BiotechMashup

(North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System) An experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol without the troublesome side effects experienced by some people on statins, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. An international team of investigators at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research tested a substance called Eprotirome in patients with high cholesterol.

(Karolinska Institutet) The Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet has received a grant of SEK100 million ($12.83 million) from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation for a regenerative medicine research center -- the Wallenberg Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This funding will give Karolinska Institutet a unique opportunity to concentrate on new and pioneering research, with a special focus on the blood system.

(Karolinska Institutet) Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have demonstrated that a growth hormone, PDGF-BB, and the blood protein EPO are involved in the development of cancer tumors and that they combine to help the tumors proliferate in the body. These new preclinical findings offer new potential for inhibiting tumor growth and bypassing problems of resistance that exist with many drugs in current use. The results are published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

(Karolinska Institutet) Polyphosphate from blood platelets plays a key role in inflammation and the formation of blood clots, scientists from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown. The study, which is presented in the prestigious scientific journal Cell, describes how this mechanism can be used in treatment.

(Karolinska Institutet) Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new way of blocking the formation of blood vessels and halting the growth of tumors in mice. A substance that exploits this mechanism could be developed into a new treatment for cancer.

(Karolinska Institutet) A derivative of cholesterol is necessary for the formation of brain cells, according to a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The results, which are published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, can help scientists to cultivate dopamine-producing cells outside the body.

(Karolinska Institutet) Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have been able to describe the 3-D structure of a complete egg receptor that binds sperm at the beginning of fertilization. The results, published in the journal Cell, will lead to better understanding of infertility and may enable entirely new types of contraceptives.

(Karolinska Institutet) A Nordic multicenter study, headed by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, shows that pelvic organ prolapse surgery using synthetic mesh can be more effective than traditional surgery. The advantages indicated by the study mainly concern restored genital anatomy and more efficient symptom relief, although there is an associated greater risk of complications. The study is published in the renowned scientific periodical the New England Journal of Medicine.

(Karolinska Institutet) Researchers Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered a mechanism that controls the brain's ability to create lasting memories. In experiments on genetically manipulated mice, they were able to switch on and off the animals' ability to form lasting memories by adding a substance to their drinking water. The findings, which are published in the scientific journal PNAS, are of potential significance to the future treatment of Alzheimer's and stroke.