Features Articles - clinical trials and genetics & genomics

Sharing the Bounty

By Michelle G. Rooks and Wendy S. Garrett | August 1, 2011

Gut bacteria may be the missing piece that explains the connection between diet and cancer risk.

The Last Vaccine Frontier

By Brad Spellberg | June 1, 2011

Successful vaccines have been created to protect against pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Why aren’t there any for combating fungal infections?

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Recognizing the Human Potential

By Gene M. Shearer and Adriano Boasso | June 1, 2011

It may be time to reconsider an AIDS vaccine which is more human than viral, triggering the immune system in a way that no other vaccine does.

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Shooting Down Addiction

By Thomas Kosten | June 1, 2011

A new breed of vaccines aims to wean users off cocaine.

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Taking Aim at Melanoma

By Keith T. Flaherty | April 1, 2011

Understanding oncogenesis at the molecular level offers the prospect of tailoring treatments much more precisely for patients with advanced cases of this deadliest of skin cancers.

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Epigenetic Changes in Cancer

By Manel Esteller | March 1, 2011

The study of how covalent marks on DNA and histones are involved in the origin and spread of cancer cells is also leading to new therapeutic strategies.

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The Genes of Parkinson’s Disease

By Bobby Thomas and M. Flint Beal | February 1, 2011

The minority of Parkinson’s cases now known to have genetic origins are shedding light on the cellular mechanisms of all the rest, bringing researchers closer to a cause—and perhaps a cure.

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Mining Bacterial Small Molecules

By L. Caetano M. Antunes, Julian E. Davies and B. Brett Finlay | January 1, 2011

As much as rainforests or deep-sea vents, the human gut holds rich stores of microbial chemicals that should be mined for their pharmacological potential.

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The switch from single-celled organisms to ones made up of many cells has evolved independently more than two dozen times. What can this transition teach us about the origin of complex organisms such as animals and plants?

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