General – Page 122 – Innovita Research
May 9, 2021

U of A researcher discovers marker that may predict response to cancer immunotherapy

University of Alberta researchers have uncovered a link between the expression of the protein galectin-9 (gal-9) and whether a cancer patient will benefit from immunotherapy. The discovery could help inform physicians about which patients will likely respond to immunotherapy, and lead to better treatment options. Shokrollah Elahi, a member of […]
May 7, 2021

Blanks for the Memory

Researchers report that one kind of perceptual learning can occur in memory-impaired persons who do not actually remember what they learned. There are many types of memory, but fundamentally, humans remember in two ways. Declarative memory consists of ordinary recollections consciously summoned from the brain. It is dependent on the […]
May 7, 2021

Pinpointing Cancer’s Epicenter

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the epicenter of the tumor is easily identifiable, but in 1 to 2 percent of cases, the primary site of tumor origin cannot be determined. Because many modern cancer therapies target primary tumors, the prognosis for a cancer of unknown primary origin is poor, […]
May 7, 2021

Accelerating the pace of engineered cell therapies, from lab to bedside

What if a cancer patient could receive life-saving cellular therapy within days of diagnosis rather than weeks? What if pharmaceutical researchers could bring new treatments to market in months rather than years? Kytopen is significantly speeding up both discovery and delivery of engineered cell therapies with its transformative Flowfect platforms. […]
May 7, 2021

‘Causal’ blood pressure genes found in the human kidney

An international team of scientists led by The University of Manchester have discovered 179 kidney genes responsible for high blood pressure. High blood pressure, known as “silent killer”, is one of the most common human diseases and remains the key risk factor for strokes and heart attacks. High blood pressure […]
May 6, 2021

Repairing Nerves Requires Prods of Protein

It turns out the 'bad guys' of the brain aren't so bad after all. When there’s damage in the body, our cells call for help. UConn brain researchers just found a new way cells do this—like in the old AT&T ad campaign, they reach out and touch someone. Or some […]
May 6, 2021

Cores of discovery

A revolution is coming to Mizzou. Instead of a rabble, it’s genteel scientists inciting this upheaval, which comes in the form of large, shiny instruments that can peer deep inside bodies, individual cells and even molecules — all in remarkable detail. One machine so huge that a crane must lift […]
May 6, 2021

Study: what brain scans reveal about learning math

When you’re solving a challenging math problem, you know your brain is working hard. But what, exactly, is going on in there? Despite decades of research into math teaching and learning, there is still much to learn about how specific brain functions are tied to math skills. A new University […]
May 6, 2021

Epilepsy research reveals why sleep increases risk of sudden death

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals why sleep can put people with epilepsy at increased risk of sudden death. Both sleep and seizures work together to slow the heart rate, the researchers found. Seizures also disrupt the body’s natural regulation of sleep-related changes. Together, in […]
May 6, 2021

Exploring the possibilities of hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is more than a buzzword ingredient touted by skincare brands. The “workhorse” capabilities of this biopolymer, which is present in most mammalian tissues, have fascinated scientists for decades. A new cover story in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, details HA’s complex […]
May 6, 2021

New marker predicts benefit of radiotherapy for early-stage breast cancer

A study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Gothenburg University has found that low levels of a protein called PDGFRb are associated with particularly good results of radiotherapy in women with early-stage breast cancer. The study, which is published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, also suggests that the efficacy […]
May 6, 2021

Large study links dementia to poor kidney function

Older people with kidney disease have a higher risk of dementia, and the risk increases with the rate and stage of kidney function decline. That is according to a large observational study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Neurology. The findings stress the significance of […]
May 6, 2021

New map reveals genes that control the skeleton

Researchers have mapped the gene activity of osteocytes to improve their understanding of skeletal disease. Research led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has for the first time mapped the unique genetic profile of the skeleton’s ‘master regulator’ cells, known as osteocytes. The study published in Nature Communications outlines the […]
May 6, 2021

Researchers develop better way to determine safe drug doses for children

Determining safe yet effective drug dosages for children is an ongoing challenge for pharmaceutical companies and medical doctors alike. A new drug is usually first tested on adults, and results from these trials are used to select doses for pediatric trials. The underlying assumption is typical that children are like […]
May 6, 2021

Biologists discover a trigger for cell extrusion

For all animals, eliminating some cells is a necessary part of embryonic development. Living cells are also naturally sloughed off in mature tissues; for example, the lining of the intestine turns over every few days. One way that organisms get rid of unneeded cells is through a process called extrusion, […]
May 5, 2021

Researchers find obesity linked to reduced blood flow to the brain

A new study from scientists at The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin reveals important findings, indicating that being overweight or obese significantly reduces blood flow in the brain. The study also shows that increased physical activity can positively modify, or even negate, this reduction in […]
May 5, 2021

Gene Therapy in Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model Preserves Learning and Memory

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, have used gene therapy to prevent learning and memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a key step toward eventually testing the approach in humans with the neurodegenerative disease. The findings were published online […]
May 5, 2021

Cerebral hemorrhage linked to stroke, cardiac risks

People who have experienced a cerebral hemorrhage or brain bleed have a two-fold increase in the risk of having an ischemic stroke (caused by an artery blockage) or heart attack, compared with members of the general population, according to new research from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. The […]
May 5, 2021

Insights from colour-blind octopus help fight human sight loss

University of Bristol research into octopus vision has led to a quick and easy test that helps optometrists identify people who are at greater risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of incurable sight loss. The basis for this breakthrough was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental […]
May 5, 2021

Intestinal polyps in close relatives can increase risk of colorectal cancer

Cancer of the colon and rectum is one of the deadliest forms of cancer and has in recent years affected growing numbers of young people. In the largest registry study to date, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Harvard University in the USA demonstrate a possible connection between colorectal polyps in […]
May 5, 2021

Researchers identify animal with the ability to regenerate all of its organs

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have discovered a species of the ascidian, a marine animal, capable of regenerating all of its organs even after it has been broken into three fragments. The study was led by Professor Noa Shenkar, Professor Dorothee Huchon-Pupko, and Tal Gordon of TAU’s School of Zoology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life […]
May 5, 2021

Structural Approach to Cancer

This year, more than 60,000 adults in the United States will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and, statistically, as few as 10 percent will survive five years after diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society. Because pancreatic cancer is hidden deep within the body and often symptomless, it’s frequently diagnosed […]
May 5, 2021

COVID-19: Why Do Some Die?

Researchers ID protein “signature” in severe COVID-19 cases. Harvard Medical School researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified the protein “signature” of severe COVID-19, which they describe in a new study published in Cell Reports Medicine. “We were interested in asking whether we could identify mechanisms that might be contributing to death […]
May 5, 2021

The origin of reproductive organs

Early in human development, during the first trimester of gestation, a fetus may have XX or XY chromosomes that indicate its sex. Yet at this stage a mass of cells known as the bipotential gonad that ultimately develops into either ovaries or testes has yet to commit to its final […]
May 5, 2021

The Sensitive Brain at Rest

You know that raw overwhelm people have been reporting after months of a pandemic, compounded by economic issues and social unrest? Does fatigue and compulsive social media scrolling strike a familiar chord? Those brittle feelings offer us a glimpse into what regular life can be like for individuals with sensory […]
May 5, 2021

Study yields new clue to strokes of undetermined source

University of Washington scientists have shed light on why some people who have a stroke do not also have abnormal heart rhythms, even though their hearts contain similar scar tissue. Their results, published in eLife, could help identify the best treatments for people who might be at risk of recurrent stroke, […]
May 4, 2021

Scientists identify small-molecule cocktail to improve stem cell use in research and disease treatments

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have devised a four-part small-molecule cocktail that can protect stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from stress and maintain normal stem cell structure and function. The researchers suggest that the cocktail could enhance the potential therapeutic uses of stem cells, ranging […]