UC San Diego has received a five-year, $8 Million grant to support a NIDA P30 Center to investigate the genetics, genomics, and epigenetics behind substance use disorders.
Tag: Animal Models
What fat cats on a diet may tell us about obesity in humans
Pet cats may be excellent animal models for the study of obesity origins and treatment in humans, a new study of feline gut microbes suggests – and both species would likely get healthier in the research process, scientists say.
UTEP Study: Prairie Voles Display Signs of Human-like Depression
In a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, UTEP researchers make the case that prairie voles, small rodents that are found throughout the central United States and Canada, can be effectively used as animal models to further the study of clinical depression.
All creatures great and small: Sequencing the blue whale and Etruscan shrew genomes
The blue whale genome was published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, and the Etruscan shrew genome was published in the journal Scientific Data.
Potential drug treats fatty liver disease in animal models, brings hope for first human treatment
A potential drug successfully treats the severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in non-human primates — bringing scientists one step closer to the first human treatment for the condition that is rapidly increasing around the world, a study suggests. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) causes scarring and inflammation in the liver and is estimated to affect up to 6.5% of the global population.
WormAtlas expanding beyond C. elegans with support from NIH
The National Institutes of Health recently pledged $2.6 million towards the Center for C. elegans Anatomy, also known as WormAtlas. The center provides anatomical resources for researchers studying C. elegans, the tiny nematode worm that serves as a model organism for higher animals, including humans. Of the total award, $950,000 goes to co-principal investigator Nathan Schroeder of the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).
Genome sequencing supports Nile rat animal model for diabetes research
For the first time, researchers have assembled a high-quality reference genome for the Nile rat, a promising model organism for diabetes research.
3D flora and fauna at your fingertips
Reporting in Research Ideas and Outcomes, a Kyushu University researcher has developed a new technique for scanning various plants and animals and reconstructing them into highly detailed 3D models.
Study links free radicals to heart damage caused by cancer
A new study in animal models shows that a cancer tumor alone can lead to cardiac damage, and suggests the culprits are free radicals interacting with cells in the heart. Adding antioxidants to food consumed by fruit flies with tumors reversed the damage to their hearts.
Southwest National Primate Research Center and Texas Biomed receive continued full accreditation from lab animal care association
AAALAC, the international organization setting the gold standard for research animal care and use, has continued full accreditation status for SNPRC and Texas Biomed, citing dedicated staff and “extremely well cared for animals.”
Apes show dramatically different early immune responses compared to monkeys
A new study out of the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in humans, chimpanzees, rhesus macaques and baboons has found key differences in early gene expression in response to pathogen exposure, highlighting the importance of choosing the right animal model for the right questions.