How viruses enter cells
07 February, 2006
A team of Northwestern University researchers has solved the structure of a molecule that controls the ability of viruses of the paramyxovirus family, including the viruses that cause measles, mumps, and many human respiratory diseases, to fuse with and infect human cells.
Monitoring of living cells
06 February, 2006
Cell cultures often form the testing ground for new active agents. Results can only be reliable if cell growth is standardised. This process will soon happen automatically with a microscope to monitor growth and image processing to control cultivation via integrated robotics.
Neutron scattering and cell signalling
06 February, 2006
Neutron scattering research techniques that can show how nature uses complex protein structures to get cells to respond and adapt to stimuli in the body, could be the new tool to help researchers find new drugs to treat diseases such as heart failure or cancer. Dr Jill Trewhella, a joint ANSTO and Sydney University Research Fellow, is an expert in using neutron scattering to study cell signalling systems which regulate the body.
Protein improves body's fight
01 February, 2006
Monash University scientists have discovered how a single protein could dramatically improve the body's ability to fight viruses such as the flu.
HLS5 Gene implicated in Huntington's
30 January, 2006
The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) has discovered a link between the HLS5 gene and key aspects of Huntington’s disease and AIDS development, according to an announcement made by BioPharmica.
Natural chemistry finds it way to market
20 January, 2006
Faster reaction rates, a substantially higher yield and a cleaner production process than is currently possible in the chemical industry, is claimed to be the result of a new sustainable chemical process that researchers from the Universiteit van Amsterdam and Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen have developed with support from NWO ACTS (Advanced Chemical Technologies for Sustainability).
Curry could halt prostate cancer
17 January, 2006
Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, USA, researchers have found that the curry spice turmeric holds real potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables.
Trials in measuring radiation doses accurately
12 January, 2006
Researchers have begun trials which will allow radiation doses in computed tomography (CT) scans to be estimated much more accurately.
Gene patent study misleading
06 January, 2006
A report in Science journal relating to gene patenting claimed: "Nearly a fifth of all human genes have been patented, a study has found, leading to fears that research into diseases such as breast cancer, diabetes and obesity could be stifled."
CRC discovery contributes to asthma drug development
16 December, 2005
A discovery made at WEHI by the Cooperative Research Centre for Cellular Growth Factors (CRC-CGF) has led to the selection of an antibody-based drug for full preclinical development as a potential new treatment for asthma and other respiratory diseases.
Study suggests drug may reverse psychosis
01 December, 2005
Cannabis, a drug believed to increase the risk of psychosis in users, contains a compound that may be able to reverse psychotic behaviour, Monash researchers have found.
Collaborators seek parasite invasion blockers
18 November, 2005
A malaria research team, including WEHI Structural Biologist, Professor Ray Norton, has received a US$1 million grant from the US National Institutes of Health to develop more effective malaria treatments.
Method to detect potential bioterrorism agent
08 November, 2005
A new combination of analytical chemistry and mathematical data analysis techniques allows the rapid identification of the species, strain and infectious phase of the potential biological terrorism agent Coxiella burnetii. The bacterium causes the human disease Q fever, which can cause serious illness and even death.
Cellular emotions
07 November, 2005
University of Queensland researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how memories are stored and processed, paving the way for new strategies to treat conditions of certain mental disorders.
Adult stem cells found in uterus
04 November, 2005
Dr Caroline Gargett from Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) has discovered adult stem cells in the uterus that can be grown into bone, muscle, fat and cartilage and her research has been hailed as a major medical and scientific development by international reproduction experts.
