Articles in 2010

In newborn infants, permanent closure of a major blood vessel connecting the main pulmonary artery to the aorta is essential to allow adequate circulation of blood to major organs. Platelet aggregation now emerges as a crucial step in this process in newborn mice and, possibly, in preterm infants (pages 75–82).

Tumors use many strategies to evade the immune system. A new study adds a new trick to the list—inhibiting the migration of dendritic cells from tumors toward lymph nodes (pages 98–105).

Eric Green, the new head of the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), has been involved with genomics since the term was first coined in the 1980s. Erica Westly spoke with Green about where he sees the genomics field heading and what role he thinks the NHGRI should have in the American health care system.

The epigenome consists of a system of chemical tags that attach to our DNA and its associated molecules, switching genes on and off. But the system is not without glitches—and scientists think that the misplacement of these tags can cause disease. This idea has led to new drugs that aim to correct gene activity (and obliterate disease) by altering the proteins around which DNA winds. Cassandra Willyard examines whether this approach will unlock the long-awaited promise of epigenetic therapy.