January 29, 2021

Genetic analysis of symptoms yields new insights into PTSD

Attempts to identify the genetic causes of neuropsychiatric diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through large-scale genome-wide analyses have yielded thousands of potential links. The challenge is further complicated by the wide range of symptoms exhibited by those who have PTSD. For instance, does extreme arousal, anger, or irritation […]
January 28, 2021

When — Not What — Obese Mice Ate Reduced Breast Cancer Risk

Restricting eating to an eight-hour window, when activity is highest, decreased the risk of development, growth and metastasis of breast cancer in mouse models, report researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Moores Cancer Center and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System (VASDSH). The findings, published in […]
January 28, 2021

Two Anti-viral Enzymes Transform Pre-Leukemia Stem Cells into Leukemia

Cancers, such as leukemia and multiple myeloma. The self-renewing nature of cancer stem cells makes them particularly hard to eradicate, and they’re often the reason a blood cancer reoccurs. Researchers at UC San Diego Health and University of California San Diego School of Medicine are working to understand what pushes […]
January 28, 2021

Keeping sperm cells on track

One essential component of each eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells. Cilia and flagella, which are antenna-like structures that protrude from most of the cells in our body, contain many microtubules. An example of flagell […]
January 28, 2021

On nights before a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, study shows

For centuries, humans have blamed the moon for our moods, accidents and even natural disasters. But new research indicates that our planet’s celestial companion impacts something else entirely — our sleep. In a paper published in Science Advances, scientists at the University of Washington, the National University of Quilmes in Argentina […]
January 28, 2021

A protein that can melt tumors discovered at Vanderbilt

For the second time, cancer researchers at Vanderbilt have discovered a protein that—when genetically manipulated to impede it from interacting with a gene responsible for cancer genesis—effectively melts tumours in days.  The article, “MYC regulates ribosome biogenesis and mitochondrial gene expression programs through interaction with Host Cell Factor-1,” was published in the […]
January 28, 2021

Cell death shines a light on the origins of complex life

Organelles continue to thrive after the cells within which they exist die, a team of University of Bristol scientists have found, overturning previous assumptions that organelles decay too quickly to be fossilised. As described in the journal Sciences Advances, researchers from Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences were able to document the […]
January 28, 2021

Sustainable optical fibres developed from methylcellulose

The state-of-the-art silica glass optical fibres can carry light signals over tens of kilometres with very low optical loss and provide high-capacity communication networks. However, their brittleness, low stretchability and energy intensiveness make them less suitable for local short-range applications and devices such as automotive, digital home appliances, fabrics, laser […]
January 28, 2021

How a Cancer Drug Carrier's Structure Can Help Selectively Target Cancer Cells

Porphyrins are interesting drug delivery vehicles that can specifically accumulate in cancer cells. However, how the structure of the drug-conjugated porphyrin affects its ability to penetrate and accumulate within cancer cells is not well understood. Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science now investigate the correlation between the structure and […]
January 28, 2021

Robust AI tools to predict future cancer

To catch cancer earlier, we need to predict who is going to get it in the future. The complex nature of forecasting risk has been bolstered by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, but the adoption of AI in medicine has been limited by poor performance on new patient populations and neglect to racial minorities. […]
January 28, 2021

Human Protein Atlas – Single Cell Classification: Challenge

There are billions of humans on this earth, and each of us is made up of trillions of cells. Just like every individual is unique, even genetically identical twins, scientists observe differences between the genetically identical cells in our bodies. Differences in the location of proteins can give rise to […]