June 2008

May 2008

April 2008

June 2008

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NC State University Maps Tobacco Genome (North Carolina State University)
June 19, 2008
North Carolina State University scientists have completed a nearly five-year, $17.6 million effort to map the genome of tobacco.

With completion of the Tobacco Genome Initiative, which was funded by Philip Morris USA, the genetic information that makes a tobacco plant a tobacco plant will be made available to the public, said Dr. Charles Opperman, plant pathology professor and co-director of the project. Dr. Steven Lommel, interim associate dean for research for the NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and university assistant vice chancellor for research, also directed the effort. [more]

Adult stem cells aid fracture healing; UNC study lays groundwork for potential treatments (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
June 16, 2008
In an approach that could become a new treatment for the 10 to 20 percent of people whose broken bones fail to heal, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that transplantation of adult stem cells can improve healing of fractures.

Adult stem cells are specialized cells with the ability to regenerate tissue in response to damage. However, many patients lack sufficient numbers of these cells and thus cannot heal properly. [more]

Hypertension Treatment Effective in Reversing Vascular Damage (Wake Forest University)
June 16, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A hypertension medication called olmesartan medoxomil is effective in reversing the narrowing of the arteries that occurs in patients with high blood pressure, according to a new study.

Carlos M. Ferrario, M.D., one of the study’s lead investigators and director of the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said, “We believe the data add to the growing evidence for the role of angiotensin receptor blockers in preventing or reversing vascular damage at many stages during this disease process.” [more]

Aquatic Insect 'Family Trees' Provide Clues About Sensitivity to Pollution (North Carolina State University)
June 16, 2008
A North Carolina State University study published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that examining an insect's "family tree" might help predict a "cousin" insect's level of tolerance to pollutants, and therefore could be a reliable way to understand why certain insect species thrive or suffer under specific ecological conditions. [more]

Solid Tumor Cells Not Killed by Radiation and Chemotherapy Become Stronger (Duke University)
June 9, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. – Because of the way solid tumors adapt the body's machinery to bring themselves more oxygen, chemotherapy and radiation may actually make these tumors stronger.

"In a sense, these therapies can make the tumor healthier," said Mark W. Dewhirst, D.V.M., Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology at Duke University Medical Center. "Unless the treatment is very effective in killing many if not most tumor cells, you are shooting yourself in the foot." [more]

First-Ever Recording of Blood Vessel Development During the Formation of an Organ (Duke University)
June 5, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- A new microscope system that can take 3-D pictures of an embryonic mouse organ over 24 to 48 hours has shown Duke Medical Center researchers the first glimpse of the formation of blood vessels during development.

Among other things, a team lead by cell biologist Blanche Capel, Ph.D., has found a previously unknown mechanism in the formation of blood vessels that may help scientists better understand how a tumor rallies a blood supply to its aid. [more]

Long-term Pesticide Exposure May Increase Risk of Diabetes (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
June 4, 2008
Licensed pesticide applicators who used chlorinated pesticides on more than 100 days in their lifetime were at greater risk of diabetes, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The associations between specific pesticides and incident diabetes ranged from a 20 percent to a 200 percent increase in risk, said the scientists with the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). [more]

Which Smoking Cessation Treatment Works Best? Your Genes May Hold the Clue (Duke University)
June 2, 2008
DURHAM, NC -- Kicking the habit may soon become easier for the nation's 45 million smokers. For the first time, researchers have identified patterns of genes that appear to influence how well individuals respond to specific smoking cessation treatments.

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, University of Pennsylvania and Brown University scanned the entire human genome in a comprehensive search for genes that could determine treatment outcome. They identified several genetic variations that seem to indicate the likelihood of success or failure of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and bupropion (Zyban). [more]

Vaccine May Double Survival in Patients with Deadly Brain Tumors (Duke University)
June 2, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- A vaccine aimed at inducing immunity to the most common and deadly type of brain tumor may stave off recurrence and more than double survival in patients, according to a new study led by researchers in Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

"This vaccine represents a very promising therapy for a cancer that comes out of the blue and robs people of something most of us take for granted -- time," said John Sampson, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon at Duke and lead investigator on this study. "The possibility of doubling expected survival -- with few if any side effects -- would represent a big step and a lot of hope for this group of patients." [more]

May 2008

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Scattered Light Reveals Size and Shape Of The Nucleus (Duke University)
May 29, 2008
A new technology based on the interpretation of light reflected off cells will make it faster and more efficient for researchers to document how the nucleus, which contains a cell's DNA and controls its actions, changes shape in response to its environment. The technique will enable researchers for the first time to watch some changes in the living cell as they happen.

The Duke University bioengineers who developed the new method and demonstrated its effectiveness believe that this approach will give scientists an additional tool to better understand the nucleus and provide more avenues for research into new therapies for disease. [more]

Regulatory B Cells Do Exist – and Pack a Punch (Duke University)
May 27, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. – Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have uncovered definitive evidence that a small but potent subset of immune system B cells is able to regulate inflammation.

Using a new set of scientific tools to identify and count these cells, the team showed that these B cells can block contact hypersensitivity, the type of skin reactions that many people have when they brush against poison ivy. [more]

Research Reveals Molecular Fingerprint of Cocaine Addiction (Wake Forest University)
May 27, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The first large-scale analysis of proteins in the brains of monkeys addicted to cocaine reveals new information on how long-term cocaine use changes the amount and activity of various proteins affecting brain function.

The identified changes are more numerous and long-lasting than previously thought, which may provide a biological explanation for why cocaine addiction is so difficult to overcome, according to Scott E. Hemby, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, senior author of the study. [more]

Major "Missed" Biochemical Pathway Emerges As Important in Virtually All Cells (Duke University)
May 22, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- A new study by Duke University researchers provides more evidence that the nitric oxide (NO) system in the life of a cell plays a key role in disease, and the findings point to ways to improve treatment of illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

The nitric oxide system in cells is "a major biological signaling pathway that has been missed with regard to the way it controls proteins," and it is linked to cancer and other diseases when the system goes awry, said Jonathan Stamler, M.D., a professor of medicine and biochemistry at Duke University Medical Center who worked on the study. [more]

New antibody offers hope for treating ovarian, breast cancer (East Carolina University)
May 22, 2008
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- A discovery by an East Carolina University pathologist might be a breakthrough in an evolving class of drugs used to fight cancer.

Dr. Anne Kellogg has developed a monoclonal antibody that could play a vital role in treating the most common form of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and other cancers. She is working with two major drug firms, ImmunoGen Inc. and sanofi-aventis, that have expertise in formulating antibodies into cancer therapies and taking them to clinical trials in humans. [more]

Research Suggests Abnormal “Editing” of Gene Messages a Cause of Lupus (Wake Forest University)
May 19, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Researchers at Wake Forest University have uncovered evidence that the abnormal “editing” of gene messages in a type of white blood cell may be behind the development of lupus. Scientists hope the finding will lead to earlier diagnosis, a way to monitor patients’ response to therapy and possibly a new way to treat the disease.

The findings, reported online in the journal Immunology, involve an enzyme that “edits” and modifies the messages of genes before the protein-making process. It is protein molecules that carry out the instructions of our genes and determine how an organism looks, how well its body metabolizes food or fights infection, and even how it behaves. [more]

Common Virus May Serve as Target for Vaccine in Fight Against Deadly Brain Tumors (Duke University)
May 15, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. – By targeting a common virus, doctors may be able to extend the lives of patients diagnosed with the most prevalent and deadly type of brain tumor, according to a study led by researchers in Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

A type of herpes virus called human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is found in up to 80 percent of Americans, though the virus normally produces very few clinical symptoms, is dormant, and usually undetectable in most people. However, more than 80 percent of patients newly diagnosed with the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) exhibit detectable CMV in their blood as well as in their tumors. The Duke team thought this might provide an opportunity to target brain tumors by going after the virus. [more]

Genetic 'Tag Team' Keeps Cells on Cycle (Duke University)
May 7, 2008
DURHAM, NC -- By surveying the activity of thousands of genes at several different time points, researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) have uncovered new evidence that a network of influential genes act as a kind of genetic tag team to orchestrate one of the most fundamental aspects of all life: the cell cycle.

“A cell doesn’t want to divide before it is finished copying its DNA or it will end up with broken chromosomes,” a failure with potentially devastating consequences, said Steven Haase, an assistant professor of biology at Duke and member of the IGSP. [more]

Blocked Brain Enzyme Decreases Appetite and Promotes Weight Loss (Duke University)
May 6, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. – Imagine being able to tone down appetite and promote weight loss, while improving the body's ability to handle blood sugar levels.

That's just what Tony Means, PhD, and his team at the Duke University Medical Center were able to do when they blocked a brain enzyme, CaMKK2, in mice. "We believe we have identified an important drug development target that could potentially turn into a metabolic triple play: appetite control, weight loss and blood sugar management," said Means, who is the Nanaline H. Duke Professor and Chairman of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. [more]

Preference for Alcohol in Adolescence May Lead to Heavy Drinking (Duke University)
May 5, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. – Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have shown a connection between early drinking patterns and a tendency to be a heavy drinker in adulthood, in a study of adolescent rats.

"Drinking patterns in adolescents may be set after only a few exposures to alcohol," said Nicole L. Schramm-Sapyta, research associate in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine. "Rats that demonstrated a 'taste' for alcohol after only three nights of drinking were very likely to be the biggest drinkers after longer-term exposure." [more]

Analysis of Alcoholics’ Brains Suggests Treatment Target (Wake Forest University)
May 2, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – An analysis of brain tissue samples from chronic alcoholics reveals changes that occur at the molecular level in alcohol abuse – and suggests a potential treatment target, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Reporting in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, the scientists said that a protein known as beta-catenin that is involved in cell signaling and development is found at higher levels in the brains of chronic alcoholics compared to people of the same age with no history of alcoholism. [more]

April 2008

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Proteins that Stop a Major Signaling Pathway Can Also Generate New Proteins (Duke University)
April 24, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University Medical Center researchers have recently discovered that a crucial communications pathway in cells not only stops cells from making proteins, it also makes them go. The team was able to define the way in which proteins called beta arrestins (for their role in stopping signals) also turn on pathways that ultimately lead to the production of new proteins in virtually all tissues in the body.

Because proteins are the building blocks for all cells, this new pathway for the general control of protein manufacturing has opened a new universe for biological studies. [more]

3-D Ultrasound Could Improve Stroke Diagnosis and Care (Duke University)
April 24, 2008
DURHAM, NC -- Using 3-D ultrasound technology they designed, Duke University bioengineers can compensate for the thickness and unevenness of the skull to see in real-time the arteries within the brain that most often clog up and cause strokes.

The researchers believe that these advances will ultimately improve the treatment of stroke patients, whether by giving emergency medical technicians (EMT) the ability to quickly scan the heads of potential stroke victims while in the ambulance or allowing physicians to easily monitor in real time the patients’ response to therapy at the bedside. [more]

Researchers Make New Finding about How Memory is Stored (Wake Forest University)
April 24, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine are the first to show that the location of protein-destroying “machines” in nerve cells in the brain may play an important role in how memories are formed – a finding with potential implications for treating Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. The research is published in the current issue of Learning & Memory.

“We hope to exploit this finding to manipulate memory and find ways to make it better,” said Ashok Hegde, Ph.D., associate professor of neurolobiology and anatomy. “Our goal is to develop a new strategy for treating memory loss.” [more]

Researchers identify new cell targets for preventing growth of breast and other tumors (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
April 23, 2008
Researchers at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered new targets for cancer treatment aimed at blocking a key step in tumor progression.

This step – the creation of new blood vessels – enables tumors to grow out of control and ultimately spread cancer to other parts of the body. [more]

Duke Scientists Deconstruct Process of Bacterial Division (Duke University)
April 17, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University researchers have made a major advance in understanding how bacteria divide. This could lead to new antibiotic treatments that prevent dangerous bacteria from multiplying.

Normally, bacteria divide by forming a ring that pinches the cell in two. The ring is called a "Z ring" after the protein FtsZ, which forms a ring-shaped scaffold and then squeezes it smaller. In bacteria, the Z ring also contains a dozen other proteins, all believed to be essential for division. [more]

NC State Researcher's HIV Findings May Lead to New Treatment Strategies (North Carolina State University)
April 16, 2008
In a surprising finding, researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that HIV can cause portions of the body's innate immune system, when stimulated, to actually increase the virus' replication. The finding could lead to a change in therapeutic strategies for HIV patients.

Dr. Gregg Dean, professor of immunopathology at NC State, led the research team. Dr. Shila Nordone, a research assistant professor in Dean's lab, collaborated on the study, which was published in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. [more]

A Potential Sugar Fix for Tumors (Duke University)
April 15, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- Researchers at the Duke School of Medicine apparently have solved the riddle of why cancer cells like sugar so much, and it may be a mechanism that could lead to better cancer treatments.

Jonathan Coloff, a graduate student in Assistant Professor Jeffrey Rathmell's laboratory in the Duke Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, has found that the tumor cells use glucose sugar as a way to avoid programmed cell death. They make use of a protein called Akt, which promotes glucose metabolism, which in turn regulates a family of proteins critical for cell survival, the researchers shared during an April 15 presentation at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting in San Diego. [more]

Brain Study May Lead to Improved Epilepsy Treatments (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
April 14, 2008
Using a rodent model of epilepsy, researchers found one of the body's own neurotransmitters released during seizures, glutamate, turns on a signaling pathway in the brain that increases production of a protein that could reduce medication entry into the brain. Researchers say this may explain why approximately 30 percent of patients with epilepsy do not respond to antiepileptic medications.

The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of The National Institutes of Health, and the University of Minnesota College Of Pharmacy and Medical School, in collaboration with Heidrun Potschka's laboratory at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany, is available online and will appear in the May 2008, issue of "Molecular Pharmacology." [more]

Exercise May Lead to Faster Prostate Tumor Growth (Duke University)
April 13, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- Prostate tumors grew more quickly in mice who exercised than in those who did not, leading to speculation that exercise may increase blood flow to tumors, according to a new study by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center (DCCC) and the Duke Prostate Center.

"Our study showed that exercise led to significantly greater tumor growth than a more sedentary lifestyle did, in this mouse model," said Lee Jones, Ph.D., a researcher in the DCCC and senior investigator on this study. "Our thought is that we may, in the future, be able to use this finding to design better drug delivery models to more effectively treat prostate cancer patients, and those with other types of cancer as well." [more]

Animal Research Suggests Long-term Effects of Fetal Cocaine Exposure (Wake Forest University)
April 8, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Are the estimated 1 million young adults who were exposed to cocaine before birth more vulnerable to drug abuse today? New research indicating long-lasting brain changes suggests the possibility – especially in males – according to a report from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

At the annual meeting of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in San Diego, Calif. , today (April 7), the scientists reported that adult male monkeys that were exposed to cocaine in the womb appear to have altered function of an important target in the brain, known as dopamine 3 (D3) receptors. In humans, altered dopamine receptor function is associated with increased vulnerability to drug abuse. [more]

Chemotherapy Combinations Might be Beneficial, if Drug Ratios are Carefully Controlled (Duke University)
April 7, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- A study of a new drug for leukemia and lymphoma, designed to determine how well it works in combination with existing drugs, underscores the theory that dosing for chemotherapy drugs should be aimed at achieving the greatest effect with the lowest toxicity, instead of simply giving each drug in its "maximum tolerated dose," a method that is routinely used in clinical practice.

"When patients are dosed to maximum toleration, they often suffer side effects such as a loss of the ability to fight off infections, which can lead to death in the worst case scenarios," said David Adams, Ph.D., a Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher and lead investigator on the study. "What we want to do is find the combination that is most synergistic, that is, where the activity of drugs in combination is greater than that of either agent used alone. Such synergistic combinations might not require giving any of the individual drugs in their maximum tolerated dose." [more]

Genomic Profiling of Breast Tumors Might Determine Prognosis, Treatment (Duke University)
April 1, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. -- Combining a breast cancer patient's clinical characteristics with a genomic profile of her tumor may provide important information for predicting an individual patient's prognosis and accurately guiding treatment options, according to a new study led by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center (DCCC) and Duke's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP).

"Our goal is to treat patients on a more individualized basis, matching the right drugs with the right patients," said Anil Potti, M.D., an oncologist and researcher in the DCCC and the IGSP. "The combination of these two methods, one of which uses the clinical description of patient's breast cancer and the other which looks at gene expression at a molecular level in a patient's tumor, may allow us to do that with unprecedented accuracy. This represents a robust approach to personalizing treatment strategies in patients suffering from breast cancer." [more]

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