age of onset in Alzheimer's disease. Release

Genetic engineers in Korea have developed a chicken that produces a valuable protein. Story

Researchers at the University of Southern California have helped identify a genetic variant that regulates glucose levels and also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Release

By genetically altering the malaria parasite through gene knock-out technology, a research team consisting of scientists at the University of Copenhagen and John Hopkins University, Baltimore, has prevented the parasite from going through the normal stages of its life cycle and developing a cyst (egg-like structure or occyst), which spawns new infectious parasites. Release

Cancer Research

A New Zealand Scientist is studying whether a substance produced by a sea sponge can be an effective cancer fighter. Report

More Research

Researchers at UCLA say that the drug rosiglitazone appears to slow the advancement of eye disease in diabetics. Report