April 26, 2021

Feeling confinement in the gut

Resolving a missing link of research, Canadian researchers find significant microbiome changes in crew who spent 520 days in isolation to simulate a mission to Mars Crew members who took part in the Mars500 experiment showed significant changes in their gut microbiota from their 520 days in confinement, according to […]
April 26, 2021

Using CRISPR as a research tool to develop cancer treatments

CRISPR’s potential to prevent or treat disease is widely recognized. But the gene-editing technology can also be used as a research tool to probe and understand diseases. That’s the basic insight behind KSQ Therapeutics. The company uses CRISPR to alter genes across millions of cells. By observing the effect of […]
April 26, 2021

Large genetic study sheds light on the causes of hemorrhoids

Although haemorrhoids are a common health problem, relatively little is known about the field, possibly because many people find them difficult to talk about. Researchers linked to Karolinska Institutet have been involved in a study that has analysed the genomes of almost a million people and found previously unknown causes […]
April 26, 2021

New drug is gamechanger in psoriasis treatment

A novel drug almost entirely cleared moderate to severe psoriasis in over 60% of the patients who took part in two-phase three clinical trials of a new drug. The University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust led studies on Bimekizumab, both published in the prestigious New England Journal […]
April 26, 2021

The Future of Cryopreservation

The ability to cryopreserve and thaw organs via vitrification, without ice formation and significant tissue damage, allowing for indefinite storage time, would go a long way towards simplifying the logistics and reducing the costs of present organ donation and future tissue engineering of organs for transplantation. Cryopreservation via vitrification also […]
April 25, 2021

Researchers investigate the environment’s role in brain health

It’s common knowledge that our surroundings affect our health — decades of research have linked things like air, water and soil quality to various measures of physical well-being. But much less is known about how the environment changes our brain. Now, a research team at the Keck School of Medicine […]
April 25, 2021

Research shows how a sugary diet early in life could mean memory trouble later

New research shows how drinking sugary beverages early in life may lead to impaired memory in adulthood. The study, published in Translational Psychiatry, also is the first to show how a specific change to the gut microbiome — the bacteria and other microorganisms growing in the stomach and intestines — can […]
April 25, 2021

Do our brains age faster than the rest of our bodies?

If you feel your brain power diminishing as you advance into middle age and beyond, blame your neural stem cells. In a study published in Cell Stem Cell, a team led by USC Stem Cell scientist Michael Bonaguidi demonstrates that neural stem cells—the stem cells of the nervous system—age rapidly. “There is chronological […]
April 25, 2021

ERC Advanced Grant to understand enzyme stability

A new ERC project aims to improve our understanding of enzyme stability and broaden the field of potential applications for biocatalysis. Professor John Woodley from DTU Chemical Engineering has received an Advanced Grant from ERC, the European Research Council. The grant of EUR 2.4 M will for the next five […]
April 25, 2021

Computer model fosters potential improvements to ‘bionic eye’ technology

There are millions of people who face the loss of their eyesight from degenerative eye diseases. The genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa alone affects 1 in 4,000 people worldwide. Today, there is technology available to offer partial eyesight to people with that syndrome. The Argus II, the world’s first retinal prosthesis, […]
April 25, 2021

Immunotherapy Alone Extended Life for Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients with KRAS Mutation

Real-world evidence is suggesting, for the first time, the most beneficial treatment courses that could help extend the lives of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, according to research from the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. In a new study published online in JAMA Oncology, researchers show that […]