all blood stories

Researchers ‘NOTCH’ a victory in war on cancer

404132862 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:09:01 -0500

Three teams of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers are slated to receive $27 million over seven years in National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) grants for the development of stem-cell based tools and treatments to understand and treat cardiovascular and blood disorders. The NHLBI Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium will consist of nine research hubs, each involving multidiscplinary teams from two academic medical centers.

First molecular steps to childhood leukemia identified

404132862 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:52:21 -0400

A Harvard research based at Massachusetts General Hospital has identified how a chromosomal abnormality known to be associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) – the most common cancer in children – initiates the disease process. In the July issue of Cell Stem Cell, they describe how expression of this mutation in hematopoie

AML patients benefit from stem cell transplants

50443248 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:04:20 -0400

A stem cell transplant (SCT) from a compatible donor early in the course of disease is the best approach for the majority of young and middle-aged adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a new analysis of two dozen clinical studies.

Researchers solve 'bloodcurdling' mystery

50443248 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:03:45 -0400

By applying cutting-edge techniques in single-molecule manipulation, researchers at Harvard University have uncovered a fundamental feedback mechanism that the body uses to regulate the clotting of blood. The finding, which could lead to a new physical, quantitative, and predictive model of how the body works to respond to injury, has implications for the treatment of bleeding disorders.

Common virus could cause high blood pressure

50443248 — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:57:42 -0400

A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 percent and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.

Embryo’s heartbeat drives blood stem cell formation

50443248 — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:57:28 -0400

Biologists have long wondered why the embryonic heart begins beating so early, before the tissues actually need to be infused with blood.

Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight top three preventable causes of death in the U.S.

50443248 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:01:38 -0400

Smoking, having high blood pressure, and being overweight are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), with collaborators from the University of Toronto and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

HMS professor devises single test for cancers

50443248 — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:37:33 -0400

Imagine visiting a doctor’s office five years from now and, as a routine part of your annual physical, getting an accurate test that can tell whether you have cancer long before you have either symptoms or tumors detectable by other methods.

Mechanism directing stem cells to their destination identified;

404132862 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:00:02 -0400

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have for the first time identified in mice a cellular mechanism that directs stem cells to their ultimate destination in the body.

Blood type study sheds light on biology of pancreatic cancer

50443248 — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:27:33 -0400

Offering a novel clue about the basic biology of pancreatic cancer, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have confirmed a decades-old discovery of a link between blood type and the risk of developing the disease.

Capillary formation’s mechanical determinants

404132862 — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:14:04 -0400

Harvard researchers have established a link between the growth of blood vessels and the mechanical stresses caused by the environment within which the vessels grow, a new understanding that researchers hope can lead to novel disease treatments based on manipulating blood flow to living tissues.

Banking of umbilical cord blood has little physician support

404132862 — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:54:42 -0500

A survey of physicians has found broad support for the position that parents should not bank their newborns’ umbilical cord blood in a private blood bank unless another member of the family is at risk for a blood disease that will require a stem cell transplant.

Some blood-system stem cells reproduce more slowly than expected

404132862 — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:55:39 -0500

A research collaboration lead by Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has found a subpopulation of hematopoietic stem cells, which generate all blood and immune system cells, that reproduce much more slowly than previously anticipated. Use of these cells may improve the outcome of stem cell transplants – also called bone marrow transplants – for the treatment of leukemia and other marrow-based diseases. The report has bee

Advanced blood analysis may speed diagnosis of heart attacks

404132862 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:07:22 -0400

Someday doctors may be able to use a blood test to confirm within minutes, instead of hours, if a patient is having a heart attack, allowing more rapid treatment that could limit damage to heart muscle. A study led by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT reports that a new technique that measures hundreds of molecular markers in the blood can identify those released when cardiac tissue is injured by a lack of oxygen. The report will appear in the October Journal of Clinical Investigation and has received early online release.