Signaling news
Here we present recent news items specially selected from Nature, Nature Medicine and Nature Biotechnology.
June 2003
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News | News in brief | News Features
News
WHO issues rallying cry to keep fight against SARS on track
The immediate crisis surrounding severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) may be subsiding, but most of the key scientific questions about the disease remain open.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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Biologists disappointed as NIH budget falls flat
The recent, rapid expansion of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) seems to be over — at least for now.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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Visa rules leave US colleges facing semester of discontent
Immigration rules will wreak havoc at US universities when the academic year begins this autumn, administrators are predicting.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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European deal aims to attract Arab scientists
The European Union (EU) is taking steps to attract more scientists from Arab countries into its Framework programme on research.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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Dolly firm in trouble after transgenic milk fails to flow
PPL Therapeutics, the company that helped to clone Dolly the sheep, announced that its leading project, an attempt to harvest therapeutic proteins from the milk of transgenic sheep, was being put on hold.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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Share slump brings biotech firms to government's door
While entrepreneurs claim to shun government as a slow-moving dinosaur, observers say it is currently biotech's best friend.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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Journals wrestle with definition of 'competing' interest
A spat over a paper in Science suggests that clashing views over what makes a conflict of interest means full transparency is hard to achieve.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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Discovery changes view of bacteria
Bacteria have specialized compartments that were previously thought to exist only in higher organisms, according to research published earlier this month.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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German reform plan arouses fears for autonomy
German scientists and research managers are up in arms over a plan to overhaul laboratory and university funding.
Nature (19 June 2003)
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China and Germany join forces over SARS
Chinese and German researchers are hoping to work together to study the virus believed to be behind severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Nature (19 June 2003)
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Clinical data marshalled to treat HIV
A database attempts to identify the best drug combinations to keep a patient's infection in check, on the basis of genetic sequences of drug-resistant strains of the virus.
Nature (19 June 2003)
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British panel bans use of antidepressant to treat children
UK regulators have ruled that a top-selling antidepressant should not be prescribed to children or adolescents who are suffering from depression.
Nature (19 June 2003)
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All change as Argentina's science leader keeps his job
Hard-pressed Argentinian scientists are relieved that newly elected president Néstor Kirchner plans to leave the country's top scientific administrator in place.
Nature (12 June 2003)
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Prairie-dog model offers hope of tackling monkeypox virus
A leading poxvirus expert says he envisages a new line of attack for biologists studying the monkeypox virus in the current outbreak in the midwestern United States.
Nature (12 June 2003)
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Harmful potential of viral vectors fuels doubts over gene therapy
The troubled field of gene therapy was dealt a fresh blow this week, after a study suggested that modified viruses used in some trials might cause health problems.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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Protests win reprieve for renowned medical lab
The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) has shelved plans to close its largest laboratory, at Mill Hill in north London — at least for the time being.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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UK universities face star treatment in funding revamp
The seven-point scale used to assess research in British university departments could be scrapped under plans unveiled on 28 May.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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Biologist gets minimum sentence in 'espionage' case
A Japanese biologist arrested two years ago under the US economic espionage act emerged with a light sentence from a courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on 28 May.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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Geneticists play the numbers game in vain
The precise number of human genes might never be tallied, geneticists confessed this week, after handing out a cash prize for the nearest guestimate.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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Pet theory comes to the fore in fight against SARS
The domestic cat is set to land a starring role in the future course of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) — although it isn't yet clear whether it will be as saviour or scourge.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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Japanese team makes stem cells
Japan has joined the club of countries that have produced their own human embryonic stem-cell lines.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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US to limit AIDS trials in developing nations
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is quietly formulating a policy that will limit therapeutic HIV/AIDS trials to those countries that provide follow-up treatment to study subjects once the trial has ended.
Nature Medicine (June 2003)
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US AIDS initiative clears first hurdle
The US House of Representatives on 1 May passed a $15 billion, 5-year bill that will more than double the nation's annual contributions toward stemming AIDS overseas.
Nature Medicine (June 2003)
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The road to research is paved with restrictions
In the past few months, the US administration has released a series of complicated rules which add to the thicket of red tape surrounding such research.
Nature Medicine (June 2003)
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Brain proteome project launched
The Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) has launched a new project aimed at unraveling mechanisms of the brain.
Nature Medicine (June 2003)
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Germany contemplates new biotech tax scheme
Opposing departments in Germany's government are locked in negotiations over a plan to rescue the country's tottering biotechnology industry.
Nature Biotechnology (June 2003)
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EU stalls on funding of ES cell research
After a rare meeting between the three governing bodies of the European Union on April 24, the question of whether EU funds will be allocated to create new human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines remains unanswered.
Nature Biotechnology (June 2003)
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US FDA contemplates collection of pharmacogenomic data
On April 9, FDA's science advisory committee met to discuss a draft proposal for incorporating pharmacogenomic data into the regulatory process.
Nature Biotechnology (June 2003)
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News in brief
Whitehead geneticist quits for broad remit at medical institute
| Medical association backs human cloning
| Fraud-buster to be university president
| Molecular medic to lead cancer research giant
| SARS anxiety disrupts conferences
| Charities chip in to save chromosome institute
| Laser to shed light on delicate tissue
| International website to collate data on embryonic stem cells
| Court studies biology papers in row over title
| Scientists hot on SARS' heels
| Malaria programs face financial crisis
| Gates open for Grand Challenge grant proposals
| Europe seeks clarity on stem cell decision
| Xenova suffers setback
| UK restricts stem cell patents
| EU draws road map
| US FDA clarifies consulting
News Features
AIDS Vaccines: Back to 'plan A'
The received wisdom in AIDS vaccine research is that stimulating cellular immunity is more important than producing antibodies. But some experts are now reviving the antibody strategy, says Erika Check.
Nature (26 June 2003)
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Structural biology: The crystal's in the mail...
Do you need to solve the structure of a complex biological molecule quickly, or require some expert help doing it? No problem. Tracy Smith Schmidt samples the delights of 'mail-in' crystallography.
Nature (19 June 2003)
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Russia's bioweapons labs: Still out in the cold
Collaborations between Western researchers and former Soviet bioweapons scientists could benefit both parties. But mistrust and bureaucracy are getting in the way, says Geoff Brumfiel.
Nature (12 June 2003)
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Sweet revenge
Parasites exact a devastating toll on health, particularly in the tropics. Could vaccines based on the sugars on parasite surfaces provide a way to fight back?
Nature (5 June 2003)
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The ulcer bug: Gut reaction
A bacterium that causes ulcers and stomach cancer is on the decline, but not everyone is celebrating. John Whitfield talks to the experts who have misgivings about its impending extinction.
Nature (5 June 2003)
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