Biological samples transportation by drones: ready for prime time?

Ready for Prime Time

Opening of the voltage-dependent Ca 2 channels permits influx of Ca across the plasma membrane, triggering diverse physiological processes. These channels are widely distributed in the cardiovascular system, constituting the main route for Ca entry essential for excitation and contraction. Ten unique 1 subunits, grouped in 3 families (CaV1, CaV2, and CaV3), that encode the low-voltage– activate...

Ready for the Prime Time?

Metabolomics is one of the most rapidly growing areas of contemporary science. Although classic genetics aims to link variations in the DNA sequence directly to distinct phenotypes, “-omic” technologies allow us to shift the focus from the specific gene to the actual effects of the gene itself. Because neither the transcriptional or protein profile can be directly correlated with metabolite con...

Pharmacogenomics--ready for prime time?

Pharmacogenomics is receiving a great deal of attention in scientific circles and, increasingly, in the popular press because of the promise of personalized medicine. Short of being able to cure an illness or to prevent one, every clinician’s dream is to offer patients a precisely targeted drug at a precisely calibrated dose to address a specific ailment — and to do so without wreaking havoc on...

vertical gastric plication: is it ready for prime-time?

Getting Secretory Granules Ready for Prime Time

Several rare human diseases have shed important light on the secretory pathway required for lymphocyte cytotoxicity. In this issue of Cell, Feldmann et al. identify mutations in Munc13-4 as a cause of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Munc13-4 appears to be involved in the priming of cytotoxic granules prior to fusion with the plasma membrane.