Abstract: Fat cells are traditionally considered dormant cells, quietly functioning in lipid accumulation and lipolysis. In recent years, fat cells received a glowing appraisal and were found to be an important player in energy homeostasis, tumorigenesis, immunity, and reproduction, via their endocrine and regulatory functions. Fat cells secrete adipokines, many of which are inflammation-related peptides such as cytokines and cytokine-like molecules. ... Read more

With embryonic stem cells and organism cloning being among the most productive and fast-moving research areas today, The Science and Technology Foundation of Japan (STFJ) chose to reward the 2002 Japan Prize to the scientists who laid the ground work and brought us to our current level of research in these fields. Dr. Anne McLaren of The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research Campaign Institute, UK and Dr. Andrzej K. Tarkowski of Warsaw University, Poland shared the Prize of $400,000 for their discoveries in early developmental aspects of embryos in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

After receiving her Ph.D. at the ... Read more