Nations worldwide have programmes in place to track, treat and research common diseases. Despite their successes, however, some of these programmes are duplicated in many countries, while other nations lack access to key information. To address this problem, researchers in Europe used electronic infrastructures (e-Infrastructures) to coordinate and combine a variety of tools, databases, grids and Web portals.
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Study reveals gene behind insulin resistance
EU-funded researchers have identified a human genetic variant that raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The findings add to our understanding of the factors behind the condition, and could lead to the development of new treatments. The study is published in the journal Nature Genetics.
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Nanog protein essential for 'reprogramming' adult cells into stem cells
EU-funded scientists in Japan and the UK have shed new light on how stems cells develop into other types of cells. Their discovery that a protein called Nanog lies at the heart of a mechanism that gives stem cells their remarkable properties has important implications for the future use of stem cells in medical applications.
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Uncovering the roots of the placebo effect
A German research team has shown that ancient neural pathways in the human brainstem are involved in the 'placebo effect', the well known medical phenomenon that occurs when a patient feels less pain after being given what he or she thinks is a painkiller but is, in fact, a medically inactive substance.
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VTT starts to investigate Bayer Schering Pharma's preclinical anti-cancer compounds
The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany have signed a two-year research contract to study the mode of action of a Bayer Schering Pharma's preclinical cancer drugs. As part of this contract, VTT will use its new gene and cancer biology methods such as the 3D-cell culture model developed at VTT's Medical Biotechnology unit in Turku, Finland.
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White blood cells feed Leishmania parasites, study finds
Scientists in the UK have gained new insights into the way Leishmania parasites, which infect close to 12 million people worldwide, increase their rate of survival during the initial stages of infection. The results, published in the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Pathology, could help in the development of new vaccines against the most common form of this disfiguring disease.
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Why some tolerate malaria better than others
A team of researchers from Portugal and the US has shown how an antioxidant enzyme that occurs naturally in the body plays an important role in helping individuals to tolerate the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium. The findings, funded in part by the EU and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), offer a new approach to treatment of this deadly disease.
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