PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Genetic research develops tools for studying diseases, improving regenerative treatment

2012-03-20
(Press-News.org) MANHATTAN, KAN. -- Research from a Kansas State University professor may make it easier to recover after spinal cord injury or to study neurological disorders.

Mark Weiss, professor of anatomy and physiology, is researching genetic models for spinal cord injury or diseases such as Parkinson's disease. He is developing technology that can advance cellular therapy and regenerative medicine -- a type of research that can greatly improve animal and human health.

"We're trying to build tools, trying to build models that will have broad applications," Weiss said. "So if you're interested in neural differentiation or if you're interested in response after an injury, we're trying to come up with cell lines that will teach us, help us to solve a medical mystery."

Weiss' research team has perfected a technique to use stem cells to study targeted genetic modifications. They are among a handful of laboratories in the world using these types of models for disease. The research is an important step in the field of functional genomics, which focuses on understanding the functions and roles of these genes in disease.

The researchers are creating several tools to study functional genomics. One such tool involves developing new ways to use fluorescent transporters, which make it easier to study proteins and their functions. These fluorescent transporters can be especially helpful when studying neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, stroke and spinal cord injury.

"People who have spinal cord injury do not experience a lot of regeneration," Weiss said. "It is one of the problems of the nervous system -- it is not great at regenerating itself like other tissues."

The researchers want to discover a way to help this regenerative process kick in. By studying signals from fluorescing cells, they can understand how neural stem cells are reactivated.

"We want to try and make these genetic markers, and then we can test different kinds of treatment to see how they assist in the regenerative process," Weiss said.

Weiss' stem cell research has appeared in two recent journals: Stem Cells and Development and the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and university funds, including the Johnson Cancer Research Center.

Weiss' seven-member research team includes a visiting professor, two full-time researchers, a graduate student and three undergraduates. He has also been collaborating with researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Weiss was also part of a Kansas State University research team to find and patent a noncontroversial source of stem cells from a substance in the umbilical cord.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study reveals how monarch butterflies recolonize northern breeding range

2012-03-20
Each year, millions of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) migrate from overwintering grounds in central Mexico to colonize eastern North America, but just how these delicate creatures manage to reach the northern part of their breeding range in spring has largely remained a mystery. Monarch ButterflyNew research from the University of Guelph led by Prof. Ryan Norris, Department of Integrative Biology, former graduate student Nathan Miller and Environment Canada, reveals how monarchs recolonize the northern reaches of their breeding grounds — information that will ...

Trinity Digital Marketing Offering Free Website Design

2012-03-20
Trinity Digital Marketing has just released that they are running a rewards program. They are performing a free website design for an organization that is making the community a better place. This may include non-profits, churches, or various other organizations. You may visit their web design page at http://www.trinitydigitalmarketing.com/washington-dc-maryland-virginia-website-design. If you have a business in the Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia area that is making an impact, feel free to contact them. They have designed website carrying from businesses, political ...

A new tool to reveal structure of proteins

2012-03-20
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new method to reveal the structure of proteins could help researchers understand biological molecules – both those involved in causing disease and those performing critical functions in healthy cells. For roughly a decade, a technique called solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has allowed researchers to detect the arrangements of atoms in proteins that defy study by traditional laboratory tools such as X-ray crystallography. But translating solid state NMR data into an actual 3D protein structures has always been difficult. In ...

Step forward in research into new treatments for brain edema

2012-03-20
Cerebral edemas are accumulations of fluid into the intra- or extracellular spaces of the brain and it can result from several factors such as stroke or head trauma, among others. Cerebral edema is a serious problem in neurology. While in other organs swelling does not lead to an urgent situation, in the brain it leads to coma and death. Although there are therapeutic solutions such as surgery, more effective treatments are needed. Megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts (MLC) is a rare type of leukodystrophy (affects the white matter) of genetic ...

ArtistScope DRM for eBooks and PDF provides real security for authors

2012-03-20
ArtistScope DRM for the Digital Rights Management of both eBooks and PDF documents is now available and affordable for everyone to use. An author can be publishing fully protected documents within hours. Documents are not only protected from all manner of copying their content but are also protected from the copy and redistribution to others. ArtistScope DRM is a total control solution comprised of a sophisticated suite of tools that enable authors to upload documents and images from a web page to be encrypted and assigned access rights permissions. The solution is unique ...

Global sea level likely to rise as much as 70 feet for future generations

2012-03-20
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Even if humankind manages to limit global warming to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F), as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends, future generations will have to deal with sea levels 12 to 22 meters (40 to 70 feet) higher than at present, according to research published in the journal Geology. The researchers, led by Kenneth G. Miller, professor of earth and planetary sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, reached their conclusion by studying rock and soil cores in Virginia, Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific and ...

Researchers find that smoking may restore tapped-out self-control resources

2012-03-20
TAMPA, Fla. (March 19, 2012) – Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have found that when they deplete a smoker's self control, smoking a cigarette may restore self-control. The study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Vol. 121, No.1), exposed a test group and a control group – totaling 132 nicotine dependent smokers – to an emotional video depicting environmental damage. One group in the study expressed their natural emotional reactions (no depletion of self-control) while the second group suppressed their responses (self-control ...

Researchers discover novel therapy for Crohn's disease

Researchers discover novel therapy for Crohns disease
2012-03-20
The Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory (NIMML) research team at Virginia Tech has discovered important new information on the efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in treating Crohn's disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). CLA is a naturally occurring acid found in meat and dairy products known for its anti-cancer and immune modulatory properties. In collaboration with the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepathology at University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the Wake Forest Medical Center, researchers found that ...

Wardour And Oxford Announces Matt Wilson as the Ambassador for Climate Unchange

2012-03-20
Matt Wilson, CEO of one of the world's most influential entrepreneurship organisations, Under30CEO has been named as the Ambassador for Climate Unchange. Wardour And Oxford is committed to the fight against climate change - this generation's greatest environmental crisis that carries economic, health, safety, food production, security and species survival consequences. As a social mission with technology developed by Swiss company South Pole Carbon, Climate Unchange is a webshop empowering all individuals, entrepreneurs, small, medium and large corporations to voluntarily ...

Kampyle Hosting Webinar on Reducing Support Costs While Enhancing Customer Experience

2012-03-20
Kampyle is hosting a webinar with leading European Telecoms, Swisscom and KPN entitled "Reducing Support Costs While Enhancing Customer Experience. Markus Eberhard, Head of Selfcare and Customer Support at Swisscom and Maarten Goedvolk, Senior Web Strategy Manager at KPN (Netherlands) will share how using Kampyle helped them successfully transform the online and mobile user experience for their respective companies. Their story will provide a clear strategy and framework for business success. With stiff competition among telecoms, it is largely the universal ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] Genetic research develops tools for studying diseases, improving regenerative treatment