Cell signaling news
Here we present recent news items specially selected from Nature, Nature Medicine and Nature Biotechnology.
August 2007
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News | News in brief | News Features
News
Cheaper approaches to flu divide researchers
Drugs that target the immune system, such as statins, may offer a useful alternative to antiviral therpies in the treatment of influenza.
Nature (30 August 2007)
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No confidence vote for agency head
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that it will investigate "the management and leadership" of David Schwartz, the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Nature (30 August 2007)
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More biologists but tenure stays static
Data compiled by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) show that the number of students in US graduate programmes in the biological sciences has increased steadily since 1966, but the number of biomedical PhDs with academic tenure has remained steady since 1981.
Nature (23 August 2007)
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Let down by the statistics
A team of researchers has found that the data supporting claims that men and women are affected differently by disease-associated gene variations are often poorly analysed statistically or come from studies that were not adequately designed to show these links.
Nature (23 August 2007)
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Hope for axed cancer-prevention trial
Researchers behind a major trial on breast-cancer prevention whose funding was cancelled in June say that Elias Zerhouni, director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has indicated that he may be willing to meet them.
Nature (23 August 2007)
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Dengue fever climbs the social ladder
Dengue fever, once a disease restricted to poor people in tropical areas, now threatens middle-class urbanites in cities such as Singapore — a development that may propel a treatment or vaccine to market.
Nature (16 August 2007)
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Geneticist trades plants for politics
Nina Fedoroff, a plant geneticist praised for her work in crop productivity, is the new science and technology adviser to US Secretary of State, but some of her well known opinions could cause friction.
Nature (16 August 2007)
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Achievement index climbs the ranks
The Hirsch index describes how often a researcher's publications have been cited and is intended to be an objective predictor of future success, but it has been criticized for its over-simplicity.
Nature (16 August 2007)
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Transparency urged over research payments
Charles Grassley, Senator for Iowa, has called for a public register of drug-company payments made to doctors to improve the transparency and accountability of medical practice.
Nature (16 August 2007)
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Positive clinical data in Parkinson's and ischemia buoy gene therapy
A steady accumulation of positive gene therapy data for diseases such as Parkinson's has started to attract large pharmaceutical companies, but researchers remain cautious about marketing their findings.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 823-824 (August 2007)
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Clinical setbacks for toll-like receptor 9 agonists in cancer
Failures for the use of toll-like receptor agonists for the treatment of cancer are not deterring interest for their use for other high profile indications.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 825-826 (August 2007)
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Uncertainty surrounds cancer vaccine review at FDA
Glimmers of hope around cancer vaccines are tempered by confusion over clinical trial endpoints.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 827-828 (August 2007)
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Ann Arbor community rallies in wake of Pfizer shutdown
Following Pfizer's announcement to close down their research facility in Ann Arbor (Michigan), local talent wishing to stay in the area has stimulated the formation of startup companies.
Nature Biotechnology 25, 829-830 (August 2007)
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A genetic switch for gender bending
The mouse Trpc2 ion channel protein is essential for sensing pheromones; female mice that lack the Trpc2 gene engage in exclusively male sexual traits.
Nature (9 August 2007)
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Executed Chinese drug czar corrupted by system, observers say
The execution of Zheng Xiaoyu, the former chief of the Chinese food and drug regulatory agency, for taking bribes was intended to signal a new era in drug safety and mitigate scandals surrounding counterfeit medicine.
Nature Medicine (August 2007)
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Africa's HIV transmission laws based on questionable science
Faced with an AIDS epidemic that kills millions every year, countries in sub-Saharan Africa are contemplating a new prevention strategy: criminal charges for those that knowingly transmit HIV to another person.
Nature Medicine (August 2007)
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UK set to reverse stance on research with chimeras
The UK government is set to draft legislation on the creation of hybrid embryos, allowing the creation of 'cybrid' embryos — which comprise human DNA implanted into an empty animal egg — and human embryos that express certain animal genes or contain animal cells.
Nature Medicine (August 2007)
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Nominee for US top doc grilled on political pressure
James Holsinger has been nominated as the next US surgeon general, the nation's top medical authority, and faces tough questioning from Congress about keeping politics and personal beliefs out of science.
Nature Medicine (August 2007)
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The mouse map gets a lot more signposts
Thorough maps of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in eleven common strains of laboratory mice have been completed, a step towards the discovery of disease-causing mutations in mice — and ultimately in humans.
Nature (2 August 2007)
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Flatworms' starring role in stem-cell research
Gap junctions between adult stem cells and their differentiated neighbors in the flatworm are critical for the maintenance of the stem cell population, providing a potential clue into the regeneration and growth of human stem cells.
Nature (2 August 2007)
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News in brief
| Boston's biodefence lab passes safety review
| Nobel laureate comes out of retirement for Salk
| Sugar rush at the National Institutes of Health
| Anticlotting agent gets gene-specific label change
| India to expand research institutes and universities
| Stem-cell institute's hunt for president goes on
| Novartis loses claim to patent Gleevec in India
| RNAi turf grab
| Roche feeding frenzy
| FDA communications panel
| Biosimilars bill progress
| Setbacks for Genzyme
| Search is on for origin of UK foot-and-mouth outbreak
| India hopes cash will lure youngsters to science
| Science embryology paper retracted after inquiry
| Three-pronged genetic AIDS trial ready to go
| MPs criticize research agency appointment
News Features
Physics in the cell: Spring theory
Physicists interested in the mechanics of single molecules are helping molecular biology researchers understand the mechanics of DNA replication, transcription and packaging.
Nature (30 August 2007)
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RNA interference: Hitting the on switch
Researchers in San Francisco think they have found some miRNAs that boost, rather than silence, gene expression in cells, suggesting a whole new side to RNA interference.
Nature (9 August 2007)
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Cilia: Tails of the unexpected
Cilia have regained a position in the scientific limelight owing to their involvement in biological processes from development and symmetry to diabetes, cancer and obesity.
Nature (9 August 2007)
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Human-subjects research: Trial and error
During the 40 years of their existence, institutional review boards (IRBs) have been under criticism. Nevertheless, recent attempts to fix the system — such as using local IRBs — have struggled to gain a foothold.
Nature (23 August 2007)
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