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A Scottish research team has recently announce an important advance in understanding the genetic basis of mental illness. Scientists at Edinburgh and Glasgow universities have discovered that mutations in a gene called PDE4B can predispose people to schizophrenia.
PDE4B was already known to play an important role in the way the brain thinks and builds memories but had not been linked to mental illness. The Scottish researchers report in the journal Science that mutations in PDE4B increase the risk of schizophrenia because of the way it interacts with another gene, called DISC1, which was already implicated in mental illness.
DISC1 produces a protein that regulates the activity of the enzyme produced by PDE4B. Finding this pathway between the two genes is an "important breakthrough in our still limited understanding of major mental illness", said David Porteous of Edinburgh University.
"It is now clear that the DISC1 gene plays an important role in the risk of developing schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder," Prof Porteous added.
Malaria vaccine performs strongly
The prospects of stopping the spread of malaria through a vaccine are looking up.
GlaxoSmithKline's candidate vaccine, which caused great excitement last year when encouraging six-month results were reported from a clinical trial in Mozambique, continues to show strong protection after 18 months against infection with the malaria parasite.
The latest results, reported online in the Lancet, come as a relief to the non-profit Malaria Vaccine Initiative, which is sponsoring the trial in 1,442 children, because they dispel previous fears that the benefits of vaccination would wear off quite quickly.
In the event, the vaccine reduced the incidence of clinical malaria by 35 per cent and severe illness by 49 per cent during the 18-month follow-up period.
Pedro Alonso of the University of Barcelona, the research leader, said: "The unprecedented response demonstrated in this study is further evidence that an effective vaccine to help control the malaria pandemic, which kills more than 1.0m people a year in developing countries, is very possible."
But Jean Stéphenne, head of GSK Biologicals, warned: "Several more years of clinical investigation will be needed before this vaccine is ready for licensing and implementation."
Butterflies inspire electronics team
Brilliantly coloured butterfly wings use an optical technique very similar to one that physicists are developing to improve the output of light-emitting diodes for the electronics industry.
Peter Vukusic and Ian Hooper of Exeter University in the UK have reported in the latest issue of Science how African Swallowtail butterflies display vividly fluorescent blue-green bands on their wings.
Structures called photonic crystals on the wing scales contain molecular layers spaced precisely to absorb daylight and re-emit it at a specific blue-green wavelength.
They also contain micro-holes and micro-mirrors, which act together to reflect all the light outwards and ensure that none is absorbed within the wings or directed sideways.
"The result is a very efficient system for fluorescent emission that gives the butterfly significant control of the direction in which the light is emitted," said Dr Vukusic.
"It's amazing that butterflies have evolved such sophisticated design features which can so exquisitely manipulate light and colour. Nature's design and engineering is truly inspirational."
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FT Syndication Service
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