February 12, 2021

Research paper reveals new drug as ‘gamechanger’ in treatment for obesity

A research paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine has revealed that a new anti-obesity medication is almost twice as effective in helping people lose weight than other current weight loss drugs. Professor John Wilding, who leads clinical research into obesity, diabetes and endocrinology at the University of […]
February 12, 2021

Researchers identify drugs with potential to stop plaque buildup in arteries

Glycomics researchers at the University of Alberta and CHU Sainte-Justine have reported a discovery that could lead to new treatments for cardiovascular disease. The researchers identified a new mechanism responsible for the buildup of plaque on artery walls, a process known as atherosclerosis. This plaque, made up of fats, cholesterol […]
February 12, 2021

Molecular Details Reveal New Clues about Common Brain Tumor

Genetics and multi-omic information could one day inform treatments for glioblastoma. The largest and most detailed molecular analysis yet of an aggressive brain cancer, called glioblastoma, reveals fundamental details that drive its growth. The work, led by a team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest […]
February 11, 2021

Shall we dance?

Dance is considered as one of the art forms. Regardless of whether we do it professionally or as a hobby, it gives us great pleasure, relaxes, and allows us to break away from the prose of life. Thus, dance can be beneficial for our mind, memory, stimulation of the nerve […]
February 10, 2021

Nanothermometry to improve anticancer strategies

IMDEA Nanociencia researchers measure the nanoscale heating of gold-based nanoparticles and find high temperature variations within a nanoscopic volume. In hyperthermia treatments, the temperature is raised above physiological levels to induce the death of cancerous cells. The local application of hyperthermia is key for a successful treatment and to reduce […]
February 10, 2021

A ‘skeletal age’ calculator to predict bone fracture risk

Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have developed a computational model to calculate ‘skeletal age’, a personalised estimate of an individual’s risk of bone fracture and premature death. The skeletal age calculator, which will be accessible to doctors and health professionals, aims to better identify those at risk […]
February 10, 2021

Radiation Vulnerability

Exposure to radiation can wreak indiscriminate havoc on cells, tissues, and organs. Curiously, however, some tissues are more vulnerable to radiation damage than others. Scientists have known these differences involve the protein p53, a well-studied tumour-suppressor protein that initiates a cell’s auto-destruct programs. Yet, levels of this sentinel protein are […]
February 10, 2021

Distinctness of mental disorders traced to differences in gene readouts

NIH researchers take “deep dive” into brain’s transcriptome. A new study suggests that differences in the expression of gene transcripts – readouts copied from DNA that help maintain and build our cells – may hold the key to understanding how mental disorders with shared genetic risk factors result in different patterns […]
February 10, 2021

How having a disability can spur the brain to develop new abilities

Professor Kimitaka Nakazawa, a specialist in neurorehabilitation, first had the opportunity to study the brain activity of a Paralympic gold medalist in January 2016, when he visited a university pool in the United States as part of an NHK television program called “Chojin-tachi no Paralympic” [The superhuman Paralympians]. He was […]
February 10, 2021

New CRISPR tech targets human genome’s complex code

Rice University’s programmable CRISPR/Cas9-based kinase offers insights into, control over regulatory histone proteins. Finding a needle in a haystack is hard enough. But try finding a specific molecule on the needle. Rice University researchers have achieved something of the sort with a new genome-editing tool that targets the supporting players […]