U.S. National Institutes of Health

NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit the http://www.nih.gov.

Humans play computer game using only brain waves to move pieces

For the first time in humans, a team headed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis has placed an electronic grid atop patients’ brains to gather motor signals that enable patients to play a computer game using only the signals from their brains. The use of a grid atop the brain to record brain surface signals is a brain-machine interface technique that uses electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity-data taken invasively right from the brain surface. It is an alternative to the status quo, used frequently studying humans, called electroencephalographic activity (EEG) – data taken non-invasively by electrodes outside the brain on the skull.

Kangaroo Hops in Line for Genome Sequencing

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced a partnership with the Melbourne-based Australian Genome Research Facility Ltd. (AGRF) to sequence the DNA of one of Australia’s best-known animals: a member of the kangaroo family known as the tammar wallaby. ”This scientific collaboration between the United States and Australia represents another important step in our quest to gain a better understanding of the human genome,” said NHGRI Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. ”As we build on the success of the Human Genome Project, it has been increasingly clear that one of the best tools for identifying crucial elements in the human genome is to compare it with the genomes of a wide variety of other animals.”

Mutation causes progressive changes to cell structure in children with rapid agi

Researchers today announced that a mutation of the Lamin A gene gradually causes devastating effects on cellular structure and function in children with Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS or Progeria). The study was published in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Progeria is a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children.

82 percent of US homes have mouse allergens

Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have found that detectable levels of mouse allergen exist in the majority of U.S. homes. NIEHS researchers analyzed dust samples, asked questions, and examined homes in the first National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing, a survey of 831 homes. Allergen levels were studied and related to demographic factors and household characteristics.

New Method to ID Blood Proteins May Spur Novel Disease Discoveries

Using conventional technologies, researchers have developed a new method for identifying proteins found in trace quantities in the blood. The method offers hope for detecting tiny amounts of these blood-borne molecules that signal the presence of certain diseases, such as cancer, infectious diseases, behavioral disorders, developmental defects, and neurodegenerative diseases. These molecules might be useful biomarkers to aid in earlier detection and treatment of ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer.

Weekly cycles of once-daily anti-HIV drugs could cut cost of treatment

In a small study conducted at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers have shown that it may be feasible to treat HIV-infected patients with a simple, once-daily regimen of anti-HIV drugs given in pre-planned, 7-day-on, 7-day-off cycles. This approach is known formally as ”short-cycle structured intermittent antiretroviral therapy” (SIT) or colloquially as the ”7-7” approach.

HIV Patients Get Big Boost from Short, Sporadic Drug Regimen

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists report that brief, widely-spaced courses of the experimental immune-boosting drug interleukin-2 (IL-2) allow people with HIV to maintain near normal levels of a key immune system cell for long periods. The researchers, from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, describe their findings in the May 1 issue of the journal Blood. “These data provide strong evidence that IL-2 therapy, which can be self-administered by patients, could be an important adjunct to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART),” says NIAID Deputy Director John R. La Montagne, Ph.D.

Bush budget would slash science spending

With a budget deficit estimated at $521 billion this year, coupled with a commitment to halve it in five years, U.S. President Bush is proposing a budget that would mean cuts in research and development (R&D) funding for all but three federal agencies, according to the latest analysis from AAAS, the non-profit science society. “The projected cuts to most nondefense R&D programs would leave key programs with budgets well below recent historical levels,” said Kei Koizumi, director of the AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Program. “Particularly during a Presidential election year, it’s important for policymakers and taxpayers to understand the impacts of any federal budget changes, especially any proposals that may have implications for the pace of scientific discoveries in coming years.”

Schizophrenia gene linked to improved human survival

Approximately 2 percent of Caucasians have a gene segment variation that can cause a certain form of schizophrenia. Most people with the variation, known as a polymorphism, do not have the disease. A University of Iowa Health Care study reveals a good prognosis for people who do have this form of schizophrenia. The team also found that this polymorphism is associated with overall benefits for human survival, and the initial mutation occurred in a single common ancestor about 100,000 years ago.

Study Identifies Predictors of Alzheimer’s Disease Longevity

It’s among the first questions asked after someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease: “What can we expect?” It’s a tough question that has been difficult to answer. But a new study suggests that assessing several key clinical aspects of the disease soon after diagnosis could help families and physicians better predict long-term survival in individuals with AD. These insights also could help public health officials refine cost projections and plan services for the growing number of older Americans at risk for the disease.

Scientists compare rat genome with human, mouse

An international research team, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced it has completed a high-quality, draft sequence of the genome of the laboratory rat, and has used that data to explore how the rat’s genetic blueprint stacks up against those of mice and humans. In a paper published in the April 1 issue of the journal Nature, the Rat Genome Sequencing Project Consortium describes its efforts to produce and analyze a draft sequence of the Brown Norway strain of the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus). The project, led by the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, was primarily funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), $58.5 million, and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), $60 million.

Mouse antibodies thwart SARS virus

The mouse immune system develops antibodies capable of single-handedly neutralizing the SARS virus, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Virology, available online March 12. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This discovery affirms that researchers developing vaccines that trigger antibodies to the SARS virus are heading in the right direction. Vaccines can stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies or specialized cells or both to stop invading viruses.

Gene variants may increase susceptibility to type 2 diabetes

International research teams studying two distinct populations have found variants in a gene that may predispose people to type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. “This is an outstanding example of how scientists are using the tools of modern biology to understand the causes of our nation’s most common–and most devastating–diseases,” said Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “As researchers continue to build upon the foundation laid by the Human Genome Project, we can expect even swifter progress in our effort to understand, treat and eventually prevent many complex conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and mental illness.”

NIH pulls plug on Estrogen-alone study

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has instructed participants in the estrogen-alone study of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a large multi-center trial, to stop taking their study pills and to begin the follow-up phase of the study. Letters have been sent to all participants in the estrogen-alone study, 11,000 healthy postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy, informing them of a recent NIH review of the study data. After careful consideration of the data, NIH has concluded that with an average of nearly 7 years of follow-up completed, estrogen alone does not appear to affect (either increase or decrease) heart disease, a key question of the study. At the same time, estrogen alone appears to increase the risk of stroke and decrease the risk of hip fracture.