Futurity.org » University of Southern California

Alzheimer’s gene opens floodgate in brain

Tom Rickey-Rochester — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:16:21 +0000

U. ROCHESTER (US) — A genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease triggers a cascade of signaling that results in leaky blood vessels in the brain, allowing toxic substances to pour into brain tissue.

The findings come from an investigation into why a gene called ApoE4 makes people more prone to developing Alzheimer’s. People who carry two copies of the gene have roughly eight to 10 times the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease than people who don’t.

To kill cancer, don’t let genes go silent

Alison Trinidad-USC — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:05:53 +0000

USC (US) — Researchers have identified a small number of specific genes that need to be silenced for cancer cells to survive.

The discovery—detailed in the May 15 issue of Cancer Cell—means the genes may be good targets for new, more effective treatments.

Clean air improves heart health, Olympics show

Alison Trinidad-USC — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:43:02 +0000

USC / U. ROCHESTER (US) — Using the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a lab, researchers found evidence that even short-term reduction in air pollution exposure improves a person’s cardiovascular health.

The results of the study appear this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Solar nanocrystals float in printable ink

Robert Perkins-USC — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:34:38 +0000

USC (US) — Scientists have developed a potential pathway to cheap, stable solar cells made from nanocrystals so small they can be painted onto clear surfaces as liquid ink.

The solar nanocrystals are about four nanometers in size—meaning you could fit more than 250,000,000,000 on the head of a pin—and float them in a liquid solution, so “like you print a newspaper, you can print solar cells,” says Richard L. Brutchey, assistant professor of chemistry at University of Southern California.

Brutchey and postdoctoral researcher David H. Webber developed a new surface coating for the nanocrystals, which are made of the semiconductor cadmium selenide. Their research is featured as a “hot article”this month in Dalton Transactions, the international journal for inorganic chemistry.

Soil ‘cocktail’ suggests life on Mars

Leslie Ridgeway-USC — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:32:21 +0000

USC (US) — Mathematical analysis of soil from Mars indicates there may be life on the planet.

In 1976, the National Aeronautical Space Agency launched the Viking program, sending space probes to Mars to determine whether there was life on the red planet. Thirty-six years later the debate about life on Mars is not over.

Quantum computer built inside diamond

Robert Perkins-USC — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:42:02 +0000

USC (US) — Researchers have built a quantum computer in a diamond, the first of its kind to include protection against harmful noise called “decoherence.”

The demonstration showed the viability of solid-state quantum computers, which—unlike earlier gas- and liquid-state systems—may represent the future of quantum computing because they can easily be scaled up in size. Current quantum computers typically are very small and, though impressive, cannot yet compete with the speed of larger, traditional computers.

The multinational team included University of Southern California professor Daniel Lidar and postdoctoral researcher Zhihui Wang, as well as University of California, Santa Barbara physicist David Awschalom. The findings are published in Nature.

RNA discovery offers clue in autism puzzle

Alison Trinidad-USC — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:15:36 +0000

USC (US) — Scientists have discovered the first gene associated with autism that has genome-wide significance—findings that could lead to new treatments.

The discovery, detailed in the April 4 edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine, may allow researchers to study the causes of autism and develop new treatments for the disorder more effectively.

“Our study shows that a highly-significant genetic signal for autism pointed to a new gene, MSNP1AS,” says Daniel B. Campbell, the study’s senior author and assistant professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at University of Southern California‘s Keck School of Medicine.

Higher co-pays may cost kids their meds

Suzanne Wu-USC — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:14:09 +0000

USC (US) — Higher co-payments may have serious unintended consequences for children, including less use of effective treatments and more trips to the hospital.

In a sample of 8,834 patients in the United States, researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) looked at how out-of-pocket medication costs affect health outcomes for children.

Regulator protein plays double duty

Alison Trinidad-USC — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:52:18 +0000

USC (US) — Microbiologists have identified a critical protein in the fight against bacterial and fungal infections like tuberculosis and ringworm.

The findings lay the groundwork for scientists to develop target-specific drugs that have fewer side effects.

Cancer drug may stymie lung disease

Alison Trinidad-USC — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:37:43 +0000

USC (US) — Researchers have identified a target in lung cells that may lead to new treatments for a progressive disease that ultimately robs a patient of the ability to breathe.

Characterized by scarring of the lung, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis affects about 128,000 people in the United States, with about 48,000 new cases diagnosed annually, according to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis. Lung damage caused by the disease can’t be repaired, and treatment has focused on improving quality of life.