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Yesterday, I shared the new cancer research discovery by Prof. Samie Jaffrey and his team. The following provides additional details on their discovery.

The human body is made of trillions of cells. Each fulfills a specific purpose, undergoes tremendous wear and tear and is eventually replaced. Despite extensive research, some questions related to protein production that fuels this simple process have gone unanswered. Fascinated by these intricacies, Prof. Samie Jaffrey, pharmacology, may have found part of the answer.

Jaffrey and his team discovered that messenger RNA molecules, responsible for conveying genetic information to protein producers in the cell, have special features that predetermine how much protein they generate. The discovery could provide scientists with a greater understanding of the causes of cancer and ways of regulating it.

“Over the past few years we have found that methylation [deposition of methyl groups] inside the mRNA can have effects on translation [the process of translating genetic information to physical protein production] and stability,” Jaffrey said.

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By Jonathan Latham, PhD

Test your understanding of the living world with this simple question. What kind of biomolecule is found in all living organisms? If your answer is “DNA”, you are incorrect. The mistake is very forgiveable though. The standard English-language biology education casts DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) as the master molecule of life, coordinating and controlling most, if not all, living functions. This master molecule concept is popular. It is plausible. It is taught in every university and high school. But it is wrong. DNA is no master controller, nor is it even at the centre of biology. Instead, science overwhelmingly shows that life is self-organised and thus the pieces are in place for biology to undergo the ultimate paradigm shift.

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Cara Guilfoyle, M.D., FACS, leads the Coordinated Health Breast Center, which covers all aspects of diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of breast conditions. Breast Center services are available at Coordinated Health locations in Allentown and Pittston.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women; however, thanks to new diagnostic imaging tools and better patient education, more women are surviving it than ever before.

According to Coordinated Health breast surgeon Cara Guilfoyle, M.D., FACS, the earlier that women are diagnosed with breast cancer, the better their prognosis.

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Off to the races again; hope folks are onboard. Quantum Bio will grow in importance; and you were warned.

Microsoft today announced that they have open sourced Bio Model Analyzer, a cloud-based tool which allows for biologists to model cell interaction and communication. This latest move is one of the many Microsoft Research initiatives which aims to help lab experts use computer science to speed up breakthroughs in cancer research and treatment.

According to the post, the Bio Model Analzyer (BMA) allows for researchers and science to compare the normal processes of healthy cells to the abnormal processes that occur when disease infects the body. Set against more traditional methods, when using computers, researchers can quickly explore many more possibilities than were previously possible. Jasmin Fisher, a Senior researcher in the programming principles and tools group in Microsoft’s Cambridge, U.K explains in the post:

“That, in turn, can speed up research in areas like drug interaction and resistance, and it could eventually provide patients with more personalized and effective cancer treatments… We are trying to change the way research is done on a daily basis in biology.”

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Nice.

Summary: Newly developed software allows researchers to study synaptic plasticity in dendritic spines.

Source: max planck florida institute for neuroscience.

Researchers at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have developed new software to study synaptic plasticity in dendritic spines.

When humans and animals learn and form memories, the physical structures of their brain cells change. Specifically, small protrusions called dendritic spines, which receive signals from other neurons, can grow and change shape indefinitely in response to stimulation. Scientists at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) have observed this process, known as long-term structural plasticity, in individual spines, but doing so requires substantial time and effort. A new technique, developed by MPFI researchers, automates the process to make observing and quantifying this growth far more efficient. The open-source method is available to any scientist hoping to image plasticity as it happens in dendritic spines using Scanimage. The work was published in January 2016 in the Public Library of Science journal, PLOS ONE.

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Researchers have found two different neural paths responsible for decision-making processes in humans, related to accuracy and speed. The results of this research could help scientists create better treatment for patients suffering from neurological disorders. ( Oli Scarff | Getty Images )

Two new mechanisms responsible for the balance between speed and accuracy in the humans’ decision-making process have been identified. Researchers have brought new insight on how quickly a decision can be made and on the amount of information necessary to make it.

The research, conducted by scientists from the Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, was published in the journal eLife, and it explains in greater detail a type of brain wiring that could be employed in treating neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.

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As Geordie Rose was to QC; Jim Al-Khalili is to Quantum Biology. QC and QB will together make a new advance quantum tech world complete as both are needed to advance both the foundation(infrastructure) and the products and services we love and rely on.

What is quantum biology? Philip Ball explains how strange quantum effects take place in the messy world of biology, and how these are behind familiar biological phenomena such as smell, enzymes and bird’s migration.
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In this guest curated event on quantum biology, Jim Al-Khalili invited Philip Ball to introduce how the mysteries of quantum theory might manifest themselves at the biological level. Here he explains how the baffling yet powerful theory of the baffling yet powerful theory of the subatomic world might play an important role in biological processes.

Jim Al-Khalili is Professor of Theoretical Physics and Professor of Public Engagement in Science at University of Surrey. He is author of several popular science books and appears regularly on radio and television. In 2007, he was awarded the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize for Science Communication.

This event took place at the Royal Institution on 28 January 2015.

Continue reading “Quantum Biology: An Introduction” | >

Bohr’s atomic model was utterly revolutionary when it was presented in 1913 but, although it is still taught in schools, it became obsolete decades ago. However, its creator also developed a much wider-ranging and less known quantum theory, the principles of which changed over time. Researchers at the University of Barcelona have now analysed the development in the Danish physicist’s thought — a real example of how scientific theories are shaped.

Most schools still teach the atomic model, in which electrons orbit around the nucleus like the planets do around the sun. The model was proposed more than a century ago by Danish physicist Niels Bohr based on Rutherford’s first model, the principles of classical mechanics and emerging ideas about ‘quantisation’ (equations to apply initial quantum hypotheses to classical physical systems) advanced by Max Planck and Albert Einstein.

As Blai Pié i Valls, a physicist at the University of Barcelona, explains: “Bohr published his model in 1913 and, although it was revolutionary, it was a proposal that did little to explain highly varied experimental results, so between 1918 and 1923 he established a much more wide-ranging, well-informed theory which incorporated his previous model.”

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