You will be able to “grow your own transplant liver in a lab within just five years,” says the Daily Mail. This news story is based on research that demonstrated a method to develop skin cells into stem cells, which were then matured into liver cells. The researchers used this technique to develop lab-grown liver cells from patients with inherited liver diseases, which they hope might aid future research into diseases. They found that the new liver cells shared a number of characteristics with the patients’ liver cells. The method developed in this research looks likely to be an invaluable...

The lives of 10,000 patients could be saved each year by a “breakthrough pill”, according to the Daily Express. The news story comes from a study that looked at whether a drug called ivabradine could help prevent deaths or hospital admissions due to chronic heart failure. This relatively common condition occurs when the heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to meet the demands of the body. The study found that over an average of 23 months, patients taking the drug experienced fewer cardiovascular deaths or hospital admissions with worsening heart failure than people taking an inactive...

Researchers a Step Closer to Unlocking Mysteries of Migraines By Kelli Miller Stacy Scientists have identified the first-ever genetic risk factor for common migraines. People who have a specific change, or variation, in a section of DNA that helps control a brain chemical called glutamate have a significantly greater risk of developing migraines, researchers report in this week’s issue of Nature Genetics. The landmark achievement marks a significant step toward understanding the mysteries of migraines and could help pave the way for the development of new treatments for preventing the debilitating...

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON – A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress. “Our findings, which provide the first...

Pills that eliminate jet lag and bring manic depression under control could be developed, after scientists found a drug which alters the body clock. Certain types of obesity could also be tackled using new drugs which could reset malfunctioning body clocks. All can be caused by problems with what biologists call our ‘circadian rhythms’, which determine not just sleep-wake cycles but also our metabolism. Now a team of British and American scientists have found a drug which can slow down, kick start and reset the body clocks of mice. It does this by altering a key enzyme which controls...

Hepatitis E is, for many poor and developing countries, a real concern that still takes thousands of lives each year. But the end of the deadly disease may be in sight. According to France24, Chinese scientists have now confirmed that tests show a new Hepatitis E vaccine works with absolute accuracy and is ready to be unveiled. The E strain of Hepatitis is a more recently discovered one, and has only been in medical books for a few decades; but like other types of Hepatitis, its high transmission rate has made it a devastatingly widespread illness, and one that does still kill in areas without...

California scientists, boosted by stem cell research funding enabled by Proposition 71, are aiming for clinical trials involving gene therapy through bone marrow transplants. Clad in a yellow gown, blue foot covers, hair net, face mask and latex gloves, Paula Cannon pushed open the door to the animal room. “I hate this smell,” she said, wrinkling her nose. The stink came from scores of little white mice scurrying about in cages. Some of the cages were marked with red biohazard signs, indicating mice that had been injected with HIV. Yet, in some of the animals — ones with a small genetic...

Synthetic nucleotides halt replication of the viruses in tests on monkeys. The FDA approves clinical trials in primates. ‘Any disorder that involves a genetic problem can potentially be treated,’ one expert says. Synthetic nucleotides injected into monkeys can block the replication of Ebola and Marburg viruses, suggesting it eventually may be possible to protect humans against these deadly bioterrorism agents, researchers said Sunday. The monkeys get very sick, but most of them survive. The agents, called morpholino oligomers, are the first drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration...

Alzheimer’s specialists might soon have a new set of tools for diagnosing the brain-wasting disease well before symptoms appear, but so far no effective treatments have been found, raising questions about how the tests should be used. Radioactive imaging agents that can light up Alzheimer’s proteins on brain scans are already in late-stage clinical trials. And a Belgian team this week said it was able to accurately spot early signs of Alzheimer’s disease by measuring levels of disease-related proteins in spinal fluid. Alzheimer’s experts largely agree the disease can be...

By Claire Bates Scientists have developed a new pain-relief pill from a chemical used by sea snails to catch their prey. It was found to be as effective as morphine for relieving the most severe forms of pain but without the added risk of addiction. Marine cone snails produce a saliva that contains a deadly dose of peptide toxins to help the slow-moving creatures catch prey. They inject passing victims with needle-like teeth that shoot out of their mouths. (Researchers said the peptide could potentially revolutionise the treatment of the most severe forms of pain) Scientists have already transformed...