Monthly Archives: February 2012

Biomedical research lost one of its titans with the death of Marshall Nirenberg, the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who, with the help of colleagues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and elsewhere, cracked the genetic code in 1961. His experiment showed how RNA transmits encoded information in DNA and directs the building of proteins (the National Museum of American History owns a copy of his chart of 64 3-letter combinations describing all possible amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, and the NIH has an excellent virtual exhibit about Nirenberg's work). Nirenberg was the first federal employee to win the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. It made him an instant celebrity. While tempted by job offers in academe and elsewhere -- they were surely his for the asking -- Nirenberg ended up spending his entire career at the NIH. He said he just couldn't see giving up the freedom they gave him to pursue his research. I had the privilege of meeting this quietly modest man a couple of times, as NIH is just up the pike from the museum in downtown D.C. That's Rockville Pike, the spine of the so-called I-270 biotech corridor, but Nirenberg worked there long before … Continue reading →

The behavioral symptoms that define disorders on the autism spectrum sometimes start to emerge as early as 12 months of age. But often, a firm diagnosis is not made until a child is 2 or older. What if you could predict autism when a child was just 6 months old? New research using sophisticated brain scans suggests this may one day be possible, enabling high-risk infants to be targeted for early intervention and treatment. The research, conducted by scientists at seven institutions, including Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, was published online last week in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The authors followed several dozen children from 6 months of age through age 2, tracking their behavioral development while also periodically administering a special kind of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging. The children were selected because they had an older sibling with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, and thus were at a higher risk of developing such a disorder themselves. The scientists said they found a significantly different pattern of brain development in the children who went on to display autismlike symptoms at age 2. These children started out with higher scores of fractional anisotropy - a measure that reflects the … Continue reading →

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) - A 12-year-old yellow Labrador retriever named Jake is recovering as his family waits to see if a stem cell injection will regenerate his limbs and help him romp again without pain. Jake underwent surgery Tuesday at the Stanley Veterinary Clinic in Overland Park, where fat was removed from his body then injected into his joints. "It's amazing,'' said veterinarian Les E. Pelfrey, who conducted the procedure. "A few weeks later, these guys are running up and down.'' Supporters say the procedure will give Jake a better quality of life. Critics contend the procedure has not been proven to have any long-term benefits and is expensive, at $1,800 or more per treatment, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/w8m9VS). James L. Cook, a professor of orthopedics at the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine, said stems cells have been shown to help rejuvenate damaged tendons and other problems in horses. "But in the joints for dogs with arthritis? No way,'' Cook said. ``I would never recommend anyone get this done.'' Cook acknowledged some studies have found stem cells reduced pain in arthritic canine joints, compared with dogs not injected with stems cells. But he said no … Continue reading →

The day – Valentine’s Day, as it happened – began in a whirl of coffee cups, bustling dogs and homework, then a brisk walk around the block – in other words, business as usual for a UC Irvine couple who are a high-profile science team engaged in cutting-edge stem-cell research. Brian Cummings and Aileen Anderson, whose stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injury is being tested on patients in Switzerland, say their office – only a short walk from their home on the UCI campus – has a family feel as well. At UCI’s recently constructed Stem Cell Research Center, they supervise a crew of young students and technicians whose bond with their mentors is so close that they call themselves the “Andermings.” “I suppose it’s like having an orphanage,” Cummings joked as he prepared for the day ahead. It would include a lengthy meeting with the Andermings on how best to grow human embryonic stem cells without animal-cell contamination, a critique of a doctoral candidate’s presentation of potentially significant new findings and a session with Alzheimer’s researchers at an institute called UCI MIND. But first, Cummings, Anderson and their two dogs – Chesapeake and Indiana – had to get the … Continue reading →