Health Highlights: Oct. 22, 2009

Oct. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Researchers Report Successful Womb Transplants in Rabbits

Research in rabbits suggest that the world's first successful human womb transplant could be achieved within two years, according to British researchers.

They found a way to transplant a womb with a regular blood supply so that it lasts long enough to carry a pregnancy, BBC News reported.

The Royal Veterinary College team implanted wombs in five rabbits using a technique that connected major blood vessels, including the aorta. Two of the rabbits lived for 10 months and post-mortem examinations showed the womb transplants had been successful.

The findings were presented at an American Society for Reproductive Medicine meeting in Atlanta. The next step is to determine whether rabbits with transplanted wombs can get pregnant through in-vitro fertilization, BBC News reported.

The ability to transplant wombs would provide a new option for women who want children but whose wombs have been damaged by diseases such as cervical cancer. Currently, these women are limited to adoption or surrogate pregnancies.

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Protein Controls Other Proteins' Access To DNA: Study

A protein that randomly travels along a single strand of DNA and selectively allows other proteins access to the DNA has been identified by U.S. researchers. It's the first time this type of protein has been found.

It had been assumed that the single-stranded DNA binding protein SSB attached to a site on DNA and later detached. But University of Illinois and Washington University scientists discovered that SSB moves along single-stranded DNA and the protein's movement is independent of the sequence of nucleotides that comprise the DNA, United Press International reported.

The researchers believe that SSB may modulate the activity of a number of proteins involved in DNA repair, recombination and replication. The study appears in the journal Nature.