Content by The Scientist

Innovative Treatments Autoimmune disease has been a therapeutic backwater. No longer. A collection of innovative therapies is now coming onstream. Anne Harding covers therapies targeted at T-cell mechanisms (Click here), and Pamela Gannon explores compounds aimed at B-cell and interleukin-6 pathways and receptors (Click here). Also included is a look back over the history of approaches to battling autoimmunity. Andrew M. Chan of Genentech

Top Autoimmune Diseases DISEASE AGE OF ONSET IMPACTED TISSUES SYMPTOMS MECHANISM CURRENT TREATMENT Addison's disease Children or young adults Adrenal glands Fatigue Low blood pressure Muscle weakness Sometimes darkening of the skin Weight loss Inadequate production of cortisol and, sometimes, aldosterone Hormone replacement for cortisol and, if needed, aldosterone Allergic asthma Teenage years Lungs Constricted ai

Historical Highlights in Therapies Autoimmune diseases stretch far back into the history of humans. Related illnesses even exist in nonhuman primates, such as the baboon model of Chaga's disease. Treatments for human autoimmune diseases have also been around for ages, or at least centuries. In the late 1600s, physicians treated RA with Peruvian bark, which contains quinine. A century later, physician

Organizations for Autoimmune DiseasesThis sampling of international associations, foundations, and societies focused on various autoimmune diseases reveals the group efforts that benefit patients and researchers. Although many other organizations exist, the ones listed here provide informative Web sites with frequent updates. American Autoimmune Related Diseases Associationwww.aarda.org AARDA pursues the eradication of autoimmune diseases, as well as the alleviation

Stefan Hell and researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Germany detail an approach to microscopy that achieves a resolution of half the wavelength of light.

Was his treatment justified? Tell us what you think

From stem cells to wild trees and evolution to CSI, a recent crop of books has something to say about scientific conflicts, conquests and controversies. Christopher Thomas Scott reviews a trio of new stem cell books Jennifer Rohn reviews Lynn Margulis' Luminous Fish Brendan Maher examines faith, Darwin, and Intelligent Design Andrea Gawrylewski reviews Richard Preston's The Wild Trees Ne

The North Carolina Biotechnology CenterCatalyzing economic development and job creation across the stateWhen scientists conducted the first successful genetic-engineering experiments in the 1970s, leaders in North Carolina paid attention. They realized that this emerging technology could bring substantial economic and societal benefits. North Carolina seemed particularly well suited for biotechnology because its traditional industries - especially agriculture, food, forestry, and medicine - were

The Catevo GroupCatalysts for Business EvolutionIn the world of science, a catalyst modifies and increases the rate of a chemical reaction by providing just the right spark at just the right time. In the business world, The Catevo Group strives to do the same - to provide just the right spark at just the right time to increase an organization's ability to achieve business and operational objectives. "Catalysts, by definition, provide energy to cause reactions," explains Catevo President and CEO

Wake Forest University Health SciencesA Research and Economic EngineLast April, Kaitlyne McNamara walked across TV screens and into the hearts and imaginations of millions of viewers around the world. A victim of spina bifida since birth, Kaitlyne was finally living a more normal life after suffering for years with a tiny bladder. That story - about the world's first successful implantation of laboratory-grown organs in humans - was big news in 2006. Such big news, in fact, that Discover magazin

A Master Plan for Technological Innovation in North Carolina's Piedmont TriadThe seed of a unique research institution is germinating in Greensboro, NC. The gracious southern city is already home to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) - each with a rich history that dates back to the 19th century. Now, the two schools have come together in the 21st century with a bold plan to build a joint campus - called

North Carolina State UniversityIt's lunchtime on the brickyard plaza at North Carolina State University, and the chatter includes impassioned discussions of research and learning. A chemistry professor and a graduate student debate the meaning of their newest data, while a cluster of entomology and genetics students practice French conversation over sandwiches. Budding industrial engineers discuss information extraction from three-dimensional images. Based on the conversations, any passerby

Talecris BiotherapeuticsYou would be excused for supposing that Talecris Biotherapeutics, Inc., founded on April 1, 2005, is a young company. In truth, though, its roots go much deeper - both scientifically and into the North Carolina Piedmont - than might be obvious at first glance. Talecris was formed when two private investment firms provided the capital to acquire the blood-plasma business of Bayer HealthCare LLC's Biological Products Division. Among those assets were Bayer's state-of-the-ar

Talecris Biotherapeutics

Tarheel Teamwork Today's science depends on teamwork as experts from many fields come together. North Carolina's business leaders, government officials, and scientists started working together decades ago, and the results appear in the state's already powerful and continually growing science community. This section explores the history behind North Carolina's commitment to science, including the creation in 1959 of the 7,000 acre Research Triangle Park roughly in the center of the state. A qua