Tuesday, December 24, 2002

Sick? DNA Scanner Tells What Ails By Daithí Ó hAnluain, Wired, 02:00 AM Dec. 24, 2002 PT Who doesn't worry about skeletons lurking in the gene closet? Soon, instant DNA mapping could ease those fears -- or deliver the cold, hard truth. A prototype diagnostic tool under development by two London companies and set for rollout next year is an important step on the path to genotyping-while-you-wait. In the short term, it offers rapid genetic analysis of infectious diseases. 6:44:47 AM

Human Kidneys Created In Mice: Transplanted Tissue Could Offer A Solution To Kidney Donor Shortage ScienceDaily, Dec 23, 2002 Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (December 22, 2002) -- Instead of searching for a kidney donor, a new study suggests, one might be able to grow a new kidney. A team headed by Prof. Yair Reisner of the Weizmann Institute of Science has induced human stem cell tissue to grow into functional kidneys, and have accomplished the same with porcine stem cell tissue. Published in Nature Medicine, the method could lead to a promising solution to the severe shortage of kidney donors. 6:23:13 AM