Press monitoring

Scientists identify gene that may contribute to improved rice yield

A team of scientists, including Hong Ma, Penn State distinguished professor of biology, has identified a gene in rice that controls the size and weight of rice grains.
[1.10.2008]  

Researchers Identify Population of Adult Stem Cells With Ability To Regenerate Other Tissues

In a promising finding for the field of regenerative medicine, stem cell researchers at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have identified a source of adult stem cells found on the walls of blood vessels with the unlimited potential to differentiate into human tissues such as bone, cartilage and muscle.
[30.9.2008]  

Cell 'rebooting' technique sidesteps risks

Virus reprograms cells without disrupting genome. Scientists today announce a major advance in a technology for engineering cells with broad regenerative powers.
[29.9.2008]  

A project SmartCell turns plant cells into medical factories

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will coordinate the large EU research project called SmartCell. The four-year project focuses on developing methods for production of valuable pharmaceutical compounds using plant cells as a production host in an effective and controlled manner.
[29.9.2008]  

Reversible 3-D cell culture gel invented

BN’s latest invention, a unique user-friendly gel that can liquefy on demand, has the potential to revolutionize three-dimensional (3D) cell culture for medical research.
[28.9.2008]  

GM Crops Make Good Neighbors

When scientists in China girded cotton with an insect-killing toxin in the late 1990s, they knew it would be a boon for cotton farmers. But in an unexpected twist, researchers have now found that genetically modified (GM) cotton that produces the natural pesticide casts a protective net over other kinds of crops in nearby fields - and not because introduced genes have spread beyond the cotton field.
[28.9.2008]  

FDA guidance on GE animal drug production

he US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance for the use of genetically engineered (GE) animals to produce drugs. Covered in the document are requirements and recommendations for those producing pharmaceutical products using GE animals. At present very few drugs produced in GE animals have reached commercialisation but given the system’s potential this is expected to change in coming years.
[27.9.2008]  

Scientists isolate cancer stem cells

Discovery could lead to new therapy that would stop cancer recurrence.
[26.9.2008]  

Plants in forest emit aspirin chemical; discovery may help agriculture

Plants in a forest respond to stress by producing significant amounts of a chemical form of aspirin, scientists have discovered. The finding, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), opens up new avenues of research into the behavior of plants and their impacts on air quality, and it also has the potential to give farmers an early warning signal about crops that are failing.
[25.9.2008]  

Czech GM maize area tops 8,000 ha in 2008

The area of genetically-modified maize fields in the Czech Republic exceeded 8,000 hectares this year, a growth of more than 3,000 hectares against 2007, Agriculture Ministry said in a press release Thursday.
[24.9.2008]