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December 15, 2020

Stanford researchers develop new tool for watching and controlling neural activity

A new molecular probe from Stanford University could help reveal how our brains think and remember. This tool, called Fast Light and Calcium-Regulated Expression or FLiCRE (pronounced “flicker”), can be sent inside any cell to perform a variety of research tasks, including tagging, recording and controlling cellular functions. “This work […]
December 15, 2020

Schizophrenia may be similar to immune disorders, scientists show

A study by clinical scientists at The University of Manchester has shown that schizophrenia may – in some part – be caused by disordered functioning of the immune system. The first-ever trial in the schizophrenia of the powerful immune suppressant drug, Methotrexate, produced what the team described as ‘promising’ effects on […]
December 15, 2020

“SCOUT” helps researchers find, quantify significant differences among organoids

Unbiased, high-throughput analysis pipeline improves utility of “minibrains” for understanding development and diseases such as Zika infection. The ability to culture cerebral organoids, or “minibrains,” using stem cells derived from people has given scientists experimentally manipulable models of human neurological development and disease, but not without confounding challenges. No two […]
December 14, 2020

New drug moves closer to becoming first treatment for Fragile X Syndrome

A new drug discovered through a research collaboration between the University at Buffalo and Tetra Therapeutics took a major step toward becoming a first-in-class treatment for Fragile X Syndrome, a leading genetic cause of autism. The drug, BPN14770, achieved positive topline results in phase 2 clinical study. The innovative treatment […]
December 14, 2020

Science Fiction Meets Neuro-Reality: Organoids to Rebuild the Brain

Computer-augmented brains, cure to blindness, and rebuilding the brain after injury all sound like science fiction. Today, these disruptive technologies aren’t just for Netflix, “Terminator,” and comic book fodder — in recent years, these advances are closer to reality than some might realize, and they have the ability to revolutionize […]
December 14, 2020

DoD-funded effort to restore vision to injured service members and people with disease

A team of researchers led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison professor David Gamm is developing a transplantable retinal patch intended to help restore vision to military personnel blinded in the line of duty and to treat individuals with degenerative eye diseases such as macular degeneration. The technology, funded by a […]
December 14, 2020

Study finds that by age 3 kids prefer nature's fractal patterns

Before their third birthdays, children already have an adult-like preference for visual fractal patterns commonly seen in nature, report University of Oregon researchers. That discovery emerged among children raised in a world of Euclidean geometry, such as in houses with rooms constructed with straight lines in a simple nonrepeating manner, […]
December 14, 2020

Higher BMI Does Not Prevent Bloodstream Infections

It’s a paradox that has puzzled epidemiologists for a long time. Why do some studies suggest that a higher body mass index (BMI) can end up “protecting” against bloodstream infections? A team of researchers from the Yale School of Public Health, in collaboration with colleagues at the Norwegian University of […]
December 14, 2020

Research findings offer hope for treatment of inflammatory skin condition

People diagnosed with an inflammatory skin condition known as granuloma annulare (GA) develop raised red lesions that emerge in ring-like patterns on the skin. For those with a chronic condition, these lesions can cover much of the body and degrade their quality of life. Until now, however, there has been […]
December 14, 2020

‘Fun size’ Cas9 nucleases hold promise for easier genome editing

Researchers from Skoltech and their colleagues from Russia and the US have described two new, compact Cas9 nucleases, the cutting components of CRISPR-Cas systems, that will potentially expand the Cas9 toolbox for genome editing. One of the two nucleases has been shown to work in human cells and thus can […]
December 13, 2020

A new evolutionary clue

Nearly two decades ago, a small-bodied “human-like” fossil, Homo floresiensis, was discovered on an island in Indonesia. Some scientists have credited the find, now nicknamed “Hobbit,” as representative of a human ancestor who developed dwarfed features after living on the island, while others suggest it represents modern human suffering from some […]
December 12, 2020

The genetics of side-effects

Henk-Jan Guchelaar knows all too well the serious problems that the side–effects of medication can cause. As a professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, he has spent the last two decades trying to get the link between medicine and our genes recognised more widely.  The stories he hears from patients […]
December 11, 2020

One more clue to brain changes in Huntington’s disease

Huntington’s disease is a fatal inherited disorder that strikes most often in middle age with mood disturbances, uncontrollable limb movements, and cognitive decline. Years before symptom onset, brain imaging shows degeneration of the striatum, a brain region important for the rapid selection of behavioural actions. As the striatal neurons degenerate, […]
December 11, 2020

Testing memory over four weeks could predict Alzheimer's disease risk

New research suggests testing people's memory over four weeks could identify who is at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease before it has developed. Importantly, the trial found testing people's ability to retain memories for longer time periods could predict this more accurately than classic memory tests, which test memory […]
December 11, 2020

New research identifies which T cells patrol the body

The blood is the main source of studies on the immune system, despite the fact that most diseases are combated by immune cells in the body’s tissues. A new study from Karolinska Institutet and the University of Pennsylvania has identified which immune cells patrol the human body’s tissues and circulate […]
December 11, 2020

Genetic differences important for Alzheimer's diagnosis

The two used methods for detecting amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease do not give unambiguous results, with the risk of incorrect or delayed care interventions. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found genetic explanations for the differences. The study is published in Molecular Psychiatry and may be important for more […]
December 11, 2020

Toxin provides clues to long-term effects of diarrhea caused by E. coli

For people in wealthy countries, diarrhea is usually nothing more than an uncomfortable inconvenience for a few days. But for a poor child in a developing country, repeated bouts of diarrhea can lead to serious health consequences such as malnutrition, stunted growth and cognitive deficits. Researchers at Washington University School […]
December 11, 2020

The Long Reach of Pandemics

Epidemics and pandemics are not equal-opportunity killers. Seen through the archaeological record, incomplete as it may be, these waves of death victimized the marginalized and most vulnerable populations wherever they struck. In the U.S., the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be no different, striking Indigenous, Black and Latinx communities at far […]
December 11, 2020

Using CRISPR, new technique makes it easy to map genetic networks

CRISPR-Cas9 makes it easy to knock out or tweak a single gene to determine its effect on an organism or cell, or even another gene. But what if you could perform several thousand experiments at once, using CRISPR to tweak every gene in the genome individually and quickly see the […]
December 10, 2020

News Releases News Topics Media Advisories University Statements Study: Memory deficits resulting from epigenetic changes in Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed

Memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be able to be restored by inhibiting certain enzymes involved in abnormal gene transcription, according to a preclinical study by researchers at the University at Buffalo. The findings could pave the way toward new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The paper will be […]
December 10, 2020

Making Memories

On a late summer day in 1953, a young man who would soon be known as patient H.M. underwent experimental surgery. In an attempt to treat his debilitating seizures, a surgeon removed portions of his brain, including part of a structure called the hippocampus. The seizures stopped. Unfortunately, for patient […]
December 10, 2020

Obesity and Cancer

Obesity has been linked to increased risk for over a dozen different types of cancer, as well as worse prognosis and survival. Over the years, scientists have identified obesity-related processes that drive tumour growth, such as metabolic changes and chronic inflammation, but a detailed understanding of the interplay between obesity […]
December 9, 2020

Scientists reveal genetic map of the human face

An international team of researchers has connected specific genetic regions which influence facial features. This means they can see the signals of normal facial features in the genome – but it is also hoped their work can shed light on craniofacial malformations such as cleft lip and palate. The findings […]
December 9, 2020

Multiple gene edits and computer simulations could help treat rare genetic diseases

The lab of Kris Saha at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has developed an innovative combination of gene-editing tools and computational simulations that can be used to develop new strategies for editing genes associated with genetic disorders. In proof-of-concept experiments, the lab’s researchers efficiently corrected multiple mutations responsible for a rare metabolic disorder, known […]
December 9, 2020

Cells optimized to produce antimicrobial agents

Big changes are taking place in the research laboratories at DTU Biosustain on Lyngby Campus—but it requires a microscope to spot them, as the changes are occurring in microorganisms such as the bacterium, Streptomyces.  The bacterium is known to produce antimicrobial agents. In the New Bioactive Compound Section, researchers are […]
December 9, 2020

Hidden structure found in essential metabolic machinery

In his first year of graduate school, Rice University biochemist Zachary Wright discovered something hidden inside a common piece of cellular machinery that’s essential for all higher-order life from yeast to humans. What Wright saw in 2015 — subcompartments inside organelles called peroxisomes — is described in a study published in Nature […]
December 9, 2020

Secret of how fish repair their hearts could help cardiac patients

The ability of certain fish to heal damage to their hearts could lead to new treatments for patients who have suffered heart attacks and may also help to unravel how the lifestyle of our parents and grandparents can affect our own heart health. The human heart cannot heal itself. After […]