PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 4-Feb-2014 Contact: Jess C. Gomez jess.gomez@imail.org 801-718-8495 Intermountain Medical Center SALT LAKE CITY A team of researchers, led by physicians and scientists at Intermountain Healthcare's Intermountain Medical Center and ARUP Laboratories, has made a medical breakthrough by discovering genetic mutations that cause a rare and deadly lung disease. The disease, pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis or PCH, is a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension, which occurs predominantly in young adults. PCH affects less than one in a million people, and has been extremely difficult and expensive to diagnose, as well as challenging to treat. This genetic discovery offers new hope. "This is a significant finding. This discovery should advance our understanding of this rare pulmonary vascular disorder and other related disorders," said Greg Elliott, MD, MACP, senior investigator of the study and medical director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, and professor of medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Results of the study will be published in the February issue of the journal CHEST, the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians. The study is embargoed by CHEST until Feb 4 at 6am, EST. Dr. Elliott and his … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise SALT LAKE CITY A team of researchers, led by physicians and scientists at Intermountain Medical Center and ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City, has made a medical breakthrough by discovering genetic mutations that cause a rare and deadly lung disease. The disease, pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis or PCH, is a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension, which occurs predominantly in young adults. PCH affects less than one in a million people, and has been extremely difficult and expensive to diagnose, as well as challenging to treat. This genetic discovery offers new hope. This is a significant finding. This discovery should advance our understanding of this rare pulmonary vascular disorder and other related disorders, said Greg Elliott, MD, MACP, senior investigator of the study and medical director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, and professor of medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Results of the study will be published in the February issue of the journal CHEST, the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians. The study is embargoed by CHEST until Feb 4 at 6am, EST. Dr. Elliott and his team at Intermountain … Continue reading →

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Stem cell research and therapy on humans has traveled a long and often politically troubled path. Not so for pets, where stem cell treatment has been used for nearly 10 years and now it is so routine, and so successful, it can be done in a day. Ava is a 90 pound, 2-year-old Akita, who is about to undergo stem cell surgery. A little IV, a little anesthesia and Ava is out. "It is used for arthritis mostly," said Dr. Velvet Edwards. Ava is just beginning her day at Pecan Grove Veterinary Hospital in Tempe. Dr. Edwards oversees the stem cell procedure. "Stem cells are healing cells, so they seek out area of injury damage or destruction," explained Edwards. "They accelerate healing and help the animal, the patient, the pet just use their own natural abilities to get better." Veterinary stem cells are harvested from the animal's own fat cells. They are separated and processed by machinery right inside the vet's office and then injected back into the dog's trouble spots. Thanks to new technology developed by Meti Vet, the process is completed in just a day. "The pet comes in the morning, it's anesthetized and I … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise LA JOLLAThe Salk Institute for Biological Studies will join Stanford University in leading a new Center of Excellence in Stem Cell Genomics, created through a $40 million award by California's stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The center will bring together experts and investigators from seven different major California institutions to focus on bridging the fields of genomics the study of the complete genetic make-up of a cell or organism with cutting-edge stem cell research. The goal is to use these tools to gain a deeper understanding of the disease processes in cancer, diabetes, endocrine disorders, heart disease and mental health, and ultimately to find safer and more effective ways of using stem cells in medical research and therapy. "The center will provide a platform for collaboration, allowing California's stem cell scientists and genomics researchers to bridge these two fields," says Joseph Ecker, a Salk professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Investigator. "The Center will generate critical genomics data that will be shared with scientists throughout California and the rest of the world." Ecker, holder of the Salk International Council Chair in Genetics, … Continue reading →

18 hours ago A University of Otago, New Zealand, research breakthrough from the Sir John Walsh Research Institute is helping pave the way for novel antifungal drugs designed to overcome the world-wide problem of growing resistance to current treatments. Fungal infections by organisms such Candida, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus play an increasingly significant role in disease. Infections such as thrush affect premature babies, the elderly, females of reproductive age, individuals with dry mouth and terminal cancer patients. They can be fatal; 1.4 million people die annually due to fungal infections made worse by co-infections with tuberculosis and AIDS or by medically-induced immune deficiency. To date, efforts to expand the array of antifungal treatments available have been hindered by the lack of molecular-level understanding of potential drug targets and mechanisms causing drug resistance. Now, Otago researchers led by Dr Brian Monk, and working with colleagues at the University of California San Francisco, have determined the complex structure of a key cell membrane protein involved in sterol metabolism and resistance in a yeast model. Their findings appear in the latest online early edition of the prestigious US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Dr Monk says the research team's feat … Continue reading →