Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that affects more than 5 million people in the US. It is progressive and fatal and has no known cure. It is characterized by neuronal death, which may be linked to the formation of plaques of beta-amyloid in the brain. Immunotherapy against beta-amyloid has shown promise in reducing the formationContinueContinue reading “Alzheimer’s vaccine tested in dogs”
Category Archives: research news
Rodents rake in rewards
In new research aimed at identifying brain changes that underlie the development of tool-use ability, scientists have taught captive rodents to use tools. This is the first report of such training in rodents. Atsushi Iriki and colleagues at the Brain Science Institute (RIKEN, Saitama, Japan) trained a group of five degus (Octodon degus), small rodentsContinueContinue reading “Rodents rake in rewards”
Killing two parasites with one drug
Toxoplasmosis may be the most common parasitic infection worldwide, affecting more than two billion people. Existing treatments have serious side effects, can cause hypersensitivity in some patients and are ineffective during some of the parasite’s life stages. There is no preventative vaccine. New treatments for toxoplasmosis are desperately needed. Now it seems that need mayContinueContinue reading “Killing two parasites with one drug”
New vaccine against filoviruses
Filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg viruses) are highly infectious pathogens that cause hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. Their mortality rates approach 90% in humans. There are currently no approved vaccines against filoviruses. New research presented at the 2008 American Society for Microbiology’s Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, MD, shows that aContinueContinue reading “New vaccine against filoviruses”
Preventing a craniofacial disorder
Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a craniofacial development disorder that affects roughly 1 in 50,000 people. It is characterized by underdeveloped facial bones, which frequently results in a sunken appearance in the middle of the face, a prominent nose, a very small jaw and chin and downward-slanting eyes; some affected individuals also have cleft palateContinueContinue reading “Preventing a craniofacial disorder”
Communication, not camouflage, drives chameleon change
Color change in chameleons can serve at least two purposes: signaling to other chameleons and hiding from potential predators. New research from Devi Stuart-Fox (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and The University of Melbourne, Australia) and Adnan Moussalli (University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, and Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia) has established that social signaling,ContinueContinue reading “Communication, not camouflage, drives chameleon change”
Reversing fibrosis to treat cirrhosis
New research may offer a way to reverse liver cirrhosis, the chronic scarring that impairs liver function and causes up to 800,000 deaths annually worldwide. Studies in mice focused on blocking a protein called ribosomal S-6 kinase (RSK), which is involved in scar formation as part of the body’s natural healing response. Lab Anim. (NY)ContinueContinue reading “Reversing fibrosis to treat cirrhosis”
Sleep in a bottle?
The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function may be reversed by treatment with a compound called orexin-A, which occurs naturally in the mammalian brain. The new research was done with rhesus monkeys and may have therapeutic implications for people who suffer from narcolepsy and other sleep disorders, as well as those whose occupations demandContinueContinue reading “Sleep in a bottle?”
Chimps have a head for numbers
Chimpanzees may have better numerical memory than humans, according to a recent report by Sana Inoue and Tetsuro Matsuzawa of the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University, Japan (Curr. Biol. 17, R1004–R1005; 2007). Their results challenge the widely held belief that humans have superior cognitive function across the board compared with nonhuman primates. Lab Anim.ContinueContinue reading “Chimps have a head for numbers”
Looking to mice to treat multiple myeloma
A new device that allows scientists to better monitor cells in the bloodstream of mice may aid the discovery of new drugs to combat multiple myeloma in humans. Charles Lin and colleagues at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine (Boston, MA) developed the device, called a retinal flow cytometer. Lab Anim. (NY) 37, 9 (2008). viewContinueContinue reading “Looking to mice to treat multiple myeloma”
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