Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore

How connections in the brain must change to form memories could help to develop artificial cognitive computers

Exactly how memories are stored and accessed in the brain is unclear. Neuroscientists, however, do know that a primitive structure buried in the center of the brain, called the hippocampus, is a pivotal region ...

Neuroscience created Nov 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

The screening of thousands of fluorescent molecules has revealed a specific label for neural stem cells

Neural stem cells are the precursors of cells in the nervous system. As well as being crucial for early development, they are present throughout life, contributing to flexibility and repair of the nervous ...

Medical research created Oct 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Recently uncovered human counterparts to a subset of mouse immune cells may enable better vaccination strategies

Mice have made an immeasurable contribution to medicine and our overall understanding of human disease. This animal model is not without its limitations, however, and scientists are continually learning about ...

Medical research created Oct 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists identify mutation that causes skin hyperproliferation

Scientists have identified a mutation in a gene that causes patches of very thick skin to appear on the palms and soles of affected people. This skin disorder is related, albeit in a much milder form, to ...

Genetics created Oct 18, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Inappropriate activation of an immune signaling pathway during infection leaves the body vulnerable to sepsis

The inflammatory response is a double-edged sword—it enables the body to mount a vigorous defense against infection, but can also inflict serious physiological damage if allowed to rampage uncontrolled. ...

Immunology created Sep 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Jump-starting cheaper cancer vaccines

Dendritic cells (DCs)—workhorses of the immune system—derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) may provide an economical way of generating off-the-shelf therapeutic vaccines against cancers, according ...

Immunology created Sep 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Lipids produced within the thymus give immune cells the initial boost they need to fight off infection

Semi-invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells wage war against infectious threats, attacking microbial cells and generating signals that enable other immune cells also to respond aggressively. iNKT cells initially ...

Immunology created Sep 12, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Bonanza of genomic sequence data gives researchers valuable new insights into a poorly understood cancer

Stomach cancer doesn't get the same publicity as lung or breast cancer, but it is a health threat to be taken very seriously. "Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of worldwide cancer mortality, with ...

Genetics created Sep 12, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Cancer research: Stealth techniques being developed to delay tumor growth

The way in which cancer can spread silently and unnoticed in the body—with symptoms in some cases remaining latent for months, years, or even decades—is often noted as its most deadly feature. Researchers ...

Cancer created Sep 12, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Earlier treatment for young patients with chronic hepatitis B more effective in clearing virus

Scientists from A*STAR's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), together with clinical collaborators from London , discovered for the first time that children and young patients with chronic Hepatitis B Virus infection ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Sep 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Potential drug for treating deadly brain cancer

(Medical Xpress)—A*STAR scientists have identified a biomarker of the most lethal form of brain tumours in adults − glioblastoma multiforme. The scientists found that by targeting this biomarker and depleting ...

Cancer created Sep 04, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Singapore scientists find genes associated with glaucoma

Singapore scientists have identified three new genes associated with Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma (PACG), a leading cause of blindness in Chinese people. PACG affects 15 million people worldwide, 80% of whom live in Asia.

Genetics created Sep 03, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New research sheds light on the molecular mechanisms by which a virus contributes to cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and is associated with exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV). Patients carrying the virus have a 100-fold greater risk of ...

Cancer created Aug 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Langerhans cells migrate to their final destination in multiple waves at different stages of embryonic development

As our primary interface with the outside world, the skin needs to be able to protect itself against infectious threats. Specialized cells known as Langerhans cells (LCs) (see image) are an essential component ...

Medical research created Aug 29, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Genetic disease linked to protein build-up

Mutations of the gene Lmna previously thought to be directly responsible for a group of laminopathies—serious developmental conditions including premature aging and a form of muscular dystrophy—in fact ...

Medical research created Aug 29, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0