Cell signaling news
Here we present recent news items specially selected from Nature, Nature Medicine and Nature Biotechnology.
March 2004
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News | News in brief | News Features
News
Link from hygiene to allergies gains support
Researchers have confirmed that a pristine environment can contribute to allergies in small children — and thrown up new questions about the underlying causes of allergic disease.
Nature (25 March 2004)
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Biology hogs the science budget, senator complains
Money tensions on Capitol Hill erupted into farce last week when researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were branded "pigs" by a senior senator during a budget debate.
Nature (25 March 2004)
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Societies take united stand on journal access
More than 40 biomedical societies have banded together to counter calls for them to provide immediate and unrestricted access to the scientific literature they publish.
Nature (25 March 2004)
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US Army backs Swedish cell study
The US Department of Defense is giving $240,000 to Lund University, Sweden, in order to fund research into treating Parkinson's disease with human embryonic stem cells.
Nature (25 March 2004)
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Japan shakes up council to offer scientists political clout
Don't hold your breath — but Japanese scientists may be on the verge of getting a strong voice in their nation's policy–making.
Nature (25 March 2004)
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Battle lines are drawn as French researchers resign en masse
A thundering roar went up from thousands of researchers gathered outside the city hall in Paris on 9 March. Leaders of a scientific revolt emerged to announce that more than 2,000 lab heads meeting inside had voted overwhelmingly to resign in protest at the government's handling of research.
Nature (17 March 2004)
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Geneticists study chimp—human divergence
Scientists combing the draft of the chimpanzee genome sequence are finding tantalizing hints about the differences between humans and our closest relatives.
Nature (17 March 2004)
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Plague professor gets two years in bioterror case
Microbiologist Thomas Butler has been sentenced to two years in prison for convictions that stem from a January 2003 bioterrorism scare.
Nature (17 March 2004)
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Health experts find obesity measures too lightweight
Researchers have slammed the US government's plans to combat the country's obesity epidemic. Experts say the focus on changes in personal choices is flawed, and ignores the role of government and the food industry in shaping people's decisions.
Nature (17 March 2004)
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Biomedical institute wins reprieve from relocation
Plans to move Britain's National Institute for Medical Research to a site outside London have been scrapped, according to a task force run by the institute's funders, the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Nature (17 March 2004)
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Wave of protest strikes Europe's universities
Discontent is sweeping through European universities this winter, as academics protest against stagnant salaries, dwindling career prospects and increasing demands made on them by their employers.
Nature (11 March 2004)
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French scientists prepare for mass resignation
French scientists were meeting in Paris this week to decide whether to go through with their threat to resign all management duties. The ultimatum hinged on the government taking immediate and significant steps to boost French research.
Nature (11 March 2004)
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Terror watchdog set up for 'dual use' biology
The US government has created a high-level advisory body that will suggest guidelines for scientists whose work might be used by bioterrorists.
Nature (11 March 2004)
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Biotechnologists seek to bridge South Asian divide
Biotechnology collaborations have been agreed between India and Pakistan, ending more than five decades of scientific impasse between the two nations.
Nature (11 March 2004)
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Bush sacks outspoken biologist from ethics council
An eminent cell biologist has been dropped from the US president's Council on Bioethics after publicly criticizing the administration's stance on stem-cell research.
Nature (04 March 2004)
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Medical editors urged to accept ethical code
Editors of medical journals should be as accountable for their actions as the authors they publish, according to a group of editors that has drawn up a code of conduct for scientific publishing.
Nature (04 March 2004)
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US and biologists wary of strict biotech rules
How best to judge the potential environmental danger of a genetically modified organism? That's the question that dominated the first meeting of the parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week.
Nature (04 March 2004)
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Spanish lawmakers clash over control of stem-cell research
Spain's highest court is expected to rule this summer on a dispute between the national government in Madrid and the southern state of Andalusia over who should govern research on human embryonic stem cells.
Nature (04 March 2004)
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Contraceptive research pregnant with anticipation
In January, a US Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel called for scientists to use the powerful tools of genomics and proteomics to create comprehensive lists of the genes, proteins, fats and sugars expressed in sperm and eggs. The goal, the panel said, is to sift through those that are uniquely expressed in those tissues and create a new generation of contraceptives.
Nature Medicine (March 2004)
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New York consortium to build cooperative mouse house
In New York City, where space for people is at a premium, finding room for mice is no small task. Faced with cramped quarters for their research animals, six local research institutes—including Columbia University and Rockefeller University—are forming a new consortium to create a bigger and better new mouse house.
Nature Medicine (March 2004)
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India, Japan launch HIV vaccines to match local strains
When the first HIV–positive case surfaced in the southern Indian city of Madras–now called Chennai–18 years ago, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) declared that the virus had been introduced by visitors from the decadent West. India is now set to test a vaccine tailored to its citizens.
Nature Medicine (March 2004)
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Cambridge slammed for axed primate center
Research organizations are condemning Cambridge University's decision to shelve plans for a multimillion-dollar primate center.
Nature Medicine (March 2004)
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Biologists try to work out bugs in GM insect technology
Advances in insect molecular biology have allowed the creation of genetically modified (GM) insects for infectious disease control to step out of the realm of science fiction. But experts say the technology must clear unique scientific and political challenges before it can become a real solution.
Nature Medicine (March 2004)
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Studies linking breast cancer to deodorants smell rotten, experts say
Cancer experts are up in arms over two recent studies linking deodorant use to breast cancer, saying conclusions from the studies are flawed.
Nature Medicine (March 2004)
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Reagent safety issues surface for cell/tissue therapies
This month, the standard-setting organization US Pharmacopeia will publish a document providing advice to companies on the steps needed to demonstrate the safety of ancillary reagents, which are used ex vivo in the preparation of cell, gene and tissue therapies.
Nature Biotechnology (March 2004)
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US budget emphasizes bioterrorism countermeasures
The $2.4 trillion budget proposal from US President George W. Bush's administration for fiscal year 2005 features little in specifics for biotechnology, apart from a continuing priority to support programs in bioterrorism countermeasures that began several budget cycles ago.
Nature Biotechnology (March 2004)
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Germany reattempts to spark innovation
This month, Germany's chancellor Gerhard Schröder will convene an 'ideas summit' in Berlin with science and industry leaders as well as government ministers to devise ways of supporting innovation that would also benefit the biotech sector.
Nature Biotechnology (March 2004)
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News in brief
Centralized network set up to run UK clinical trials
| Genome microarray has bacteria on the slide
| Socialist win stems row over Spanish laws
| US science policy: Mission impossible?
| Authors retract link between MMR vaccine and autism
| Beijing and San Diego team up for research
| Harvard seeks private $100 million to build stem-cell centre
| Europe approves infectious disease center
| European nations launch stem cell project
| China allows cloning
| Acambis cans UK research
| Japan opens IP court
| Aventis takeover may harm biotech
| Incyte closes databases
| New US cell therapy rule
| Carl Feldbaum to retire later this year
News Features
Neuroscience: The sweet smell of success
Smell is arguably the most evocative and mysterious of our senses. But thanks to advances in our understanding of the cells that detect odour, its secrets should now start to be revealed. Carina Dennis sniffs around.
Nature (25 March 2004)
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Science of dieting: Slim pickings
The dieting industry is a massive money-spinner. Yet across the developed world, waistlines continue to expand. Declan Butler examines the sparse scientific evidence behind the claims made for leading diet plans.
Nature (17 March 2004)
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Cell biology: Just add water
Thanks to a sugar found in yeast, it may be possible to provide 'freeze-dried' blood cells to treat injured soldiers. The technique could also find applications in the cell-biology lab. Geoff Brumfiel reports.
Nature (04 March 2004)
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Trading on traditional medicines
Developing countries could exploit traditional medicine to kick-start biotech, but only if their products measure up to the demands of Western regulators.
Nature Biotechnology (March 2004)
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