PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 12-Jun-2014 Contact: Dr. Esti Yeger-Lotem estiyl@bgu.ac.il 972-864-28675 PLOS A new study published in PLOS Computational Biology shows that genes associated with hereditary diseases occur throughout the human body. The study, by Esti Yeger-Lotem et al., used network biology to model the interactions between proteins associated with diseases such as Parkinson's in different tissues. Using these networks, they show that proteins carrying the disease are found throughout the body. In tissues vulnerable to hereditary diseases, the networked proteins had unique interactions relevant for the mechanism of the disease. Disease causing genes tend to be more highly expressed. The authors demonstrated through several examples that tissue-specific protein interaction can highlight disease mechanisms, and thus, owing to their small number, provide a powerful filter for interrogating the origins of disease. These results offer a powerful filter that can enhance the search for new therapeutic targets for many hereditary diseases. ### All works published in PLOS Computational Biology are open access, which means that everything is immediately and freely available. Use this URL in your coverage to provide readers access to the paper upon publication: http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/pcbi.1003632 Contact: See more here: Hereditary disease genes found throughout the human body … Continue reading →

A boat ride for summer school students in the Kansas City area isn't a break from class. Students from Independence are going out on the Missouri River for a lesson in marine biology. It's a component of a wider biology class the students are taking this summer. Part of the lesson included doing some cleanup work along the river's edge. The students are also learning how interconnected streams, rivers and oceans truly are. "It affects us not only on the coast, but it affects us in the middle (of the country)," said student Mya Coen. "It opens your eyes to everything around you, everything that happens. There is litter everywhere." The instructor, Leslie Mallinson, is a marine biology master student who brought back a plastic crate that she found on an Australian beach. Markings on the crate indicated it had been in the Kansas City area. She said she's been to Australia many times and has never seen anything like it before. She said she has no idea how the crate made its way from Kansas City to the other side of the world. Follow this link: Students get marine biology lesson on Missouri River … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 17-Jun-2014 Contact: Kelly Husser khusser@faseb.org 301-634-7109 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Bethesda, MD FASEB MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Program has announced the travel award recipients for the International Society for Computational Biology's 22nd International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology from July 11-15, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. These awards are meant to promote the entry of students, post doctorates and scientists from underrepresented groups into the mainstream of the basic science community and to encourage the participation of young scientists at the 22nd International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology. This year MARC conferred 4 awards totaling $7,400. The FASEB MARC Program is funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. A primary goal of the MARC Program is to increase the number and competitiveness of underrepresented groups engaged in biomedical and behavioral research. The following participants have been selected to receive a FASEB MARC Travel Award: POSTER/ORAL PRESENTER (FASEB MARC PROGRAM) Alvin Farrel, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Ololade Fatunmbi, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Lucia Peixoto, University of Pennsylvania Harold Pimentel, University of California, Berkeley ### See more here: MARC travel … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 12-Jun-2014 Contact: Kuang-Hui Sun khsun@ym.edu.tw Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complicated multifactorial autoimmune disease influenced by many genetic and environmental factors. The hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the presence of high levels of anti-double-stranded DNA autoantibody (anti-dsDNA) in sera. In addition, greater infection rates are found in SLE patients and higher morbidity and mortality usually come from bacterial infections. Deciphering interactions between the susceptibility genes and the environmental factors for lupus complex traits is challenging and has resulted in only limited success. In the June issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine Lee et al, from National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan, studied the role of anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) and the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), TLR4 and TLR9, in the pathogenesis of lupus. They prepared transgenic mice carrying the anti-dsDNA transgene and challenged these mice with TLR4 and TLR9 agonists. They demonstrate that in the anti-dsDNA transgenic mice TLR4 and TLR9 are cooperatively linked to Lupus progression. ''Since simultaneous activation of extracellular and intracellular pattern-recognition receptors (PRR) is able to trigger more intense host immune responses, it is really crucial to determine whether co-engagement of extracellular and intracellular PRRs may … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 24-Jun-2014 Contact: Chelsea Toledo ctoledo@pewtrusts.org 202-540-6846 Pew Health Group PhiladelphiaThe Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust announced the inaugural class of Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research. Five promising early-career scientists will receive funding for research aimed at finding cures for cancer using approaches that include genetics, pharmacology, and structural biology. "Cancer continues to take a terrible toll on human health worldwide, and creative approaches are vital for the development of novel therapies," said Rebecca W. Rimel, Pew's president and CEO. "We are delighted to partner with the Stewart Trust to expand our commitment to science and eagerly anticipate the discoveries these talented researchers will make to address these challenges." Pew has supported innovative research by young scientists through its biomedical scholars program since 1985 and through the Pew Latin American fellows program launched in 1991. "Some of the most important health advances have stemmed from curiosity-driven investigations, and young researchers seem particularly primed to seed innovation in the field of cancer," said William Bierbower, executive trustee for the Stewart Trust, which for over 15 years has backed researchers probing the mechanisms of cancer. "By combining forces with Pew, whose biomedical programs set the … Continue reading →