Stories indexed under: Biosciences

Total: 519   RSSRSS feed

  • Gene that governs toxin production in deadly mold found April 13, 2007 For the growing number of people with diminished immune systems - cancer patients, transplant recipients, those with HIV/AIDS - infection by a ubiquitous mold known as Aspergillus fumigatus can be a death sentence.
  • Biomedical engineering competition stresses real-world challenges April 12, 2007 Part of a unique curriculum infused with real-world design opportunities, a new competition for University of Wisconsin biomedical engineering undergraduate students places an even greater emphasis on applying their engineering knowledge to actual problems in biology and medicine.
  • Fishing for new anti-inflammatory, cancer drugs April 10, 2007 Though cell movement and migration in the body play a central role in mediating injury and disease, including inflammatory responses and cancer metastasis, drugs designed to stifle cells’ nomadic tendencies are scarce. A new interdisciplinary research project funded by the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery seed grant program seeks to develop a novel drug-discovery process that may start to fill this gap.
  • Researchers seek early detection for hard-to-diagnose disease April 10, 2007 Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by infertility due to anovulation, abnormal secretion of androgens and other hormones, and insulin resistance. PCOS is the most common female endocrine disorder, affecting 4-7 percent of women in their reproductive years — the syndrome accounts for 75 percent of all anovulations. PCOS has staggering adverse physiological, psychological and financial consequences for women’s reproductive health.
  • Second annual stem cell symposium to focus on heart tissue, blood diseases April 9, 2007 Several of the world's leading experts on the formation of blood and heart cells from stem cells, and clinical applications of stem cells in blood and heart diseases, will come together on Wednesday, April 18, for the second annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium.
  • Sixth annual bioethics forum to tackle medical applications of research April 9, 2007 The interface among molecular biology, medical applications, law, religion and ethics will be the focus of the sixth annual international Bioethics Forum, hosted by Promega Corp.'s BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI) in Fitchburg.
  • With rat genome as guide, human breast cancer risk refined April 2, 2007 Combing the genomes of the rat and the human, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found swaths of genetic code that can be used to assess the risk of human breast cancer.
  • Stem cell therapy shows promise for rescuing deteriorating vision March 28, 2007 For the millions of Americans whose vision is slowly ebbing due to degenerative diseases of the eye, the lowly neural progenitor cell may be riding to the rescue.
  • Targeting tumors the natural way March 26, 2007 By mimicking Nature's way of distinguishing one type of cell from another, University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists now report they can more effectively seek out and kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.
  • Ultrathin films deliver DNA as possible gene therapy tool March 26, 2007 Gene therapy - the idea of using genetic instructions rather than drugs to treat disease - has tickled scientists' imaginations for decades, but is not yet a viable therapeutic method. One sizeable hurdle is getting the right genes into the right place at the right time.
  • Study: Prions likely more mobile in alkaline soils March 19, 2007 Prions, the rogue proteins that cause chronic wasting disease and similar maladies, may be more mobile in soil that is more alkaline, suggests a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.
  • UW launches study testing adult stem cells for heart damage repair March 12, 2007 The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is among the first medical centers in the country taking part in a novel clinical trial investigating if a subject's own stem cells can treat a form of severe coronary artery disease.
  • Mercury contamination of fish warrants worldwide public warning March 8, 2007 The health risks posed by mercury-contaminated fish is sufficient to warrant issuing a worldwide general warning to the public-especially children and women of childbearing age-to be careful about how much and which fish they eat.
  • Applications for beginning dairy, livestock farmers school due April 1 March 8, 2007 Prospective dairy and livestock farmers have until April 1 to apply for admission to the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  • UW researcher and spinoff company to receive MIT technology awards March 6, 2007 The MIT Club of Wisconsin, a state association for alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is recognizing a University of Wisconsin-Madison influenza researcher and a bioscience spinoff company on Friday at its annual Technology Achievement Awards banquet.
  • Gene sequencing advance bolsters biofuels potential March 6, 2007 A collaborative research project between the U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute has advanced the quest for efficient conversion of plant biomass to fuels and chemicals.
  • CALS to celebrate National Landmark Status of old dairy barn March 5, 2007 The public is invited to a program on March 28, 2007 at 7:15 p.m. to celebrate the designation of the UW-Madison’s 109-year-old dairy barn as a National Historic Landmark.
  • Leopold Foundation, UW-Madison to digitize Aldo Leopold archives Feb. 27, 2007 The entire Aldo Leopold Collection held by the University Archives of the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be digitized in a partnership project with the Aldo Leopold Foundation. More than $100,000 has been awarded to the Foundation, in Baraboo, Wis., to support the project.
  • Symposium to link stem cell research, public policy Feb. 22, 2007 Public policy issues related to human embryonic stem cell research will be the topic of a half-day symposium co-sponsored by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the WiCell Research Institute on Friday, March 2.
  • Nanotechnology meets biology and DNA finds its groove Feb. 8, 2007 UW-Madison scientists have developed a quick, inexpensive and efficient method to extract single DNA molecules and position them in nanoscale troughs or "slits," where they can be easily analyzed and sequenced. The technique, which according to its developers is simple and scalable, could lead to faster and vastly more efficient sequencing technology in the lab, and may one day help underpin the ability of clinicians to obtain customized DNA profiles of patients.