http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Rockefeller University Researchers have uncovered mutations in the phosphatase Wip1 that enable cancer cells to foil the tumor suppressor p53, according to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology. The results could provide a new target for the treatment of certain cancers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-wip1-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:04 EST news287056946 A study in The Journal of General Physiology presents new methods to evaluate how astrocytes contribute to brain function, paving the way for future exploration of these important brain cells at unprecedented levels of detail. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-methods-explore-astrocyte-effects-brain.html Medical research Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:54:48 EST news286480480 The food dye Brilliant Blue FCF (BB FCF) could be a useful tool in the development of treatments for a variety of conditions involving the membrane channel protein Pannexin 1(Panx1), according to a study in The Journal of General Physiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-food-dye-blueprint-treatment-panx1-related.html Medical research Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:39:54 EST news286461512 The spleen is rarely noticed, until it is missing. In children born without this organ, that doesn't happen until they become sick with life-threatening bacterial infections. An international team of researchers led by scientists from Rockefeller's St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics and Infectious Diseases has now identified the defective gene responsible for this rare disorder. The findings, reported today in Science Express, may lead to new diagnostic tests and raises new questions about the role of this gene in the body's protein-making machinery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-scientists-gene-mutation-children-born.html Genetics Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:00:08 EST news284907208 A new broad range antibiotic, developed jointly by scientists at The Rockefeller University and Astex Pharmaceuticals, has been found to kill a wide range of bacteria, including drug-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) bacteria that do not respond to traditional drugs, in mice. The antibiotic, Epimerox, targets weaknesses in bacteria that have long been exploited by viruses that attack them, known as phage, and has even been shown to protect animals from fatal infection by Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-scientists-nature-antibiotic-resistance.html Medications Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:00:02 EST news284831058 (Medical Xpress)—Most cancer treatments are blunt. In an attempt to eradicate tumors, oncologists often turn to radiation or chemotherapy, which can damage healthy tissue along with the cancerous growths. New research from C. David Allis's laboratory at Rockefeller University may bring scientists closer to designing cancer therapeutics that can target tumors with pinpoint accuracy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-mechanism-mutant-histone-protein-childhood.html Cancer Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:10:23 EST news284026194 Some diseases are caused by single gene mutations. Current techniques for identifying the disease-causing gene in a patient produce hundreds of potential gene candidates, making it difficult for scientists to pinpoint the single causative gene. Now, a team of researchers led by Rockefeller University scientists have created a map of gene "shortcuts" to simplify the hunt for disease-causing genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-shortcuts-human-genes.html Genetics Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:10:47 EST news282845412 New research examines the role of PKC in airway smooth muscle contraction and raises the possibility that this enzyme could be a therapeutic target for treating asthma, COPD, and other lung diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-explore-pkc-role-lung-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:47:36 EST news281036845 Synapse development is promoted by a variety of cell adhesion molecules that connect neurons and organize synaptic proteins. Many of these adhesion molecules are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders; mutations in neuroligin and neurexin proteins, for example, are associated with autism and schizophrenia. According to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology, another family of proteins linked to these disorders regulates the function of neuroligins and neurexins in order to suppress the development of inhibitory synapses. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-protein-family-linked-autism-suppresses.html Medical research Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:00:05 EST news278584054 A study in The Journal of General Physiology examines the consequences of muscle activity with surprising results, indicating that the extracellular accumulation of potassium that occurs in working muscles is considerably higher than previously thought. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-insights-mechanics-muscle-fatigue.html Medical research Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:14:54 EST news277650885 Researchers used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from a young patient with Long QT syndrome (LQTS), a congenital heart disorder, to determine a course of treatment that helped manage the patient's life-threatening arrhythmias. The results, which appear in The Journal of General Physiology, could lead to improved treatments for LQTS and other channelopathies, diseases caused by disturbed ion channel function. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-ipscs-optimal-treatment-life-threatening-arrhythmias.html Cardiology Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:18:05 EST news277129079 Two studies in The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) help pave the way for a "shortcut" model-free approach to studying activation of "polymodal" ion channels—channels that open in response to multiple stimuli. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-model-free-characterize-polymodal-ion-channel.html Medical research Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:22:23 EST news275836934 Failure to launch an adequate immune response may be at the root of septic shock, according to a study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine on December 17th. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-surviving-sepsis-lect2.html Medical research Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:00:04 EST news274958860 (Medical Xpress)—White blood cells have long reigned as the heroes of the immune system. When an infection strikes, the cells, produced in bone marrow, race through the blood to fight off the pathogen. But new research is emerging that individual organs can also play a role in immune system defense, essentially being their own hero. In a study examining a rare and deadly brain infection, scientists at The Rockefeller University have found that the brain cells of healthy people likely produce their own immune system molecules, demonstrating an "intrinsic immunity" that is crucial for stopping an infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-brain-intrinsic-mechanism-infection.html Medical research Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:45:04 EST news272533443 (Medical Xpress)—Having HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence, but it's still a lifelong illness that requires an expensive daily cocktail of drugs—and it means tolerating those drugs' side effects and running the risk of resistance. Researchers at The Rockefeller University may have found something better: they've shown that a therapeutic approach harnessing proteins from the human immune system can suppress the virus in mice without the need for daily application and could one day be used in humans to treat the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-potent-antibodies-neutralize-hiv-therapy.html Immunology Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:07:01 EST news271494406