Although the research has only just begun at the newly established In vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Centers, or ICMICs, the researchers have jumped in and are covering many cancer research bases. Here are basic descriptions of activities under way at each of the centers. Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School At Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, virtually all imaging modalities are being put to the test, including optical near infrared fluorescence im

Although most of the studies now occurring in the In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Centers (ICMICs) are focused on basic animal research, investigators aren't wasting any time in moving the power of in vivo molecular imaging to human patients.

Graphic: Leza Berardone Researchers in Canada and Denmark are employing mass spectrometry, three-dimensional tissue biology, and supercomputing to blaze a trail in functional proteomics research. In the process, they're putting their company, MDS Proteomics Inc., on the fast track in the latest race to develop new drug targets and eventually better treatments for all kinds of diseases. By using this combination of technologies, MDS Proteomics is accelerating the process of identifying, analyzin

Supplementary article not published in the printed edition of The Scientist. Sea otters once cavorted all along the rim of the Northern Pacific, from Japan across the Arctic and down to Baja California, and their total population was estimated as high as 300,000. Today, only small populations of sea otters remain along the Pacific shorelines from central California to Alaska, and along the coasts of Russia. A member of the weasel family (Mustelidae), the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) averages abou

In trouble? The sea otter is dying from parasitic diseases for which the only known hosts are terrestrial mammals.

Courtesy University of California, San Diego Top, five genes convert leaves to petals; bottom, only four genes are needed to convert leaves to petals Leaves into Petals In what just might be the botanical equivalent to the ancient alchemist's dream of transmuting iron into gold, biologists have discovered how to genetically convert the leaves of flowering plants into petals, an achievement that holds commercial as well as scientific implications (S. Pelaz et al., "Conversion of leaves into pet

Researchers have suspected for years that chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism change the programming of the human brain at the molecular level, particularly in the regions involving judgment and decision-making. In fact, during the past several decades, cell and animal studies have consistently indicated that changes in gene expression in the brain appear to be responsible for the tolerance, dependence, and neurotoxicity produced by chronic alcohol abuse.1 Until recently, however, technological

Bill Marx, Harpo Marx's son, makes a "Harpo" face for Justin Ybarra, a patient at the Mattel UCLA Children's Hospital during the Rx Laughter advisory board tour in April. It Came from Hollywood If the scientific community at large was hesitating, the idea that laughter could help heal began emerging on other fronts. Rx Laughter actually came straight from Hollywood, the brainstorm of Sherry Dunay Hilber, a former ABC and CBS network programming executive who oversaw such hit sitcoms as Home Im

Eyewire ©2000Researchers have created transgenic mice capable of detecting potential toxins in the human body. Researchers under the direction of Ronald M. Evans at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., have created a "humanized" mouse capable of detecting potentially toxic substances in the body. In the process, they have uncovered what they believe to be the primary source of the xenobiotic response within a specific gene they call SXR, steroid and xenobiotic rece

The Scientist 14[16]:23, Aug. 21, 2000 RESEARCH Research Notes Survivin in 3-D Scientists at the Salk Institute have deciphered the three-dimensional structure of survivin, the molecule that allows survival of cells that would normally undergo programmed cell death, apoptosis. (M.A. Verdecia et al., "Structure of the human anti-apoptosis protein survivin reveals a dimeric arrangement," Nature Structural Biology, 7:602-8, July 2000). Survivin is turned on in almost half

The astronauts' repair of the international space station captured media attention during the space shuttle flight in May. But inside the orbiter, a life science experiment took another small step toward creating a technology that may eventually save thousands of lives around the world. The latest trial in a study ongoing for two years, the experiment involved a gene transfer in soybeans that the researchers hope will lead to edible vaccines, among other products, in the not-too-distant future.

Photo: John CalambokidisA blue whale diving off the coast of Northern California. Whales, dolphins, and seals seem to defy reality with every deep dive into the big blue. They descend tens to hundreds of meters and, despite limited oxygen, can stay submerged for 30 minutes or more. How they achieve these feats has mystified oceanic observers since physiological studies first began some 70 years ago. During the last several years, a team of researchers headed by Terrie M. Williams, profess