Discovery opens new window on development, and maybe potential, of human egg cells Egg cells hold the key to many mysteries about reproduction, and knowing about the genetic makeup of individual eggs is important in fertility treatment. A new method of looking at genetic material egg cells discard offers a way to learn more about […]

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Deadly virus reveals a potential weakness A new study of the JC polyomavirus, a devastating pathogen that attacks brain cells in patients with compromised immune systems, has revealed how it binds to its targets, providing a basis for developing drugs to interrupt that process. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The JC polyomavirus doesn’t strike very […]

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$7.5M grant to fund research on interaction of drinking and HIV infection Individually, HIV and excessive alcohol consumption are international health crises, but when they intersect they can be uniquely troubling. Scientists at the Brown Alcohol Research Center on HIV, a new federally funded center, will explore physiological and behavioral questions raised by the combination, […]

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Research team identifies new mechanism with suspected role in cancer Researchers at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital have identified a process in which prolactin receptors can be drawn together and begin working in pairs called dimers. Overexpression of prolactin receptors in patients has been linked to cancer. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — If women […]

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Researchers report two advances against preeclampsia Preeclampsia, a sudden-onset and sometimes fatal prenatal disease, may strike up to 8 percent of pregnant women worldwide. Researchers have now developed a dependable pregnancy-specific animal model for laboratory testing and may have a predictive test that would allow early intervention. The studies are reported in The American Journal […]

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Brown University scientists simplify biodiesel conversion Two chemists at Brown University have streamlined the conversion of waste vegetable oil into biodiesel, eliminating the need for corrosive chemicals to perform the reactions. Writing in the journal Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, the chemists were able to pull off the waste vegetable oil-to-biodiesel conversion in a single reaction vessel […]

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Childhood adversity may lead to unhealthy stress response in adult life A study has detected a correlation between childhood adversity and exaggerated inflammatory response to stress among seemingly healthy people. It may shed light on risk for depression, other illnesses later in life. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Seemingly healthy adults, if they were abused […]

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Brown Institute for Brain Science marks decade of research impact The Future of the Brain, a two-day symposium Oct. 13-14, 2010, marks an extraordinary first decade for the Brown Institute for Brain Science. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Just as intense concentration allows a sharp mind to perform at its peak, a research institute that […]

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Brown licenses potential muscular dystrophy treatment to Tivorsan Pharmaceuticals Duchenne muscular dystrophy affects only young boys, who begin to show symptoms when they are of preschool age. The disease is invariably fatal. Justin Fallon has led a research team that has developed a novel therapy in mice. Brown University has licensed the technology to Tivorsan […]

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Researchers build ‘artificial ovary’ to develop oocytes into mature human eggs Researchers at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island have built an artificial human ovary that can grow oocytes into mature human eggs in the laboratory. That development, reported in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, could help preserve fertility […]

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