Robot

The University of California announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued U.S. Patent Number 10,227,611 covering use of single-molecule RNA guides and Cas9 protein in any cell, thus creating efficient and effective ways for scientists to target and edit genes. This patent is co-owned by The […]

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have developed a new biological sensor that could help clinicians better diagnose cancer and epilepsy. Biological sensors monitor small molecules, ions and protons and are vital as a medical diagnostic. Even the simplest signals, such as intracellular pH level, can provide important information for […]

A new study from Iowa State University biomedical researchers illuminates the biological processes by which exposure to some metals can contribute to the onset of Parkinson’s-like symptoms. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Signaling, focuses on the metal manganese, which has a range of industrial uses as an alloy. […]

Children living in foster care may have a higher risk of developing insomnia, and this can lead to long-term mental and physical health problems, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Georgia. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 24 adults who lived in foster care to learn […]

Can computer vision help radiologists find signs of potential breast cancer?  In an ongoing project, PNNL researchers are discovering to what extent deep learning—a form of artificial intelligence—can be applied to help find cancer in diagnostic images. Can computer vision help radiologists find signs of potential breast cancer?  In an […]

While walking a dog provides older Americans with a valuable outlet for regular, physical activity, a Penn Medicine study has shown that fractures related to these walks have more than doubled between 2004 and 2017 in patients 65 and older. In this population, 78 percent of the fractures occurred in […]

UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time developed a strategy for targeting a key molecule implicated in Parkinson’s disease, opening up a potential new treatment strategy for the currently incurable movement disorder. “This molecule is widely regarded as one of the top therapeutic targets for Parkinson’s disease, but […]

Although most victims survive the 735,000 heart attacks that occur annually in the U.S., their heart tissue is often irreparably damaged — unlike many other cells in the body, once injured, heart cells cannot regenerate. According to a new UC San Francisco study, the issue may date back to our earliest mammalian […]

Newborn babies sleep less on average if their mothers do not have a university degree, according to a new University of Alberta study investigating the effects of socio-economic status on children’s well-being. Analyzing data from 619 infants and their mothers, the research team found that infants less than three months […]

All stem cells can multiply, proliferate and differentiate. Because of these qualities, leukemic stem cells are the most malignant of all leukemic cells. Understanding how leukemic stem cells are regulated has become an important area of cancer research. A team of Tel Aviv University researchers have now devised a novel biosensor that […]

You probably know someone with a knee or hip replacement. If not, chances are you will, as demand for these surgeries is expected to continue growing. While widely successful, not all joint replacements go as planned. Infections are a serious problem, often requiring costly and painful follow-up surgery. This could become […]

By slingshotting themselves forward, human cells can travel more than five times faster than previously documented. University of Michigan researchers observed the movement in bioengineered 3D scaffolds that model stromal tissue—the connective tissue that surrounds organs. The researchers say this method of cell movement, observed for the first time, could […]

A new University study, published in PLOS One, highlights the high incidence and prevalence of visual problems in acute stroke survivors. A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. The injury to the brain caused by a stroke […]

Ovarian cancer is not the most common form of cancer, but it’s among the deadliest. That’s because about 70 percent of cases recur. A new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) and several other collaborating institutions targets the root of recurrence with new drugs […]

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Screening is key for early detection and increased survival, but the current method has a 96 percent false positive rate. Using machine learning, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center have found a way to substantially reduce false positives without […]

Despite the decades of research on the brain‘s ability to voluntarily discard certain memories, scientists are still trying to pin down the mechanism behind it, which could eventually allow mental health professionals to offer their patients the option of getting rid of memories which trigger involuntary, maladaptive responses. Now, a […]

Obesity is a major public-health problem in the United States and around the world, with an estimated 650 million people suffering from the condition. One of the biggest challenges of this ever-worsening condition is figuring out why people become obese in the first place, and why some people are more […]

Excess weight promotes the development of insulin resistance and the incidence of colon cancer. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research in Cologne identified a new mechanism of the insulin signaling in the intestinal mucosa, which is responsible for maintaining the intestinal barrier and explains the connection between […]

Bandages infused with electricity can help heal wounds faster than typical bandages or antibiotics—but for years, researchers have not really understood why. A recent study by a team at The Ohio State University is offering new clues about the science behind those bandages, and researchers say the findings could help […]

Many types of cancer could be more easily treated if they were detected at an earlier stage. MIT researchers have now developed an imaging system, named “DOLPHIN,” which could enable them to find tiny tumors, as small as a couple of hundred cells, deep within the body. In a new […]

When researchers want to understand a gene’s function, they silence or disable that gene in a model organism, such as a fruit fly, and then look for unusual effects on the fly. This is referred to as creating loss-of-function, or “knocking out” a gene. A study published in the journal […]

Early onset menstruation linked to high blood pressure in late adulthood, UGA study finds. The age a woman begins menstruation is associated with having high blood pressure later in her life, according to a team of researchers at the University of Georgia. Specifically, researchers found that early onset menstruation significantly increased […]

Children whose mothers were hospitalized with an infection during pregnancy may be at increased risk for autism, depression and suicide later in life, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington, and the Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden. Previous research […]

Rice University scientists have found significant differences between the methods signaling pathways use to prompt cells to differentiate – that is, whether to become organs, bone, blood vessels, nerves or skin. Rice bioscientist Aryeh Warmflash and alumnus Idse Heemskerk led a team that discovered stem cells are sensitive not only to the signals that […]

A team led by Harvard Medical School researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital has found that activity of an important signaling pathway increases with aging and with heart failure. In a report published in Science Translational Medicine, the team describes evidence from both humans and animal models that increased activin type II […]

According to a new study published in the journal Neurology, eating patterns rich in fruits and vegetables, moderate in nuts, fish and alcohol, and low in meat and full-fat dairy may confer significant cognitive benefits in middle age if following since early adulthood. “Our findings indicate that maintaining good dietary […]

The Cardiff researchers say that the test could now be a ‘game changer’ in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). It also has the potential to change how other cancers, including myeloma and breast cancer, are treated. While previous versions of the test had taken a week to process, […]

A large multi-centre study of more than 1,200 patients provides important predictors of Parkinson’s disease progression, which will allow better candidate selection for clinical trials and more effective therapy development. The study, led by Dr. Ron Postuma at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital) and the Montreal General Hospital […]

Pancreatic cancer is a grim diagnosis, with a five-year survival rate of less than 9 percent. To improve those odds, researchers at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine sought genetic signatures in the largest study of its kind that could be used to better match drugs to patients and for early […]

A diet containing compounds found in green tea and carrots reversed Alzheimer’s-like symptoms in mice genetically programmed to develop the disease, USC researchers say. Researchers emphasize that the study, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, was in mice, and many mouse discoveries never translate into human treatments. Nevertheless, the findings […]