Tag Biosciences
Decoding protein structures helps illuminate cause of diabetes
Any photographer can vouch for the difficulty of capturing a clear picture of a moving target. When it comes to molecules, however, sometimes the motion is exactly what scientists want to see.
State seeds stem-cell company based on UW–Madison research
Governor Jim Doyle today (May 14) gave a $1 million boost to a University of Wisconsin–Madison spin-off company during a visit to the campus lab that gave birth to its technology.
Creator of Dolly the sheep to give public lecture in Madison
Ian Wilmut, the famed Scottish biologist who created Dolly the cloned sheep, is coming to Madison and will give a public lecture on Thursday, May 17, at the Overture Center.
Meditation may fine-tune control over attention
Everyday experience and psychology research both indicate that paying close attention to one thing can keep you from noticing something else.
New technique dissects stem cells’ picky likes, dislikes
Whether their goal is to create therapies or simply investigate how organisms develop, stem cell researchers face what is perhaps one of biological science's toughest assignments: keeping their tiny research subjects under control.
Two faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences
Two University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty members were elected today to the National Academy of Sciences.
Arming the fight against resistant bacteria
In 1928, Alexander Fleming opened the door to treating bacterial infections when he stumbled upon the first known antibiotic in a Penicillium mold growing in a discarded experiment.
Healing chronic wounds through use of nanoscale surfaces
It’s both costly and frustrating when doctors are unable to heal persistent wounds, such as diabetic ulcers or pressure sores in patients with limited mobility. Traditional treatments are often less than satisfactory. But thanks to funding from the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery seed grant program, UW–Madison researchers have been freed to explore a novel and revolutionary approach to coaxing persistent wounds to heal.
Team seeks to add advanced microlenses to technology
Most of us peer through lenses every day, but the “microlenses” devised by engineering professors Hongrui Jiang and Dave Beebe aren’t nearly so ordinary. Made of liquid and designed to be self-adjusting, these tiny lenses are a breed apart from their counterparts in eyeglasses and cameras.
Lake districts serve as prisms of environmental change
Two vastly different Wisconsin lake districts - one in a dynamic agricultural and urban setting, the other in a forested and much less developed region of the state - are proving their value as sentinels of regional environmental change, according to a new report.
Gene that governs toxin production in deadly mold found
For the growing number of people with diminished immune systems - cancer patients, transplant recipients, those with HIV/AIDS - infection by a ubiquitous mold known as Aspergillus fumigatus can be a death sentence.
Biomedical engineering competition stresses real-world challenges
Part of a unique curriculum infused with real-world design opportunities, a new competition for University of Wisconsin biomedical engineering undergraduate students places an even greater emphasis on applying their engineering knowledge to actual problems in biology and medicine.
Fishing for new anti-inflammatory, cancer drugs
Though cell movement and migration in the body play a central role in mediating injury and disease, including inflammatory responses and cancer metastasis, drugs designed to stifle cells’ nomadic tendencies are scarce. A new interdisciplinary research project funded by the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery seed grant program seeks to develop a novel drug-discovery process that may start to fill this gap.
Researchers seek early detection for hard-to-diagnose disease
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by infertility due to anovulation, abnormal secretion of androgens and other hormones, and insulin resistance. PCOS is the most common female endocrine disorder, affecting 4-7 percent of women in their reproductive years — the syndrome accounts for 75 percent of all anovulations. PCOS has staggering adverse physiological, psychological and financial consequences for women’s reproductive health.
Second annual stem cell symposium to focus on heart tissue, blood diseases
Several of the world's leading experts on the formation of blood and heart cells from stem cells, and clinical applications of stem cells in blood and heart diseases, will come together on Wednesday, April 18, for the second annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium.
Sixth annual bioethics forum to tackle medical applications of research
The interface among molecular biology, medical applications, law, religion and ethics will be the focus of the sixth annual international Bioethics Forum, hosted by Promega Corp.'s BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI) in Fitchburg.
With rat genome as guide, human breast cancer risk refined
Combing the genomes of the rat and the human, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found swaths of genetic code that can be used to assess the risk of human breast cancer.
Stem cell therapy shows promise for rescuing deteriorating vision
For the millions of Americans whose vision is slowly ebbing due to degenerative diseases of the eye, the lowly neural progenitor cell may be riding to the rescue.
Targeting tumors the natural way
By mimicking Nature's way of distinguishing one type of cell from another, University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists now report they can more effectively seek out and kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.
Ultrathin films deliver DNA as possible gene therapy tool
Gene therapy - the idea of using genetic instructions rather than drugs to treat disease - has tickled scientists' imaginations for decades, but is not yet a viable therapeutic method. One sizeable hurdle is getting the right genes into the right place at the right time.