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International Team Tracks Clues To HIV
Rice University"s Andrew Barron and his group, working with labs in Italy, Germany and Greece, have identified specific molecules that could block the means by which the deadly virus spreads by taking away its ability to bind with other proteins.

Global Lupus Experts Gather For Historic Meeting -- Urgent And Unmet Needs Of Individuals With Lupus Dominate Agenda
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) convened an Expert Panel June 1-2 to address the urgent and unmet need for the development and approval of new, safe, effective, and tolerable medications for people with lupus. It has been more than 50 years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug specifically to treat lupus. Discussions during the two-day meeting in Washington, DC focused on how to better conduct studies of potential new lupus treatments, including clinical endpoints, diagnostic tools, background medications, and clinical trial design.
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Immunotherapy Against Tau Tangles In Alzheimer's Mouse Models
New insights into how a Phase III Alzheimer"s drug might work were among the advances in potential therapies targeting two abnormal brain proteins - beta amyloid and phosphorylated tau - at ICAD.
Public Health

New Way To Enhance Stem Cells To Stimulate Muscle Regeneration Discovered By Ottawa Scientists

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa have discovered a powerful new way to stimulate muscle regeneration, paving the way for new treatments for debilitating conditions such as muscular dystrophy. The research, to be published in the June 5 issue of Cell Stem Cell, shows for the first time that a protein called Wnt7a increases the number of stem cells in muscle tissue, leading to accelerated growth and repair of skeletal muscle. "This discovery shows us that by targeting stem cells to boost their numbers, we can improve the body"s ability to repair muscle tissue," said senior author Dr. Michael Rudnicki. Dr. Rudnicki is the Scientific Director of Canada"s Stem Cell Network and a Senior Scientist at OHRI and Director of OHRI"s Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research, as well as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Stem cells give rise to every tissue and organ in the body. Satellite stem cells are specialized muscle stem cells that live in adult skeletal muscle tissue and have the ability to both replicate and differentiate into various types of muscle cells. Dr. Rudnicki"s team found that the Wnt7a protein, when introduced into mouse muscle tissue, significantly increased the population of these satellite stem cells and fueled the regeneration process, creating bigger and stronger muscles. Muscle tissue mass was increased by nearly 20 per cent in the study. "Our findings point the way to the development of new therapeutic treatment for muscular diseases such as muscular dystrophy, sarcopenia and muscle wasting conditions resulting from extended hospital stays and surgeries," said Dr. Rudnicki. This project was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Canada"s Stem Cell Network and the Canada Research Chairs Program. Jennifer Paterson Ottawa Hospital Research Institute


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