2021

Intake of a high-fat diet leads to an increased risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and fatty liver. A study in mice from Karolinska Institutet shows that it is possible to eliminate the deleterious effects of a high-fat diet by lowering the levels of apolipoprotein CIII (apoCIII), a […]

New research by the University of Bristol as part of a team led by the University of Maryland (UMD) identifies age-related changes to DNA, revealing longevity-related differences among bat species. The study found that DNA from tissue samples can be used to accurately predict the age of bats in the […]

Patients with cancers of unknown origin greatly benefited from next-generation sequencing; widespread inherited cancer risk also suggests broad utility, a study finds. When standard cancer treatments don’t work, or if doctors can’t determine where a patient’s cancer originated, genomic sequencing can help pinpoint mutations in a tumor that might be […]

Mouse study focuses on signal from astrocytes to nerves. Researchers were able to enhance memory formation in mice by increasing a specific signal between astrocytes, one of the most numerous types of cell in the brain that occupy more space in the brain than nerve cells. Experts have long known […]

Researchers may have found the earliest changes that occur in seemingly healthy breast tissue long before any tumours appear, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, showed that before becoming cancerous, breast cells with the BRCA1 gene mutation undergo […]

Newly published research has revealed a close link between proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and age-related sight loss. The findings could open the way to new treatments for patients with deteriorating vision and through this study, the scientists believe they could reduce the need for using animals in future research […]

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease are in the firing line after researchers identified an attractive therapeutic drug target. An international collaboration, co-led by University of Queensland researchers, has isolated and analysed the structure and function of a protein found in the brain’s nerve fibres called SARM1. Dr […]

Every 12 minutes, someone in the United States dies of pancreatic cancer, which is often diagnosed late, spreads rapidly and has a five-year survival rate at approximately 10 percent. Treatment may involve radiation, surgery and chemotherapy, though often the cancer becomes resistant to drugs. Researchers at University of California San […]

Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University have discovered a key feature that allows cancer cells to break from typical cell behavior and migrate away from the stiffer tissue in a tumor, shedding light on the process of metastasis and offering possible new targets […]

A gene therapy for chronic pain could offer a safer, non-addictive alternative to opioids. Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed the new therapy, which works by temporarily repressing a gene involved in sensing pain. It increased pain tolerance in mice, lowered their sensitivity to pain and provided […]

For certain blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), deciding whether patients need an aggressive treatment typically hinges on a set of lab tests to identify genetic changes. Some of these tests rely on technology that was invented more than 60 years ago and has […]

Eating is a dangerous business. Naturally occurring toxins in food and potentially harmful foodborne microbes can do a number on our intestines, leading to repeated minor injuries. In healthy people, such damage typically heals in a day or two. But in people with Crohn’s disease, the wounds fester, causing abdominal […]