A team led by Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Cell Engineering at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, has shown for the first time the effectiveness of a new technique that could allow the development of more-specific, cell-based immune therapies for cancer. Their findings were reported online today in Nature Biotechnology. Immunotherapies — which make use of patients' own immune cells that have been augmented in the laboratory — have shown some early success in the treatment of blood cancers including certain types of leukemia. For most cancers, ...

LOS ANGELES (EMBARGOED UNTIL DEC. 16, 2012 AT 1 P.M. EST) – Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have reprogrammed ordinary heart cells to become exact replicas of highly specialized pacemaker cells by injecting a single gene (Tbx18)–a major step forward in the decade-long search for a biological therapy to correct erratic and failing heartbeats. The advance will be published in the Jan 8 issue of Nature Biotechnology and also will be available today on the journal's website. "Although we and others have created primitive biological pacemakers before, this study ...

Intense but small-scale polar storms could make a big difference to climate predictions according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the University of Massachusetts. Difficult-to-forecast polar mesoscale storms occur frequently over the polar seas, however they are missing in most climate models. Research published today in Nature Geoscience shows that their inclusion could paint a different picture of climate change in years to come. Polar mesoscale storms are capable of producing hurricane-strength winds which cool the ocean and lead to changes ...

December 16, 2012, Shenzhen, China – A research team, led by Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Sciences and BGI, has successfully reconstructed a continuous population history of the giant panda from its origin to the present. The findings suggested whereas global changes in climate were the primary drivers in panda population fluctuation for millions of years, human activities were likely to underlie recent population divergence and serious decline. This work reveals a good example for assessing and establishing the best conservation method for other endangered ...

New research led by Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry suggests that the cognitive test used in Alzheimer's drug trials is flawed. The current standard cognitive test for the disease is the ADAS Cog. The new research, published as two studies in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, investigates the role of the test and questions its effectiveness. The studies show that the ADAS Cog is not subtle enough to properly track changes in the early stages of Alzheimer's. This is important because data from this key ...

Older people often worry about dementia and while some risks are known, for example alcoholism or stroke, the effects of illness are less clear. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care looks at illness requiring hospitalization and treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) and finds that infection or severe sepsis, neurological dysfunction, such as delirium, or acute dialysis are all independently associated with an increased risk of a subsequent diagnosis of dementia. This study was based on a random 5% of older (66 years or above) ...

A new model of the how the protein coat (capsid) of viruses assembles, published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Biophysics, shows that the construction of intermediate structures prior to final capsid production (hierarchical assembly) can be more efficient than constructing the capsid protein by protein (direct assembly). The capsid enveloping a virus is essential for protection and propagation of the viral genome. Many viruses have evolved a self-assembly method which is so successful that the viral capsid can self assemble even when removed from its host ...

Turning vast amounts of genomic data into meaningful information about the cell is the great challenge of bioinformatics, with major implications for human biology and medicine. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues have proposed a new method that creates a computational model of the cell from large networks of gene and protein interactions, discovering how genes and proteins connect to form higher-level cellular machinery. The findings are published in the December 16 advance online publication of Nature Biotechnology. "Our ...

PHILADELPHIA – Research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that sons of male rats exposed to cocaine are resistant to the rewarding effects of the drug, suggesting that cocaine-induced changes in physiology are passed down from father to son. The findings are published in the latest edition of Nature Neuroscience. "We know that genetic factors contribute significantly to the risk of cocaine abuse, but the potential role of epigenetic influences – how the expression of certain genes related ...

A new analysis has found that loading up on snack foods may increase cancer risk in individuals with an inborn susceptibility to colorectal and other cancers. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that an eating pattern low in snack foods could help these individuals—who have a condition called Lynch syndrome—lower their risk. Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition characterized by a high risk of developing colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and other cancers at an early age. The syndrome is ...

With a single social-media misstep, student-athletes could lose athletic eligibility or a scholarship. But that's not stopping them from using Twitter – sometimes even during games, when they may see harsh criticism of their performances from fans, according to a study by Baylor University and Clemson University researchers. While many college athletic teams prohibit student-athletes from using social media during games, some breach the rules to get a "real-time" commentary on how they are doing during the game, said Blair Browning, Ph.D., an assistant professor of communication ...

Asthmatic children in New York City neighborhoods with high rates of asthma make many more visits to the emergency room (ER) than those who live in other parts of the city. While socioeconomic factors such as lack of adequate preventive care are part of the equation (high-asthma neighborhoods tend to be lower income), new research points to a possible biological basis for the disparity. Asthmatic children living in asthma hotspots were twice as likely to experience a common symptom known as exercise-induced wheeze than were those in neighborhoods with lower asthma rates. ...

December 22 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician renowned for somehow intuiting extraordinary numerical patterns and connections without the use of proofs or modern mathematical tools. A devout Hindu, Ramanujan said that his findings were divine, revealed to him in dreams by the goddess Namagiri. "I wanted to do something special, in the spirit of Ramanujan, to mark the anniversary," says Emory mathematician Ken Ono. "It's fascinating to me to explore his writings and imagine how his brain may have worked. It's like ...

WASHINGTON — Paying it forward - a popular expression for extending generosity to others after someone has been generous to you - is a heartwarming concept, but it is less common than repaying greed with greed, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. "The idea of paying it forward is this cascade of goodwill will turn into a utopia with everyone helping everyone," said lead researcher Kurt Gray, PhD. "Unfortunately, greed or looking out for ourselves is more powerful than true acts of generosity." The study, published online ...

Berkeley, Calif., Dec.17,2012—Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an elegant and powerful new microscale actuator that can flex like a tiny beckoning finger. Based on an oxide material that expands and contracts dramatically in response to a small temperature variation, the actuators are smaller than the width of a human hair and are promising for microfluidics, drug delivery, and artificial muscles. "We believe our microactuator is more ...

Join the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera (Verismo Opera) as the company celebrates its 23rd season with Love, Comedy, Obsession & Murder. Artistic Director and Met Opera luminary Lucine Amara invites the public to attend an open house to learn more about Verismo Opera on Saturday, January 5, 2013, 2:00 p.m., at 44 Armory Street in Englewood, New Jersey. A snow date is scheduled for Saturday, January 12, 2:00 p.m., at the same location. Ms. Amara, Verismo Opera Music Director/Principal Conductor Anthony Morss, Chorus Director Mara Waldman, Stage Director ...

Cosmetology students at ITS Academy of Beauty schools in Fort Worth, Mesquite, Irving, Plano, Arlington, Hurst and Denton are doing their part to help folks recover from holiday spending by offering season and weekly specials. The winter specials at the award-winning cosmetology school include 50% off of perms and 40% off relaxer services. The special is good Dec. 24 through Feb. 28. For weekly specials on services and products, customers are encouraged to call the individual schools. "There is no need to sacrifice beauty after the holidays when folks can come ...

Beginning Dec 24-30, 2012 Award Winning Comedian Don Barnhart brings his award-winning stand up comedy show to Brad Garret's Comedy Club at The MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. Barnhart combines clever, well written material with an improvisational flair that keeps audiences of all demographics howling with laughter and coming back for more. "Don's one of the funniest cats out there", exclaimed Brad Garrett who will be making guest appearances at the club throughout the weekend. Show times are 8pm Mon-Sun. For tickets call 866-740-7711 Brad Garrett's Comedy ...

The tragedy in Newtown, CT has brought about an even greater awareness to the need for access to mental health care services throughout our country. Those services extend to providing care and counseling to individuals, the community, schools and organizations in the aftermath of tragedies such as the massacre in Connecticut and the destruction from Hurricane Sandy. Care Plus NJ, Inc. - Northern New Jersey's largest mental health care agency - has professionally-trained trauma response counselors to provide postvention assistance after traumatic events such as that which ...

Requests for translation of business-oriented videos are on the rise according to Greg Ball, President of Ball Media Innovations, Inc., a South Florida based video production and video translation company. "We've been getting an influx of translation projects from American based companies. Though we get a wide variety of language requests, the majority are targeting the orient and Latin America." He reports that the most frequently requested languages are Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. A wide variety of companies are reaching out to a global marketplace. ...

Icon Empire announces the release of Hotel App Tab Bar Icons for iOS collection for iOS, a royalty-free library of stock images for application developers and web designers. The new set includes over 65 icons drawn in according to Apple guidelines. The Hotel App Tab Bar Icons for iOS collection sells for $49. About Hotel App Tab Bar Icons for iOS collection Hotel App Tab Bar Icons for iOS is the perfect set for busy iPhone or iPad application developers. This collection of 65 unique icons with matching properties such as style and colors, can be used in Navigation, ...

Steve Giovinco, widely exhibiting contemporary fine art photographer and graduate of the Yale University MFA Photography program, is selected for the exclusive Art Photo Index, an index of important art and documentary photographers. Steve Giovinco was chosen as a result of his major accomplishments, exhibitions and publications in the field of art photography. Art Photo Index (API) is a collection of carefully vetted art and documentary photographers and their work. API is for discerning curators, gallery directors, publishers, editors, picture researchers, collectors ...

MP Real Estate, acting on behalf of Ignis Asset Management, have secured a sale of The Platinum Building on St John's Innovation Park, Cambridge, to St John's College, Cambridge for GBP7.11 million. St John's Innovation Park is located on the north side of Cambridge at the junction of the A14 and A10, opposite the Cambridge Science Park. The prime multi-let long leasehold office/R&D property is located at the heart of the Innovation Park and extends to 40,842 sq ft over ground and 2 upper floors. The building is let to five tenants: Teraview Limited, Telstra ...

San Diego Charger Quentin Jammer received the 10News Leadership Award for establishing and perpetuating the mission of the Jammer Family Foundation (JFF), which provides assistance to underprivileged youth in San Diego. The 10News Leadership Award recipient is someone who demonstrates leadership by making San Diego a better place to live, standing up for those who require help, has initiated or created solutions for others, is a role model and fulfills a local need, thereby improving the quality of life for all San Diegans. Jammer currently plays professional football ...

Tech Studio opened on trendy Abbot Kinney in late July 2012 with a unique concept that quickly became an instant draw in the community. In addition to offering expert full-service repairs for iPhones, iPads, PC & Mac computers, Tech Studio offers a wide array of designer accessories and unique electronic gadgets from around the world, and a permanent and constantly changing gallery of original artwork from local Abstract painter Diana Hobson. Tech Studio aims to satisfy the technical needs and creative desires of its customers. By seeking out products that combine ...