CURRENT ISSUE

Genetic Engineering " Biotechnology News - Current Issue

(view larger image)

SUBSCRIBE

AD LINK

Visit GEN on Twitter!

PODCAST: Archived Interview (October 15, 2008)

  • LISTEN*
  • Download
  • Comment
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Share

*Podcasts play in a popup window. Please make sure your popup blocker is off.

INTERVIEW: CLEAR GENETIC LINK BETWEEN IMMUNE AND NERVOUS SYSTEMS ESTABLISHED - Interview with Alejandro Aballay, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical School

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered a genetic link between the nervous system and the immune system in the well-studied worm, C. elegans, and the findings could illuminate new approaches to human therapies.

For some time, scientists have theorized a direct link between the nervous and immune systems, such as stress messages that override the protective effects of antibodies, but the exact connection was unknown. During this week’s podcast, Dr. Alejandro Aballay points out that this is the first time that a genetic approach has been used to demonstrate that specific neurons in the nervous system are capable of regulating the immune response in distant cells. The Duke study was published in the Sept. 18 issue of Science.

After talking about the benefits of working with C. elegans as a model oganism, Dr. Aballay explains that in addition to shedding light on the neuronal regulation of immunity, the results of the Duke study can also lead to a better understanding of non-neuronal processes such as fat storage and longevity. He also discusses what the scientific team has in mind to advance this research.

  • LISTEN*
  • Download
  • Comment
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Share

Comment on this Podcast:

Name:
Title:
Comment:

HELP US FIGHT SPAMMING ROBOTS by answering the following simple question. It will verify you as a legitimate user wishing to post a comment. Thank you for your cooperation.

Comments:

Principal Scientist, Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition

by: Ravi Menon

10/17/2008

Fascinating discovery connecting innate immunity to the nervous system. Aballay's work opens up a whole new field of neuronal control of complex physioloical processes. If these mechanisms are conserved in mammals, it opens up the area of the mind-body connection in health and disease to scientific exploration.


Podcast Archive

CAREER CENTER

Visit the GEN Career Center

for the latest biotech employment opportunities.
Start your search HERE!

visit the Career Center

WEBINARS


view all webinars

GEN and Scintellix bring you the Cryptogram Challenge: ELISA REDUX!

MOST POPULAR

News

Articles

Blogs