UW–Madison stem cell scientists and biomedical engineers can grow three-dimensional models of brain tissue that could replace animals in screening studies that test the toxicity of chemicals such as new drugs, according to a study published this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers were able to coax stem cells into differentiating into several different types of brain cells and begin to organize themselves into a structure that resembles a developing human brain. Employing rats and mice in toxicity screening tests protects humans from unknown dangers that may be caused by new drugs and chemicals used in commerce, but tissue grown from stem cells could make broader, faster testing work without employing animals. Read more from the Morgridge Institute for Research: Stem cells help predict neural toxicity … and at Scientific American: “Brain in a Dish” Could Replace Toxic Animal Tests
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Ned Kalin wins Anna-Monika Prize for neuroscience research
Ned Kalin, chair of psychiatry at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, will receive a major award this week at a conference in Amsterdam for his work in uncovering the signature of anxiety and depression in the brain.
Flu study, on hold, yields new vaccine technology
Vaccines to protect against an avian influenza pandemic as well as seasonal flu may be mass produced more quickly and efficiently using technology described today (Sept. 2) by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the journal Nature Communications.
Apes may be closer to speaking than many scientists think
Koko the gorilla is best known for a lifelong study to teach her a silent form of communication, American Sign Language. But some of the simple sounds she has learned may change the perception that humans are the only primates with the capacity for speech.
Proposed ban on fetal tissue would halt lifesaving research, scientists say
A bill before the State Assembly aimed at banning the scientific use of fetal tissue would halt work that could alleviate or end the suffering of innumerable patients struggling with diseases from Alzheimer’s to viral infections, scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Wisconsin’s biomedical community told state legislators at […]
New method for early pregnancy detection reduces reliance on mice in research
Animal-based research has led to nearly every major medical advancement in recent history. And mice, because they are very similar to humans in terms of genetics and biology, have played a vital role in studies on a range of diseases, from cancer to birth defects.
News coverage of inherited anxiety study
Earlier this month, a new study from the Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison of an extended family of monkeys provides important insights into how the risk of developing anxiety and depression is passed from parents to children.
Cancer discovery links experimental vaccine and biological treatment
A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has linked two seemingly unrelated cancer treatments that are both now being tested in clinical trials.
Brain imaging shows how children inherit their parents’ anxiety
In rhesus monkey families – just as in their human cousins – anxious parents are more likely to have anxious offspring.
Fueled by nanoparticles, new catalyst does more with less platinum
Platinum is a highly reactive and in-demand catalyst across the chemical and energy industries, but a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison and Georgia Institute of Technology scientists could reduce the world’s dependence on this scarce and expensive metal.