A compound that’s known to extend life span in fish could also stop cognitive decline.

Physicians can treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, but there is no way to prevent or reverse the underlying degeneration and death of neurons that characterize these diseases. Now research by scientists at Harvard and MIT suggests a potential new therapeutic approach.

The scientists have shown that a gene called SIRT1 and a plant compound found in red wine called resveratrol can protect against neuron degeneration in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The researchers demonstrated that activating SIRT1 and injecting resveratrol, which have both been previously associated with life-span extension in lower organisms, can also prevent cognitive problems in the mice.

Wine therapy

Treatment with resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, prevents neurons from dying and improves cognition in mice with a neurodegenerative disorder. These images are from an in vitro study of resveratrol in degenerating rat neurons. The neuron stained green in the top image was treated with resveratrol and is healthy; the green neuron in the bottom image was not treated and shows signs of fragmentation.
Credit: Dohoon Kim

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The $100 Genome

Forget the $1,000 genome.

Some companies are looking far past that goal in the hope of creating a really inexpensive sequencing technology.

“Cheap sequence: Threading long DNA molecules through nano-sized channels on a specially fabricated chip could provide a cheaper way to sequence DNA. This image shows a wafer developed by BioNanomatrix. Each rectangle is a nanoanalyzer chip lined with 50,000 channels.

Credit: BioNanomatrix”

It currently costs roughly $60,000 to sequence a human genome, and a handful of research groups are hoping to achieve a $1,000 genome within the next three years. But two companies, Complete Genomics and BioNanomatrix, are collaborating to create a novel approach that would sequence your genome for less than the price of a nice pair of jeans–and the technology could read the complete genome in a single workday. “It would have been absolutely impossible to think about this project 10 years ago,” says Radoje Drmanac, chief scientific officer at Complete Genomics, which is based in Mountain View, CA.

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Modality, the leader in transforming and distributing premium, branded learning content to personal handheld media players has all your study needs available for download on your iPod. The innovative, digital learning platform is changing the way students learn and teachers teach.

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Browse through our extensive list of free Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals magazines, white papers, downloads and podcasts to find the titles that best match your skills and interests; topics include chemicals, genetics, bioinformatics and genomics. Simply complete the application form and submit it. Remember to fill out the forms COMPLETELY. All are absolutely free to professionals who qualify.

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Medical Textbooks | Patient Simulations | MEDLINE and Medical Journals | Handheld Computer Resources | Continuing Education and Board Exams | Medical Organizations | Patient Education / Consumer Health Information | Internet Medical Directories | About MedicalStudent.com

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Visualizing Life at the Molecular Level

Many biological functions depend critically upon tissue molecular architecture, which is complex and challenging to understand. The Titan Krios allows researchers to visualize the intricate mechanisms of individual proteins and molecular machines, and to localize that activity within the three dimensional architecture of the cell. This capability has the potential to further the understanding of biological pathways in significant disease fields such as cardiovascular disease or cancer.

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La Jolla, Calif.-based Stemagen, a privately held embryonic stem cell research company, announced today it has become the first in the world to create, and meticulously document, a cloned human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).

This is “a critical milestone in the development of patient-specific embryonic stem cells for human therapeutic use, potentially including developing treatments for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases,” said CEO Samuel H. Wood, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the publication and a donor of the cells from which the embryos were cloned.

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Researchers have discovered a dramatically improved method for genetically manipulating human embryonic stem cells, making it easier for scientists to study and potentially treat thousands of disorders ranging from Huntington’s disease to muscular dystrophy and diabetes.

The technique for the first time blends two existing cell-handling methods to improve cell survival rates and increase the efficiency of inserting DNA into cells.

The new approach is up to 100 times more efficient than current methods at producing human embryonic stem cells with desired genetic alterations.
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Two proteins that control potassium regulation in stem cells have been found in the embryonic brain of rats, according to researchers at Texas Tech University and the University of Wisconsin.

Understanding this potassium regulation and how these proteins work can help researchers develop better detection and treatment methods for diseases of nervous system and the heart, said Dean O. Smith, vice president for research at Texas Tech.

The findings were published in the journal PLoS ONE.
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Modeling Surprise
Combining massive quantities of data, insights into human psychology, and machine learning can help manage surprising events, says Eric Horvitz.

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A new information system records what pills do to the body.

A system that monitors pill taking and its effects is being engineered by a Silicon Valley startup. The technology consists of pills that report when they’ve been taken, and sensors that monitor the body’s responses.

The company behind the technology, Proteus Biomedical, of Redwood City, CA, calls its technology the Raisin system. George Savage, Proteus’s cofounder and a former ER physician, says that the company was motivated by the fact that so many medical problems stem from drug compliance problems. According to Savage, 40 percent of hospital readmissions for heart failure happen because patients fail to take their medications properly.
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Frances Arnold is designing better enzymes for making biofuels from cellulose.

In December, President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which calls for U.S. production of renewable fuels to reach 36 billion gallons a year–nearly five times current levels–by 2022. Of that total, cellulosic biofuels derived from sources such as agricultural waste, wood chips, and prairie grasses are supposed to account for 16 billion gallons. If the mandates are met, gasoline consumption should decline significantly, reducing both greenhouse-gas emissions and imports of foreign oil.
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XII National Meeting of Biology Students, Braga ’08 (ENEB)

Every year, in Portugal, a commission of biology students organizes the ENEB.
In this year, at 15-18 Mar, the 12th edition of National Meeting of Biology Students will occur in Braga at the University of Minho, Portugal.
This event promotes social and scientific interaction between all students and invited Professors/ Researchers from different universities of Portugal.
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In the past five years, Spanish companies and institutions have sharply increased their focus on biotechnology, and the results — in new companies, new products, and new research centers—represent an important contribution to the growing international field. This is the sixth in an eight-part series highlighting new technologies in Spain and is produced by Technology Review, Inc.’s custom-publishing division in partnership with the Trade Commission of Spain.

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