Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) or brittle bone disease is an incurable genetic disorder that causes fragile bones and a lifetime of breaks and fractures. Recently, mutations in the gene for bone morphog...
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Photoreceptors are specialized cells that capture and convert light into signals that can be processed by the retina and visual centers of the brain. Supportive cells called the retinal pigment epithe...
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In addition to the common cold, human rhinoviruses (RV) trigger nearly half of all cases of asthma exacerbation. Wheezing illnesses in infancy caused by RV are associated with a high risk of developin...
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Human rhinoviruses (species A, B and C) encompass more than 160 types that are responsible for the majority of upper respiratory tract infections (common colds) and many of the lower respiratory tract...
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Microsporum canis is a skin fungal pathogen that causes dermatophytosis (ringworm) most commonly in cats and dogs. Dermatophytosis clinical trials are lengthy and complicated because the nature of the...
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Neurological disorders—ranging from spinal cord injuries to Alzheimer’s disease—are among the most challenging health issues. There is an ongoing need for disease models and screening systems to...
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Rodents and other small animals are extensively used as models to study human health and disease, but there are increasing concerns about their relevance. Research funding and regulatory agencies are ...
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Rodents and other small animals are extensively used as models to study human health and disease, but there are increasing concerns about their relevance. Research funding and regulatory agencies are ...
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Presently, there are no good rodent models for mania, which is a critical component of bipolar disorder. The most commonly used approach is to inject normal mice with amphetamines to produce hyperacti...
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The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is made up of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), which line brain capillaries and control trafficking between the bloodstream and neural tissue. Although esse...
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Although it is essential to healthy brain function, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) interferes with drug delivery, preventing more than 98 percent of small molecule pharmaceuticals and nearly 100 percen...
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People with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) are hypertriglyceridemic and hypercholesterolemic, and often go on to develop type II diabetes mellitus in middle age. Current FCH mouse models resul...
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Drosophila commonly are used as model organisms.  As many as 70 percent of human disease genes have homologues in Drosophila, making these organisms useful for identifying particular disease genes as...
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Behavioral and physiological processes in nearly all organisms display 24-hour rhythms that are controlled by a circadian pacemaker, or clock. Over the past several years, many proteins and transcript...
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No well-characterized prostate stromal cell lines currently exist.
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Few treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, have been discovered.  In many cases, the molecular basis for neurodegeneration remains unknown...
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There is a lack of effective and non-destructive treatments for diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness in the United States. Thrombospondin1 (TSP1), a matricellular protein that inhibits ang...
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Effective and non-destructive treatments are needed for diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness in the United States. Thrombospondin1 (TSP1), a matricellular protein that inhibits angiogenesi...
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Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids. Inhibitors of SCD may be useful therapeutics for diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
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