http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have identified a key step in the biological process of programmed cell death, also called apoptosis. http://www.physorg.com/news180350680.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:45:53 EST news180350680 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Boston University Biomedical Engineering Department have identified a number of proteins whose activation allows them to distinguish between cancer and normal cells with almost 97 percent accuracy. In addition, the BU researchers have developed a new computational strategy to analyze this data and specifically identify key biological pathways (molecular circuits) that are active in cancer and "dormant" in normal cells. http://www.physorg.com/news178349678.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:01 EST news178349678 Cancer researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have gained new insights into how cells react to DNA damage. Dr. Michael Stilmann, Dr. Michael Hinz and Professor Claus Scheidereit have shown that the protein PARP-1, which detects DNA damage within seconds, activates the transcription factor NF-kappaB, a well-known regulator of gene expression. NF-kappaB triggers a survival program, which blocks programmed cell death. The activation of NF-kappaB is thought to be one of the potential causes for tumor cell resistance to chemo and radiation therapy. http://www.physorg.com/news177593928.html Biology Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:01 EST news177593928 Understanding the evolution and domestication of maize has been a holy grail for many researchers. As one of the most important crops worldwide and as a crop that appears very different from its wild relatives as a result of domestication, understanding exactly how maize has evolved has many practical benefits and may help to improve crop yields. http://www.physorg.com/news173715396.html Biology Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:30:03 EST news173715396 Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have put an end to a 10-year debate over which form of a molecular messenger called Fas ligand is responsible for killing cells during programmed cell death (also called apoptosis). http://www.physorg.com/news173538701.html Medicine & Health Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:12:47 EST news173538701 In two separate studies, a major component in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), has been found to help prolong the preservation of both stored blood platelets and cryopreserved skin tissues. http://www.physorg.com/news172145000.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:20:01 EST news172145000 Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have uncovered the mechanism behind a promising new approach to cancer treatment: damaging cancer cells' DNA with potent drugs while simultaneously preventing the cells from repairing themselves. http://www.physorg.com/news169725288.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:55:26 EST news169725288 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of researchers has identified a new method for selectively killing metastatic melanoma cells, which may lead to new areas for drug development in melanoma - a cancer that is highly resistant to current treatment strategies. http://www.physorg.com/news168523956.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:40:03 EST news168523956 A study by Nanyang Technological University (NTU)'s Assistant Professor Li Hoi Yeung, Assistant Professor Koh Cheng Gee and their team have made an important contribution to the understanding of the process that cells go through when they die. This process known as 'apoptosis' or programmed cell death, is a normal process in the human body which removes perhaps a million cells a second. http://www.physorg.com/news166786296.html Biology Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:50:02 EST news166786296 Underneath their smooth surface mitochondria harbor an elaborately folded inner membrane. It holds a multitude of bottleneck like invaginations, which expand into elongated cavities. Now researchers have identified two proteins linked in an antagonistic manner that are relevant for governing inner membrane structure. http://www.physorg.com/news165064938.html Biology Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:22:53 EST news165064938 A small piece of RNA, or microRNA (miRNA), ratchets down the activity of the tumor-suppressor gene p53, according to a study by Whitehead Institute and National University of Singapore researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news156531009.html Biology Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:50:53 EST news156531009 Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have determined the structure of the interactions between proteins that form the heart of the death inducing signaling complex (DISC), which is responsible for triggering apoptosis (programmed cell death). http://www.physorg.com/news150393102.html Biology Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:51:42 EST news150393102