Robot – Page 186 – Innovita Research
April 24, 2020

Diabetes reversed in mice with genetically edited stem cells derived from patients

Using induced pluripotent stem cells produced from the skin of a patient with a rare, genetic form of insulin-dependent diabetes called Wolfram syndrome, researchers transformed the human stem cells into insulin-producing cells and used the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to correct a genetic defect that had caused the syndrome. They then implanted […]
April 24, 2020

Non-invasive imaging technique could reduce need for repeat cancer surgeries

A team of University of Alberta engineers is refining a new imaging technique that could reduce the number of repeat surgeries patients undergo to remove cancerous tumors. The team, led by Roger Zemp, is using ultraviolet photoacoustic remote sensing microscopy (UV-PARS) to rapidly visualize and analyze tumor tissue while patients are […]
April 24, 2020

How many years of life COVID-19 actually takes away?

COVID-19 pandemic already caused almost 200 thousand deaths worldwide. And this is assuming the official data from all countries is accurate. This is a huge loss of life, which would be even worse if countries didn’t implement quarantine regiment. But how many years of life have we actually lost? Everyone […]
April 23, 2020

New insight into how a genetic change increases the risk of schizophrenia

A genetic change increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and highlights new opportunities for drug treatment say researchers. The collaborative research by a team from Lancaster, Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities was funded by the Medical Research Council. In the human genome, small sections of DNA have been found to be duplicated (copied) […]
April 23, 2020

Building EKG Jackets for Zebrafish to Study Heart Attacks

A bioengineer at The University of Texas at Arlington is developing an imaging technique and a special electrocardiogram (EKG) for zebrafish to determine why they are able to regenerate their heart tissue after cardiac arrest. The research could provide crucial insights into one of the United States’ most pressing health […]
April 23, 2020

The mystery of the immortal

Biologist Cornelia Dulac has been missing since 2014. Her audiotapes were discovered at a remote cabin in Eastern Finland together with a fully-equipped research laboratory and a year’s supply of food. It is obvious that something had deviated from Dulac’s plans. She had been researching hydra, an immortal freshwater polyp. The authors […]
April 22, 2020

Indicators of Frailty Start to Appear Early, Probably Due to Lifestyle Choices

Clinicians classify frailty in a symptomatic way, looking at factors such as weight loss, weakness, walking speed, and so forth. This is a method of assessment designed for use with elderly people, but researchers here apply it to a study population that includes people in the 40-60 age range. They find that […]
April 22, 2020

Mitochondria in Age-Related Hearing Loss

In this open access paper, researchers present evidence to suggest that the mitochondrial dysfunction that accompanies aging may be a meaningful cause of the loss of neurons that contributes age-related hearing loss, in the sense that it increases the incidence of necroptosis, a form of programmed cell death. Present thinking on the progressive deafness of […]
April 22, 2020

Study shows glaucoma could be successfully treated with gene therapy

A new study led by the University of Bristol has shown a common eye condition, glaucoma could be successfully treated with a single injection using gene therapy, which would improve treatment options, effectiveness and quality of life for many patients. Glaucoma affects over 64 million people worldwide and is a […]
April 22, 2020

NEI researchers link age-related DNA modifications to susceptibility to eye disease

National Eye Institute (NEI) researchers profiling epigenomic changes in light-sensing mouse photoreceptors have a clearer picture of how age-related eye diseases may be linked to age-related changes in the regulation of gene expression. The findings, published online in Cell Reports, suggest that the epigenome could be targeted as a therapeutic […]
April 22, 2020

Human pregnancy is weird. A new study adds to the mystery

From an evolutionary perspective, human pregnancy is quite strange, says University at Buffalo biologist Vincent Lynch. “For example, we don’t know why human women go into labor,” Lynch says. “Human pregnancy tends to last longer than pregnancy in other mammals if you adjust for factors like body size. The actual […]
April 22, 2020

CRISPR helps identify potential Alzheimer's-related protein

Experts at the University of Tokyo have identified a new protein in the pathway that leads to Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers used the “molecular scissors” of CRISPR/Cas9 to search for new genes related to neurodegenerative disease. The exact causes of Alzheimer’s disease remain unknown, but one of the most well- supported […]
April 21, 2020

Turning On the ‘Off Switch’ in Cancer Cells

A team of scientists led by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified the binding site where drug compounds could activate a key braking mechanism against the runaway growth of many types of cancer. The discovery marks a critical step toward developing a potential new class of anti-cancer drugs […]
April 21, 2020

Unprecedented 3D images of live cells plus details of molecules inside

The insides of living cells can be seen in their natural state in greater detail than ever before using a new technique developed by researchers in Japan. This advance should help reveal the complex and fragile biological interactions of medical mysteries, like how stem cells develop or how to deliver […]
April 21, 2020

Blood Test May Help Doctors Catch Pancreatic Cancer Early

A blood test may be able to detect the most common form of pancreatic cancer while it is still in its early stages while also helping doctors accurately stage a patient’s disease and guide them to the appropriate treatment. A multidisciplinary study from the University of Pennsylvania found the test – known […]
April 20, 2020

Abnormal Stem Cells Underlie COPD’s Persistence

Even after they quit smoking, some people can’t breathe easy. The chronic bronchitis and emphysema that can afflict long-term smokers, called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD, never goes away and may even progress despite the smoker quitting. Now, researchers from UConn Health and the University of Houston report the journal […]
April 20, 2020

Finding Leukemia’s Weakness Using Genome-Wide CRISPR Technology

A team of researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center used CRISPR technology to identify key regulators of aggressive chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that remains difficult to treat and is marked by frequent relapse. “We used CRISPR technology to carry […]
April 20, 2020

A subset of suppressive lymphocytes switches to promote autoimmune disease when activated by glycolipids in the face of inflammation

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with a lab in San Antonio USA, have uncovered how a specific population of lymphocytes promotes autoimmune disease by giving up their regulatory role in the immune system. The newly discovered mechanism is published in PNAS from research led by Dr. Saikiran Sedimbi and […]
April 20, 2020

Electronic health records used in study of drug-effectiveness to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have harnessed the power of electronic health records to gain insight in the potential of inflammation-controlling medications to reduce a patient’s Alzheimer’s disease risk. Rong Xu, professor of Biomedical Informatics and director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery at Case Western Reserve University; Mark Gurney, chairman […]
April 20, 2020

The optimal immune repertoire for bacteria

Before CRISPR became a household name as a tool for gene editing, researchers had been studying this unique family of DNA sequences and its role in the bacterial immune response to viruses. The region of the bacterial genome known as the CRISPR cassette contains pieces of viral genomes, a genomic […]
April 19, 2020

A Phenoptosis Perspective on the Evolution of Exceptional Human Longevity

The conclusion to today's open access paper opens with the following declaration: “There is still no agreement among gerontologists as to the main aging-related issue: whether it is an accidental accumulation of damage in the organism or a result of the operation of a specially evolved program.” This is true in the […]
April 19, 2020

Using the CellAge Database to Find Genes Associated with Inhibition of Cellular Senescence

The CellAge database was announced last year, a repository of information on genes linked to cellular senescence. Cells become senescent in response to a variety of stresses, or upon reaching the Hayflick limit. A senescent cell ceases replication and secretes inflammatory and pro-growth signals. The process serves a useful function when such cells are present for […]
April 19, 2020

DNA Damage During Cell Replication is Probably Not Important in Mammalian Aging

The size of the contribution of stochastic nuclear DNA damage to aging is debated. It causes cancer, when rare combinations of cancerous mutations occur and suppression of those early cancerous cells fails, but can it give rise to a meaningful degree of tissue dysfunction otherwise? The present consensus is that most such […]
April 16, 2020

When Damaged, the Adult Brain Repairs Itself by Going Back to the Beginning

When adult brain cells are injured, they revert to an embryonic state, according to new findings published in the journal Nature by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere. The scientists report that in their newly adopted immature state, the cells become capable of re-growing […]
April 16, 2020

Researchers restore sight in mice by turning skin cells into light-sensing eye cells

Researchers have discovered a technique for directly reprogramming skin cells into light-sensing rod photoreceptors used for vision. The lab-made rods enabled blind mice to detect light after the cells were transplanted into the animals’ eyes. The work, funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), published in Nature. The NEI is […]
April 16, 2020

Landmark study of adolescent brain development renews for additional seven years

With nearly $290M of new funding for seven years to research institutions around the country, the National Institutes of Health renewed its commitment to the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study(link is external), the largest long-term study of brain development and child health ever conducted in the United States. Launched in […]