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BioTechCircle News®

October 2011

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Issue 100

See all previous issues at our archives; follow us on Twitter.

For a sneak preview of site updates and analysis of the latest research reports,
(Articles and gene-related Patents, Patent Applications), subscribe to our
newsletter at the bottom of our home page.

In this Articles section: links to 86 free Web articles in 15 major categories.
Click on the category list below to go immediately to that section.

Starting with the last issue, we are combining the categories "Research Advancements"
and "Therapeutic Category." Each uses the same medical condition subcategories.
We originally separated them to differentiate between experimental and applied
treatments; however, since most of you are interested in the medical conditions, not
the development status of the treatment, we trust this streamlining will be easier for
you to find what you need.

The major categories below are further subdivided to make it easy for you to locate
news and technology developments, the business and the markets in the life sciences
of particular interest to you. The brief synopses will help you decide which articles you'd
like to read. Simply click on the article's title to go directly to the original article.

Here are this month's major categories:

Agri-Biotech (7 articles)
Biobusiness Management (5 articles)
BTC's News You Can Use (5 articles)
Industry (10 articles)
Clinical Trials (1 article)
Diagnostic Tools (6 articles)
Drug Delivery (1 article)
Investments/Government Support (3 articles)
Novel Applications (4 articles)
Patents (1 articles)
People Profiles (2 articles)
Personalized Medicine (1 article)
Platform Technologies (14 articles)
Research Advancements (19 articles)
Research Tools (7 articles)

For a brief explanation of how we categorize the articles, please see "Express Guide
to Monthly Web Articles."

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	AGRI-BIOTECH

	Subcategory: Animal

	Cattle Parasite Vaccine Offers Hope to World’s Poorest Farmers
	          Keith Matthews BBSRC (28-Oct-11)
	Technique uses a harmless parasite to carry medicines into cows' 
	bloodstream.The treatment could offer long-term protection against common 
	conditions such as foot-and-mouth disease or bovine tuberculosis, as well as a 
	range of other diseases.
	
	Subcategory: Crops

	Smarter Toxins Help Crops Fight Resistant Pests
	          Daniel Stolte University of Arizona (09-Oct-11)
	A slight change in molecular structure introduced by genetic engineering gives 
	crop-protecting proteins called Bt toxins a new edge in overcoming resistance 
	of certain pests such as the diamondback moth, one of the world's most 
	destructive.
	
	Plants Feel the Force
	          Diana Lutz	Washington University in St. Louis (21-Oct-11)
	Plant movements, both fast and slow, are ultimately all hydraulically 
	powered; scientist thinks the mechanism is related to mechanosensitive ion 
	channels that cause bacteria to swell. May lead to understanding stunted 
	growth in plants.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	Future Forests may Soak up More Carbon Dioxide than Previously Believed, 
	Helping to Buffer Climate Change
	          Jim Erickson University of Michigan (13-Oct-11)
	A 12-year study at a 38-acre experimental forest, bathed in elevated levels of 
	carbon dioxide and ground-level ozone, continued to grow at an accelerated 
	rate throughout the 12-year experiment.
	
	Plant Genomes May Help Next Generation Respond to Climate Change
	          Richard Lewis Brown University (06-Oct-11)
	Climate is the agent that determines the suite of genes that gives the plant the 
	best chance of surviving and reproducing throughout its natural range. The 
	finding may unlock the molecular basis for other plants’ adaptability to 
	climate change.
	
	Subcategory: Food

	With Mice, Urine Powers Social Networking
	          Sarah Everts Chemical & Engineering News (03-Oct-11)
	Information gained from urine  influences one mouse’s response to another. 
	Researchers may be able to leave these rodents chemical messages that deter 
	them from eating valuable provisions, particularly in developing nations where
	 food is scarce.
	
	Subcategory: Microorganisms

	Suggested Explanation for Glowing Seas--Including Currently Glowing 
	California Seas
	          National Science Foundation	(18-Oct-11)
	Discusses potential mechanism for marine bioluminescence (blue flashes seen 
	at night and red tide) caused by tiny, unicellular plankton known as 
	dinoflagellates.

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	BIOBUSINESS MANAGEMENT

	Subcategory: Animal

	Advertising Goes to the Dogs
	          Neil Schoenherr	 Washington University in St. Louis (13-Oct-11)
	Dog food commercial contains squeaks similar to a dog toy, a whistle barely 
	heard by humans and a high-pitched pinging noise. Experts say this should 
	serve to increase the bond owners feel with their pets.
	
	Subcategory: Education

	Manage First to Put Safety First
	          Nathan Watson R & D Magazine (18-Oct-11)
	Automation can help increase training compliance and laboratory safety 
	without relying on researchers or increasing laboratory safety staff and 
	budget. Outlines strategies that can help an organizaton develop an effective, 
	automated training system.
	
	Subcategory: Mobile, phones/others

	How the Health-Care System Slows Mobile Medical Technology
	          Emily Singer Technology Review	(04-Oct-11)
	Fee-for-service structure inhibits technology adoption. "It doesn't matter how 
	good these technologies are; if doctors can't get reimbursed for looking at 
	blood-pressure data that the patient records at home, they are not going to do 
	it."
	
	Subcategory:	Privacy/ Records Management

	You’re not so Anonymous
	          Caroline Perry Harvard University Gazette (18-Oct-11)
	Prescription information is routinely sold to companies for use in research and
	 pharmaceutical marketing. Under federal privacy law, this data sharing is 
	perfectly legal. Advocates system allowing productive data sharing while 
	guaranteeing privacy.
	
	Subcategory: Regulatory/ Government

	Eric Perakslis Appointed New CIO of FDA
	          Bio-IT World (10-Oct-11)
	“The commissioner has given me license to bring positive change to the 
	agency and I am looking to engage our scientific/technologic community 
	openly to make good things happen,” Eric Perakslis says.

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	BTC'S NEWS YOU CAN USE

	Subcategory: Food

	Green Vegetables Directly Influence Immune Defences and Help Maintain 
	Intestinal Health
	          BBSRC	(14-Oct-11)
	Leafy green vegetables have been shown to influence our intestinal health by 
	delivering a protective factor to certain cells of the immune system. May help 
	understand the basis of intestinal inflammatory disorders such as 
	inflammatory bowel disease.
	
	British Scientists Grow Super Broccoli
	          Maria Cheng Manufacturing.net	(26-Oct-11)
	New broccoli contains 2-3 times the normal amount of glucoraphanin, a 
	nutrient believed to help ward off heart disease. part of an increasing tendency
	 among producers to inject extra nutrients into foods. "Vegetables are a 
	medicine cabinet," say experts.
	
	Is It Important to Include Probiotics and Prebiotics in a Healthy Diet?
	          Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Mayo Clinic (15-Sep-11)
	Probiotics are microorganisms that may help with digestion and offer 
	protection from harmful bacteria. Prebiotics are nondigestible carbohydrates 
	found in whole grains, bananas and other foods that act as food for probiotics.
	
	How Probiotic Yogurt Works
	          Bob Grant The Scientist	(26-Oct-11)
	Researchers show that the bacterial species in probiotic, fermented dairy 
	products may alter gene expression and metabolism in native gut microbiota.
	
	Subcategory: Misc. Medical Devices

	Technologies for Healthier Living
	          Emily Singer Technology Review	(01-Oct-11)
	Click on each of the photos below the colorful posture sensor for the 5 
	remaining featured apps, devices and platforms from the Health 2.0 
	Conference.

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	CLINICAL TRIALS

	Subcategory: Collaboration

	Oracle Health Care Cloud Application Captures Data on Therapy Outcomes
	          Brian T. Horowitz eWeek	 (17-Oct-11)
	OutcomeLogix On Demand 3.0 is a Web-based application that enables life 
	science companies and contract research organizations to collect data on the 
	outcome of various therapy treatments in late-stage trials.

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	DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS

	Subcategory: Environment

	This Will Take Your breath Away
	          Michael Berger	Nanowerk (24-Oct-11)
	Sampling and analysis of gaseous components in human breath offers a 
	noninvasive and quick means of qualitatively and quantitatively assessing 
	internalized doses of environmental contaminants. Need is for portable, 
	easy-to-use screening systems.
	
	One Room – 63 Different Dust Particles? Researchers Aim to Build Dust Library
	          Pam Frost Gorder Ohio State University (05-Oct-11)
	New patented sensor shows that most dust is natural in origin; organic matter 
	is most common, followed by quartz. Dust composition is important than in 
	public health, where some airborne particulates have been linked to diseases.
	
	Subcategory: Mobile, phones/others

	Smart-Phone App Tracks Heart Rate
	          Erica Westly Technology Review	(14-Oct-11)
	A new smart-phone app can take your pulse and measure your breathing.  All
	you need to do is hold an index finger over a smart phone's video camera for a
        few minutes. Readings were almost identical to electrocardiographs, pulse 
	oximeters.
	
	Subcategory: Neurology

	Into the (Mis)fold: a Diagnostic Tool for Proteins
	          Aditi Risbud Berkeley News	(31-May-11)
	Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 35 million people worldwide. A central 
	aspect to this disease is an accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain. 
	New capability could help pinpoint Alzheimer’s in its early stages, enable 
	new therapies.
	
	Subcategory: Oncology

	Difference Engine: Blissful Ignorance
	          Economist (14-Oct-11)
	The real problem with prostate-cancer screening—whatever the test 
	employed—is the over-treatment that ensues. What is needed is a way of 
	identifying the fast-growing version of the disease while ignoring all the other 
	cells.
	
	Singling Out the Real Breast Cancer among the Lumps
	          Mary Beckman	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (24-Oct-11)
	Using patient blood, a panel of proteins shed by breast cancer are found to be 
	easily detected by standard diagnostic tools and can distinguish between real 
	cancer and benign lumps.

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	DRUG DELIVERY

	Subcategory: Cell Therapy

	Researchers Do Precise Gene Therapy without a Needle
	          Pam Frost Gorder Ohio State University (16-Oct-11)
	Electricity “shoots” bits of therapeutic biomolecules through a tiny channel 
	and into a cell in a fraction of a second. This “nanochannel electroporation,” or
	 NEP, helps investigate how drugs, other biomolecules affect cell biology and 
	genetic pathways.

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	INDUSTRY

	Subcategory: Big Pharma

	Huge Improvement in Reputation of the Auto Industry and Big Drop in 
	Reputation of Airlines
	          Harris Polls (21-Sep-11)
	Table shows results of how the public perceives major industries, including 
	pharmaceutical, managed care and health insurance companies. All 3 showed 
	major drops in reputations over a 14-year period.
	
	Subcategory: Education

	HHMI Debuts “The Making of the Fittest” Short Films
	          Howard Hughes Medical Institute (12-Oct-11)
	Three short science films use vivid storytelling to teach the vital concepts of 
	adaptation and natural selection. Created to be used in classrooms, films try to
	 put kids in the footsteps of past or present scientists leading to a scientific 
	discovery.
	
	Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel

	EIA Projects World Energy Use to Increase 53 Percent by 2035; China and India 
	Account for Half of the Total Growth
	          U.S. Energy Information (19-Sep-11)
	Presents key findings of International Energy Outlook 2011 (IEO2011). 
	Report presents updated projections for world energy markets through 2035. 
	Link to full report.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	Argonne Team Helps Map Fukushima Radiation Release
	          Louise Lerner Argonne National Laboratory (10-Oct-11)
	Describes the challenges of taking radiation samples in a mountainous, 
	forested area damaged by earthquake. Data sharing, training of U.S. military 
	and Japanese personnel in Japan has been coordinated and ongoing.
	
	What Can Make a Dent?	
	          David L. Chandler MIT News	 (24-Oct-11)
	Given the enormous scale of worldwide energy use, there are limited options 
	for achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. First of 
	5-part series taking a broad view of the likely scalable energy candidates.
	
	Biodiversity
	          Thomas E. Lovejoy and Edward O. Wilson The Scientist	 (01-Oct-11)	
        Ecosystems are failing and extinction rates are soaring. Experts explore why 
	cataloging existing species, discovering new ones, and maintaining a balanced 
	and diverse global ecosystem are critical for ensuring a habitable environment 
	for all.
	
	Subcategory: Geographic focus

	Industrial Biotech Jobs Soar, Sector Asks for Policy Help
	          Ron Leuty San Francisco Business Times (05-Oct-11)
	California biofuels companies and others in the "industrial biotechnology" 
	sector increased employment by 632% over the past 5 years, albeit from a 
	low starting base.
	
	Subcategory: Miscellaneous

	Insect Portrait Captures Small World Competition
	          Drug Discovery & Development (05-Oct-11)
	A micrograph of a Common Green Lacewing earned top honors in Nikon’s 
	2011 Small World Photomicrography Competition. The competition 
	recognizes excellence in photomicrography.
	
	Top 50 Technologies Reshaping the World
	          Rajiv Kumar Frost & Sullivan (01-Oct-11)
	Selected 50 technologies are divided across 9 technology clusters, among them 
	Lifesciences & Biotechnology (5), Medical Devices & Imaging Technology 
	(6), Clean & Green Technology (7).

	Subcategory: Nanotechnology

	Nanoparticles and Their Size may not Be Big Iissues
	          University of Oregon (24-Oct-11)
	Nanoparticles have been in contact with humans for a long, long time, as 
	miniscule metal nanoparticles are being created naturally by silver articles such
	 as wire, jewelry and eating utensils in contact with other surfaces.

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	INVESTMENTS/ GOV. SUPPORT

	Subcategory: Databases

	Healthy Competition
	          Economist (10-Apr-11)
	Heritage Health Prize: $3m award will go to whoever does the best 
        job of improving predictions about which patients in a model set are most 
        likely to require a visit to hospital within the next year.
	
	Subcategory: General

	BBSRC Encourages Applications in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy
	          BBSRC	(05-Oct-11)
	Researchers working in industrial biotechnology and bioenergy as well as in 
	related fields including systems biology, microbiology, biochemical 
	engineering, and chemistry are encouraged to submit proposals. Deadline Jan. 
	11 2012.
	
	Subcategory: Pulmonary/ Respiratory Diseases

	Feature: Breathless - Understanding Asthma
	          Penny Bailey Wellcome Trust	 (20-Sep-11)
	Six different asthma subsets or 'phenotypes' identified, based on when the 
	disease first appeared and its remission or persistence over a life time. 

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	NOVEL APPLICATIONS

	Subcategory: Energy/ Fuel

	Converting Plastics to Energy Could Boost US Reserves
	          Ann R. Thryft Design News (26-Oct-11)
	Plastics make up only 9.5-17% of each state's municipal solid wastes, yet 
	many plastics are more energy dense than coal. Nonrecycled plastics can be 
	source-separated and converted to crude oil or other types of fuel oil via 
	pyrolysis.
	
	VIDEO: Unlocking New Energy Possibilities with Dead Wood
	          IMPO (27-Oct-11)
	Could dead wood be the answer to the world's energy problems? Scientists 
	have invented a simple 2-step way to turn wood, and even garbage, into fuel 
	that could power your car and heat your home. Video.
	
	Artificial Leaf’ Makes Fuel from Sunlight
	          David L. Chandler MIT News	 (30-Sep-11)
	Like living leaves, artificial leaf (a silicon solar cell with different catalytic 
	materials bonded onto its two sides)  can turn the energy of sunlight directly 
	into a chemical fuel that can be stored and used later as an energy source.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	Extraordinary Off-Grid Hobbit Home in Wales Only Cost £3,000 to Build
	          Tafline Laylin Inhabitat (05-Oct-11)
	Describes a home that has virtually no visual or environmental impact on the 
	surrounding landscape. The naturally lit family home uses locally-sourced and
	natural materials taken from nearby woodlands.

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	PATENTS

	Subcategory: Cell Therapy

	EU Court: No Patents for Some Atem Cell Techniques
	          Maria Cheng The Salt Lake Trib (18-Oct-11)
	The European Union’s top court ruled that scientists cannot patent stem cell 
	techniques that use human embryos for research. responding to Greenpeace 
	lawsuit. Concerned that patents on plants and animals could lead to 
	monopolies in food production.

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	PEOPLE PROFILES

	Subcategory: Computing Systems

	Americans Recall Personal Impacts of Jobs' Vision
	          Brooke Donald Physorg.com	(07-Oct-11)
	Comments include a parent telling how an app allows severely disabled son to
	communicate through iPad and iPhone; medical and patient entertainment 
	uses in hospitals; cotton and soybean farmer to check pesticide and 
	temperature monitoring.
	
	Subcategory: Miscellaneous

	PopSci's 10th Annual Brilliant 10
	          PopSci	(08-Sep-11)
	Magazine's yearly list of young geniuses shaking up science includes 
	scientists making new forms of geometry, better HIV drugs, studying sun 
	plasma and sludge ecosystems, butterfly pharmacology and more.

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	PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

	Subcategory: Nanotechnology

	Opinion: Miniaturizing Medicine
	          Chad Mirkin The Scientist (01-Oct-11)
	Methods help track disease markers early, monitor disease progression; brings
	 us closer to the implementation of personalized medicine. May lower 
	health-care, drug development costs. See 
	http://the-scientist.com/2011/10/01/opinion-miniaturizing-medicine/
 

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	PLATFORM TECHNOLOGIES

	Subcategory: Cell Therapy

	Scripps Research Scientists Find Stem Cell Reprogramming Technique Is Safer 
	than Previously Thought
	          Scripps Research Institute (06-Oct-11)
	Study shows that the standard reprogramming method can generate induced 
	pluripotent stem cells with very few DNA structural mutations, which are 
	often linked to dangerous cell changes such as tumorigenesis.
	
	Subcategory: Earth Science

	From Myth to Reality: Photos Prove Triple Rainbows Exist
	          The Optical Society (05-Oct-11)
	Although staggeringly rare, tertiary and quaternary rainbows are natural 
	products of the combination of refraction, dispersion, and reflection inside 
	raindrops. These are the same processes that create all rainbows. Photos.
	
	Subcategory: Environment

	A New Approach to Solar Power
	          David L. Chandler MIT News	 (21-Oct-11)
	A thermoelectric system embedded in the central tube of a parabolic-trough 
	system produces both hot water and electricity at the same time by using a 
	thermosiphon that draws heat away from the “cold” part of a thermoelectric 
	system.
	
	Subcategory: Food

	Call In The Food Fixers
	          Melody M. Bomgardner Chemical & Engineering News (30-Oct-11)
	Whenever fats, sugars, or gluten are taken out of foods for "light" or "-free" 
	versions, a precisely tailored combination of other ingredients is called upon 
	to replace them to build up viscosity and "mouth feel."
	
	Subcategory: Genomics

	How Zelda Kick-Starts the Fly Embryo’s Genome
	          Howard Hughes Medical Institute (20-Oct-11)
	A new class of protein, nicknamed Zelda, is discovered to work as a genomic 
	"on" switch for the molecular events that govern the handoff from mother's 
	influence to an animal's own genome, the maternal-to-zygotic transition 
	(MZT).
	
	Opinion: Thinking Outside the Genome
	          Stephen Friend	The Scientist	 (01-Oct-11)
	Early sequencing evolved into the publication of genomes for myriad species, 
	including our own, within the span of 25 years. By extending its reach beyond
	 science, the field of omics will change the way we live our lives, writes 
	Friend.
	
	Subcategory: Health Gaming

	Video Games Help ICU Patients With Physical Therapy, Study Finds
	          iHealthBeat (11-Oct-11)
	Interactive video games on consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit are 
	found to enhance physical therapy for patients in intensive care units. Study 
	evaluated 22 patients ages 32-64.
	
	Subcategory: Materials

	Making Sodium-ion Batteries that Are Worth Their Salt
	          Jared Sagoff Argonne National Laboratory (24-Oct-11)
	Sodium-ion technology possesses a number of benefits that lithium-based 
	energy storage cannot capture. More naturally abundant than lithium, sodium 
	is lower in cost and less susceptible to extreme price fluctuations as the 
	battery market rapidly expands.
	
	Research Finds Gallium Nitride is Non-Toxic, Biocompatible – Holds Promise 
	For Biomedical Implants
	          North Carolina State (24-Oct-11)
	The semiconductor material gallium nitride (GaN) holds promise for an array 
	of implantable technologies – from electrodes used in neurostimulation 
	therapies for Alzheimer’s to transistors used to monitor blood chemistry.
	
	Stanford Researchers Build Transparent, Super-stretchy Skin-like Sensor
	          Louis Bergeron	Stanford University (24-Oct-11)
	Sensor can be stretched to more than 2x its original length, bounce back 
	perfectly to its original shape, can sense pressure from a firm pinch to 
	thousands of pounds. Applications include prosthetic limbs, robotics,  
	touch-sensitive computer displays.
	
	Scientists and Engineers Create the ‘Perfect Plastic
	          University of Leeds (29-Sep-11)
	Breakthrough will allow experts to create the 'perfect plastic' with specific 
	uses and properties by using a high-tech 'recipe book' based on mathematical 
	models. It will also increase ability to recycle plastics.
	
	Subcategory: Microorganisms

	'Demilitarized Zone' Keeps Gut Bacteria Where They Belong
	          Howard Hughes Medical Institute (13-Oct-11)
	Trillians of bacteria in our guts are physically separated from the intestinal 
	lining, which prevents them from activating their host's immune system. Loss 
	of this protective barrier could be involved in inflammatory bowel, related 
	diseases.
	
	Subcategory:	Miscellaneous

	Genetic Alarm Clock
	          Jef Akst The Scientist (04-Oct-11)
	Researchers have pinpointed a gene that helps initiate the morning metabolism
	ramp up—a discovery that could provide clues for disorders such as 
	insomnia, aging, even cancer and diabetes.

	Subcategory:	Robotics

	All for one, 'R-one' for all
	          Rice University	(11-Oct-11)
	"Swarm" robots work collectively on tasks -- like a colony of ants or bees -- 
	and can do some jobs faster and better than humans. Applications include oil 
	spills and searching for earthquake survivors. Cost is about $200.

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	RESEARCH ADVANCEMENTS

	Subcategory: Cardiology/ Vascular Diseases

	Fatty Acids Do A Heart Good
	          Lauren Wolf Chemical & Engineering News (31-Oct-11)
	The identification of fatty acid molecules, which trigger pythons’ heart cells 
	to expand as much as 40% so that the snakes can metabolize big meals, could 
	lead to future therapies for heart disease in humans.
	
	UC Davis Study Shows that Systemic Inflammation Increases with Age in 
	Patients at Risk for Heart Disease
	          UC Davis (06-Oct-11)
	the older a study participant was, the higher their blood levels of systemic 
	inflammation markers. Blood levels of vascular inflammation markers 
	remained stable across ages. "It could be that we accumulate an inflammatory 
	load over a lifetime."
	
	Subcategory: Dermatology

	How Key Genes Cooperate to Make Healthy Skin
	          Paul Preuss	Berkeley News (20-Sep-11)
	Mutations in a single gene, the gene for the protein p63, cause numerous 
	diseases and malformations of the uppermost layer of skin. P63 acts by 
	directly regulating another protein, Satb1, which is a “genome organizer.”
	
	Subcategory: Education

	Brain Scans Support Findings that IQ Can Rise or Fall Significantly During 
	Adolescence
	          Wellcome Trust	(20-Oct-11)
	It is possible that IQ differences are due to some of the subjects being early or
	 late developers, but it is equally possible that education had a role in changing
	 IQ, and this has implications for how schoolchildren are assessed.
	
	Subcategory: Geriatrics

	Worm Offspring Inherit Longevity Even without the Genes
	          Sharon Begley Technology Review (20-Oct-11)
	New study shows that acquired characteristics can be passed to offspring 
	without changes to the genetic code. Occurs through "epigenetics": alterations 
	not in the coding sequence of DNA but in chemical changes that affect 
	whether genes are expressed.
	
	How Longevity Is Passed On
	          Cristina Luiggi The Scientist (19-Oct-11)
	For the first time researchers, using the Caenorhabditis elegans worm, have 
	shown that epigenetic changes that increase lifespan can be inherited across 
	multiple generations.
	
	Subcategory: Immunology/ Infectious Diseases

	Scripps Research Team Discovers Treatable Mechanism Responsible for Often 
	Deadly Response to Flu
	          Scripps Research Institute (15-Sep-11)
	A severe immune reaction called a “cytokine storm” floods the tiny air sacs of
	 the lungs with fluid and infection-fighting cells, blocking off airways and 
	damaging body tissues and organs. Cells that orchestrate cytokine storms may
	 lead to treatment.
	
	Researchers Engineer New Way to Inhibit Allergic Reactions without Side 
	Effects
	          Arnie Phifer University of Notre Dame (06-Oct-11)
	Therapy centers on a special molecule the researchers designed, a 
	heterobivalent ligand (HBL), to out-compete allergens like egg or peanut 
	proteins. Approach prevents allergic reactions from occurring in the first 
	place.
	
	Subcategory: Musculoskeletal

	Photos of the Day: Mechanical Prosthetic Arm
	          Product Design and Development (10-Oct-11)
	Quadriplegic research subjects test arm. Goal is to create mind-controlled 
	prosthetics to restore some independence to paralyzed people. Also 
	www.pddnet.com/news-paralyzed-man-uses-mind_powered-robot-arm-to-to
	uch-101011/
	
	Subcategory: Oncology

	Pancreatic Cancer 4th Most Deadly, Treatments Few
	           Marilynn Marchione AARP (07-Oct-11)
	Part of what makes pancreatic cancer so deadly is that the pancreas is as vital 
	as the heart, as it makes digestive enzymes and insulin and other hormones 
	that enable the body to make energy from food.
	
	Grabbing Cancer by the Short and Curlies
	          Economist (24-Sep-11)
	Seeking the solution to how response to cancer drugs can be restored after 
	tumors begin resisting treatment, scientists find that short hairpin RNAs may 
	be an important molecular link.
	
	Cells Are Crawling All Over Our Bodies, but How? Biologists Devise New Way 
	to Watch How Cells Move
	          Libby Fairhurst	Florida State University (18-Oct-11)
	Research on worm sperm cell pull-push crawling motions could eventually aid
	in the development of therapies that target cell motility in order to interfere with 
        or block the metastasis of cancer.

	Colon Cancer Connection
	          Anne Doerr	Harvard University Gazette (17-Oct-11)
	Strikingly high levels of a bacterium, Fusobacterium, in colorectal cancers may
	 be a sign that it might contribute to the disease and potentially be a key to 
	diagnosing, preventing, and treating it.
	
	Attacking Cancer Cells with Nanoparticles
	          Judy Holmes Syracuse University (24-Oct-11)
	By coating gold nanoparticles with DNA coded to attract specific types of 
	drugs, scientists attach drug molecules and coat the nanoparticle surface to 
	prevent the immune system from attacking the nanoparticle as a foreign 
	invader.
	
	How Normal Cells Become Brain Cancers
	          Jason Bardi	 University of California San Francisco (28-Sep-11)
	The pool of cells from which oligodendroglioma tumors emerge normally 
	divide “asymmetrically” by splitting into two unequal parts. They transform 
	into cancer cells when they begin dividing symmetrically. May help to 
	identify new drugs.
	
	Subcategory: Ophthalmology

	Biofunctionalized Silk Nanofibers to Repair the Optic Nerve
	          Michael Berger Nanowerk (12-Oct-11)
	Research goal is to test new biomaterial that will provide a permissive growth 
	support that is orientated and can ultimately develop as a 3D nerve guide that 
	can be implanted at a site of a nerve lesion to regenerate a traumatized optic 
	nerve.
	
	Subcategory: Pain Management

	Scientists Discover Inflammation Is Controlled Differently in Brain and Other 
	Tissues
	          Scripps Research Institute (20-Oct-11)
	Study focuses on the type of inflammation normally treatable with 
	non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or 
	ibuprofen. Shows this type of inflammation is controlled by different 
	enzymes in different parts of the body.
	
	Subcategory: Pulmonary/ Respiratory Diseases

	Breathing Easier with Lung Regeneration
	          Harvard University Gazette (27-Oct-11)
	Stem cells cloned from  fthe human airway can form into the lung’s alveoli air 
	sac tissue.The cells are rapidly deployed in a dynamic process of lung 
	regeneration to combat damage from infection or chronic disease.
	
	Subcategory: Wound/Tissue Repair

	Hold Your Forces: Mechanical Stress Can Help or Hinder Wound Healing 
	Depending on Time of Application
	          Abby Robinson Georgia Tech	 (24-Oct-11)
	Applying mechanical forces to an injury site immediately after healing began 
	disrupts vascular growth into the site, preventing bone healing. Applying 
	mechanical forces later in the healing process enhanced functional bone 
	regeneration.

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	RESEARCH TOOLS

	Subcategory: Cardiology/ Vascular Diseases

	HeartLander Surgical Robot Inches Closer to Reality
	          Meghan Kerry Design News (06-Oct-11)
	A miniature robotic device crawls around the surface of the heart in an 
	inchworm-like fashion, taking measurements and performing simple surgical 
	tasks. Gains access to the heart without opening the chest and operates on the
	 heart while it is beating.
	
	Subcategory: Evolution Research

	Discovered: The ‘Missing Link’ in Biological Pigment Biosynthesis
	          Tracey Duncombe BBSRC (05-Oct-11)
	Heme has been found to be made via a novel branch to the well-understood 
	pathway in a wide range of organisms, from most bacteria to humans. 
	Involves a related molecule called siroheme, which is hijacked and brought into
	 the biosynthesis pathway.
	
	Subcategory: Imaging

	Microscopy Reveals New Layout For Measles Virus
	          Carmen Drahl Chemical & Engineering News (31-Oct-11)
	The 3-D organization of measles virus appears to be different than what 
	researchers had expected. A protein-nucleic acid complex found via electron 
	microscopy studies could help design drugs that combat related viruses, such 
	as flu.
	
	Subcategory: Materials

	New Technique Turns Viruses Into Useful Tools
	          Prachi Patel Technology Review (20-Oct-11)
	In one simple step, viruses can be turned into sophisticated structures with 
	biomedical properties for growing soft tissue, teeth, and bone. Traits be 
	genetically modified and many different useful materials can be attached to its 
	surface.
	
	Subcategory: Mobile Medicine

	Report: Future of Health Is Mobile, but Outcomes Count
	          Neil Versel mobihealthnews (06-Oct-11)
	Telemedicine and mobile health may provide more affordable ways to manage 
	treatment of chronic conditions, offer substantial cost savings from improving 
	drug adherence and monitoring vital signs, in industrialized, developing areas.
	
	Subcategory: Mouse/ Rat Models

	Researchers Engineer Mice with Anomalies Linked to Autism, Schizophrenia
	          Erica Westly Technology Review	(04-Oct-11)
	By creating animals with chromosomal abnormalities that mirror those seen in 
	humans with autism and schizophrenia, researchers hope to learn more about 
	how the disorders develop.
	
	Subcategory: Oncology

	Berkeley Lab Scientists Develop New Tool for the Study of Spatial Patterns in 
	Living Cells
	          Lynn Yarris	Berkeley News (31-Oct-11)
	Biology is a game of nanometers, where spatial differences of only a few 
	nanometers can determine the fate of a cell – whether it lives or dies, remains 
	normal or turns cancerous. Gold membranes are used to study cancer 
	metastasis, T cell immunology.

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