2021

In a study of mice, treatment with the engineered cells shrank tumors and prevented the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. Scientists have genetically engineered immune cells, called myeloid cells, to precisely deliver an anticancer signal to organs where cancer may spread. In a study of mice, […]

Scientists peering into the beating heart have solved a decades-old, fundamental mystery about how the heart works. The revelation could herald the development of new treatments for heart diseases — the leading cause of death worldwide. Researchers from Eastern Virginia Medical School, Florida State University and the University of Virginia […]

Fish oil supplements are a billion-dollar industry built on a foundation of purported, but not proven, health benefits. Now, new research from a team led by a University of Georgia scientist indicates that taking fish oil only provides health benefits if you have the right genetic makeup. The study, led by Kaixiong Ye […]

Epigenetic age acceleration is the degree to which epigenetic age is higher than chronological age. Epigenetic age is assessed via one of the epigenetic clocks, measuring the status of DNA methylation at numerous CpG sites on the genome. Some changes in DNA methylation patterns are characteristic of aging, a reaction […]

Evolutionary forces drive a glaring gender imbalance in the occurrence of many health conditions, including autism, a team of genetics researchers has concluded. The human genome has evolved to favour the inheritance of very different characteristics in males and females, which in turn makes men more vulnerable to a host […]

Another step towards understanding Alzheimer's disease has been taken at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre. Molecular biologist  Gilbert Bernier, and professor of neurosciences at Université de Montréal, has discovered a new function for the BMI1 gene, which is known to inhibit brain ageing. The results of his work have just been […]

The Zika virus that ravaged the Americas, leaving many babies with permanent brain damage, may have a silver lining. The virus can activate immune cells to destroy an aggressive brain cancer in mice, giving a powerful boost to an immunotherapy drug and sparking long-lasting immunological memory that can ward off […]

There is much debate these days over the contribution of persistent infection (such as by herpesviruses) to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Not everyone with the evident risk factors, such as obesity, frailty, chronic inflammation, and so forth, progresses from mild cognitive impairment to full blown Alzheimer's disease. Why is […]

An analysis of several large studies involving participants from more than 60 countries, spearheaded by researchers from McMaster University, has found that eating oily fish regularly can help prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in high-risk individuals, such as those who already have heart disease or stroke. The critical ingredient is omega-3 […]

Extremely preterm infants can suffer from a life-threatening inflammation of the gut. A new clinical study has shown that supplements of a lactic acid bacterium may have positive effects by increasing the diversity of intestinal bacteria in these infants. The study has been published in the scientific journal Cell Reports […]

Rectal cancer, along with colon cancer, is the third-most common type of cancer in the United States, and treatment and surgery greatly affect the quality of life of patients. A multi-disciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis has developed and tested an innovative imaging technique that is able to […]

The neurosurgeon who examined Sakhrat Khizroev after he lost his eyesight in a horrible accident told the young scientist that his vision would come back slowly. Then, after months of living in darkness, it finally started to return. At first, the images were blurry and fragmented, as if someone were […]