( University of Pittsburgh ) Pitt biologist Mark Rebeiz looks for that moment when a gene’s function and expression change to produce “novelties,” characteristics with no genetic precedent, such as the horn of a beetle or the eyespots on a butterfly’s wings. His pursuit of errant gene activity recently earned Rebeiz a 2011 Alfred P.
( Genetics Society of America ) Scientists from the University of Oxford, UK have taken lessons from Adam Smith and Charles Darwin to devise a new strategy that could one day slow, possibly even prevent, the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. The scientists show that bacterial gene mutations that lead to drug resistance come at a biological cost not borne by nonresistant strains.
( International Osteoporosis Foundation ) Today, more than 130 osteoporosis patient society representatives gathered in Valencia, Spain, for the opening of the 13th IOF World Wide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies.
( Boston University Medical Center ) Paul Duprex, Ph.D., and Elke Muehlberger, Ph.D., both associate professors of microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine, recently co-authored a commentary about viruses for Microbiology Today, the monthly publication of the Society of General Microbiology, which is the largest microbiological society in Europe.
( The Translational Genomics Research Institute ) Dr. Daniel Von Hoff was presented this month with the Scripps Genomic Medicine Award for his “pioneering efforts” in sequencing, or spelling out, the DNA of patients with rare cancers.
( Entomological Society of America ) Hundreds of entomologists will meet at the Hilton Waikoloa Village March 27-30, 2011, to present research on “Invasive Species of the Pacific Region,” the theme of this year’s Annual Meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA).
( National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) ) While most organisms get their genes from their parents, bacteria also regularly pick up genes from more distant relatives. This ability to “steal” snippets of DNA from other species is responsible for the rapid spread of drug resistance among disease-causing bacteria. A new study of more than three dozen species – including the microbes responsible for pneumonia, ulcers and plague — settles a longstanding debate about why bacteria are more likely to steal some genes than others.
( Ohio State University ) Scientists found that an experimental vaccine against human norovirus — the bug behind 90 percent of highly contagious nonbacterial illnesses causing diarrhea and vomiting — generates a strong immune response in mice without causing the animals any harm. Using a novel viral vector-based method to grow and deliver the vaccine that has shown promise in other agents designed to fight such infections as HIV and hepatitis C, they are the first to test this vaccine design method’s effectiveness against the human norovirus.
( Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory ) A new method of analyzing cancerous tumors developed by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) suggests that tumors may not evolve gradually, but rather in punctuated or staccato-like bursts. It is a finding that has already shed new light on the process of tumor growth and metastasis, and may help in the development of new methods to clinically evaluate tumors
( University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center ) University of Cincinnati researchers have determined the structure of human HDL cholesterol and say the finding could help explain how this “fat packet” protects against cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke.
