2021

Researchers have discovered and identified sub-types of ovarian cancer cells, which can then be used to accurately identify which ovarian cancer subtypes are likely to lead to more severe cancer outcomes – an approach which has been dubbed the ‘Oxford Classification of Carcinoma of the Ovary’ or ‘Oxford Classic’ for […]

New study shows targeting arterial stiffening earlier in a person’s lifespan could provide cognitive benefits in older age and may help to delay the onset of dementia. Researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London investigated 542 older adults who received two measurements of aortic stiffness, at 64 […]

Research into motion sensitivity could lead to improved rehabilitation programmes and an improvement in building designs for people with a rare inner ear condition that affects their balance. Dr Jessica Tyrrell at the University of Exeter’s Medical School will use the VSimulators research facility at Exeter Science Park to explore the response […]

Dietary fiber found in grains is a large component of many diets, but little is understood about how we digest the fiber, as humans lack enzymes to break down the complex molecules. Some species of gut bacteria break down the fiber in such a way that it not only becomes […]

A new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated levels. Walking has long been the prescription of choice for physicians trying to help their patients […]

The enzyme that makes RNA from a DNA template is altered to slow the production of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), the most abundant type of RNA within cells, when resources are scarce and the bacteria Escherichia coli needs to slow its growth. Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to capture the structures […]

Researchers have shown that the link between physical and mental illness is closer than previously thought. Certain changes in physical health, which are detectable in childhood, are linked with the development of mental illness in adulthood. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, used a sample of over 10,000 […]

Study shows how to determine the elusive motions of proteins that remain disordered. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Google Research and the University of Milan have used machine learning techniques to predict how proteins, particularly those implicated in neurological diseases, completely change their shapes in a matter of microseconds. […]

Many patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, eventually develop resistance to one treatment after another. That’s in part because cancer stem cells drive the disease — cells that continually self-renew. If a therapy can’t completely destroy these malignant stem cells, the cancer is likely to keep coming […]

New research from McMaster has found that psychiatric help for mothers with postpartum depression results in healthy changes in the brains of their babies. The study, published in the journal Depression and Anxiety this week, found treating mothers who had postpartum depression with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) not only helped […]

When they are activated to mount an immune response, T cells produce secretory proteins that help to manage their growth and other functions. But the intracellular pathways involved and molecular components that regulate this key process aren’t well understood. New research from a team of scientists at the University of […]

Biologists have long wondered how complex organisms contain a variety of dramatically different types of cells with specialized functions, even though all of those cells are genetically identical. New research reveals how proteins, called “pioneer transcription factors,” help turn on key genes that give cell types their unique properties and […]