Public release date: 8-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Sue McGreevey smcgreevey@partners.org 617-724-2764 Massachusetts General Hospital Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Duke University have identified genetic mutations that appear to underlie a rare but devastating syndrome combining reproductive failure with cerebellar ataxia a lack of muscle coordination and dementia. In a paper that will appear in the May 23 New England Journal of Medicine and is receiving early online release, the investigators describe finding mutations in one or both of two genes involved in a cellular process called ubiquitination in affected members of five unrelated families. "This study highlights, for the first time, the importance of the ubiquitin system in a syndrome characterized by ataxia and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism reproductive failure due to abnormal signaling from the brain or pituitary gland," says Stephanie Seminara, MD, of the Reproductive Endocrine Unit in the MGH Department of Medicine, co-senior author of the report. "It also demonstrates how combining robust genomics with detailed functional assays can unlock complex genetic architecture." Caused by lesions in the part of the brain responsible for coordination and balance, cerebellar ataxia can begin with difficulty walking or speaking and progress to complete disability of those … Continue reading →

Newswise MAYWOOD, Il. - Loyola University Medical Center has opened a new 20-bed unit for patients undergoing stem cell transplants for cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. The unit is designed to improve clinical outcomes, while providing many of the comforts of home. "We expect the innovative design will help to improve and accelerate patients recoveries, while the home-like amenities will provide a comforting environment for patients and their families," said Patrick Stiff, MD, division director of Hematology/Oncology and medical director of Loyolas Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. The unit treats patients with hematologic (blood) cancers. Patients receive high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill cancer cells. Because these treatments also destroy immune system cells, patients are infused with stem cells derived from bone marrow or umbilical cord blood. These stem cells develop into new immune cells. Patients typically stay in the unit for three or four weeks. The unit has two 10-bed wings -- The Coleman Foundation Bone Marrow Unit and the Donald P. and Byrd M. Kelly Family Foundation Oncology Unit. Four rooms are licensed for intensive care. At the front of each wing is a medication room, supply room and nutrition room. The floor plan ensures that … Continue reading →

A first-of-its-kind Stem Cell Research Centre for animals will be set up in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly on Monday. In a statement to the House, she said the Centre would be set up by the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) and it would function in collaboration with Michigan State University, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and Wakeforest Institute of Regenerative Medicine. The Centre would be set up at a cost of Rs 6.48 crore and would function from the veterinary universitys Madhavaram campus. TANUVAS sources said that initially, the Centre would be set up on 10,000 sq-ft. Already, six faculty members from the university are undergoing training in the foreign universities with which TANUVAS had tied up for collaborative research and training. It would attract a lot of external funding, and help research being taken up on a large scale, the sources said. Until now, stem cell research regarding animals was done in a sporadic manner by various institutions across the country. But, so far, none of the States has specifically set up a Stem Cell Research Centre, said the university sources. Curing chronic ulcers and spinal cord injuries The setting … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7cw59v/nanobiotechnology) has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech's new report "Nanobiotechnology Applications, Markets and Companies" to their offering. Nanotechnology is the creation and utilization of materials, devices, and systems through the control of matter on the nanometer-length scale (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Nanobiotechnology, an integration of physical sciences, molecular engineering, biology, chemistry and biotechnology holds considerable promise of advances in pharmaceuticals and healthcare. The report starts with an introduction to various techniques and materials that are relevant to nanobiotechnology. It includes some of the physical forms of energy such as nanolasers. Some of the technologies are scaling down such as microfluidics to nanofluidic biochips and others are constructions from bottom up. Application in life sciences research, particularly at the cell level sets the stage for role of nanobiotechnology in healthcare in subsequent chapters. Some of the earliest applications are in molecular diagnostics. Nanoparticles, particularly quantum dots, are playing important roles. In vitro diagnostics, does not have any of the safety concerns associated with the fate of nanoparticles introduced into the human body. Numerous nanodevices and nanosystems for sequencing single molecules of DNA are feasible. Various nanodiagnostics that have been reviewed will … Continue reading →