General

A new diagnostic tool that can predict whether a cancer patient would respond to immunotherapy treatment has been developed by scientists at the University of Bath. This advance in precision medicine will allow clinicians to tailor treatments specifically to patients and avoid treatment paths that are unlikely to be successful. […]

Childhood and adolescent obesity is projected to contribute up to 14 per cent of overall risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2035, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London. Previous studies have estimated that 53 per cent of MS risk is directly attributable to environmental factors, and […]

When autumn comes we wrap ourselves in scarfs and overcoats and enjoy the changing seasons. Meanwhile animals start thinking about the issues of survival, because the beginning of the cold part of the year means that available resources will be scarce again. But how do animals actually adapt to seasons? […]

Scientists from Trinity have discovered a new link between impaired brain energy metabolism and delirium – a disorienting and distressing disorder particularly common in the elderly and one that is currently occurring in a large proportion of patients hospitalised with COVID-19. While much of the research was conducted in mice, […]

Every time you flex your bicep or stretch your calf muscle, you put your cells under stress. Every move we make throughout the day causes our cells to stretch and deform. But this cellular deformation can be dangerous, and could potentially lead to permanent damage to the DNA in our […]

Effective wound care requires the maintenance of optimal conditions for skin and tissue regeneration. Hydrogels provide many of these conditions, but not an alkaline environment. Now, in a breakthrough study, scientists at Tokyo University of Science, Japan, have developed a new method that requires no specialized equipment and can be […]

Researchers at James Cook University and La Trobe University are working on making life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by developing a new exercise program. Moira Smith, lecturer in physiotherapy at JCU, said Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition affecting the ability to control movement. “People with Parkinson’s […]

In a development that may finally offer hope to children with Dravet syndrome and their parents, a new promising investigational therapy appears to alter the destructive course of the deadly disease. Lori Isom, Ph.D., chair of the University of Michigan’s department of pharmacology and professor of molecular & integrative physiology and neurology […]

In one out of 100,000 infants, a mutation in the GALC gene causes an incurable, always fatal disorder known as infantile Krabbe disease, or globoid cell leukodystrophy. Most children with the condition die before they turn 2. A parallel condition also naturally affects dogs, who typically show symptoms of the […]

Study Reveals the Second X Chromosome Confers Protection. Women with Alzheimer’s live longer than men with the disease, and scientists at UC San Francisco now have evidence from research in both humans and mice that this is because they have genetic protection from the ravages of the disease. By virtue […]

A Phase 1 patient trial of the novel, oral therapy candidate, alpha-TEA, for advanced HER2 positive breast cancer is now underway.  Veana Therpeutics, Inc., and UW Medicine will collaborate on the clinical testing of Veana’s lead agent – an alpha TEA lysine salt, in combination with the monoclonal antibody, trastuzumab, brand name Herceptin. In HER2 positive […]

A new study finds women with diabetes and significant levels of calcium in their coronary arteries have higher rates of death from cardiovascular disease and all causes than their male counterparts. Published in the American Diabetes Association journal, Diabetes Care, researchers from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai […]

Splitting one type of cancer drug in half and delivering the pieces separately to cancer cells could reduce life-threatening side effects and protect healthy, non-cancerous cells, a new study suggests. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that splitting immunotoxins into two inactive and […]

Scientists at the University of Michigan have discovered a novel anti-aging defense in the brain cells of adult fruit flies: producing extra copies of the genome. The findings could help explain how the brain, which rarely produces new cells, is able to cope with the accumulation of cell damage over […]

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have paired 3D-printed, living human brain vasculature with advanced computational flow simulations to better understand tumor cell attachment to blood vessels, the first step in secondary tumor formation during cancer metastasis. The unique approach, developed with outside collaborators, lays the foundation for developing a predictive […]

Collaborative Cancer Research UK-funded studies from University of Oxford researchers have uncovered a new mechanism by which cancer cells adapt to the stresses they encounter as they grow and respond to therapies. This mechanism involves cells releasing small vesicles, known as exosomes. These contain complex mixtures of proteins, RNAs and […]

COVID-19 didn’t make all other diseases disappear. Cancer is still killing people like before and scientists are still trying to find new ways to treat it. Now researchers from the University of Queensland found that fresh tumour biopsies respond differently to medicine than the  tissue cultures traditionally used. This could […]

Researchers from Macquarie University have discovered a world-first new treatment that reverses the effects of memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease in a study of mice with advanced dementia. The research, co-led by two brothers, Dr Arne Ittner and Professor Lars Ittner, from Macquarie University Dementia Research Centre, builds on their work […]

An elusive protein that many consider the key of fully understanding the causes of genetic Parkinson’s disease has come much more clearly into focus. Impacting millions around the world, Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder that progressively attacks motor functions, leading to lasting damage in movement and coordination, among other areas. […]

Excessive consumption of fructose — a sweetener ubiquitous in the American diet — can result in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is comparably abundant in the United States. But contrary to previous understanding, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that fructose only adversely affects […]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of intestinal disorders affecting an estimated six to eight million people worldwide. Although there are many treatments for IBD, a number of patients fail to respond long-term, leaving those afflicted with a host of chronic issues, from abdominal pain and cramping to frequent, […]

Since humans first controlled fire, they have camped around it to circulate information, signaling each other when something approaches. Metaphorically, certain molecules have been carrying information around our cells to help regulate bodily functions as needed. One such molecule, called cyclic AMP or “cAMP,” presumably travels freely inside cells managing […]

An innovative technique to improve cancer treatments using tumour biopsies less than 30 minutes after they’re taken has been developed at The University of Queensland. The ‘Drug uptake in ex Vivo tumours’ technique was developed after researchers found fresh patient tumour biopsies responded differently to treatments than the tissue cultures […]

Chemotherapy works by attacking rapidly dividing cells within the body. But small pockets of cancer cells can withstand its assault, allowing the cancer eventually to return. Gaining a better understanding of why some cancer cells survive while others die is critical for making chemotherapy more effective, says Jun Hee Lee, Ph.D., […]

Axons are long, finger-like projections of neurons that transmit critical signals throughout the nervous system. But because they are fragile, they are often among the first casualties of certain neurodegenerative diseases, causing symptoms such as muscle weakness or numbness of limbs. New research from the University at Buffalo reveals that […]

Pancreatic cancer is rarely detected at its early stages because symptoms often do not present themselves until after the cancer has progressed. By then, invasive procedures such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation are often needed to treat the cancer. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine […]

A chameleonlike protein in neurons can change its mind, and in the process change our brains. Scientists at Rice University and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) uncovered new clues in the protein CPEB3 as part of their dogged pursuit of the mechanism that allows humans to have […]

Immunotherapy is a promising technology for cancer treatment. Essentially, body’s own immune system is taught how to recognize cancer cells and kill them. When other treatments have failed, immunotherapy can still shrink tumours and prolong survival. However, it doesn’t work for everyone – how to predict which patients could benefit […]

A team of researchers from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the University of Michigan has redesigned and enhanced a natural enzyme that shows promise in promoting the regrowth of nerve tissue following injury. The new version of the enzyme is more stable and could lead […]

Karolinska Institutet and St. Erik Eye Hospital have entered into a collaboration with Novo Nordisk A/S to develop a new treatment for age-related macular degeneration. Novo Nordisk A/S will provide support and SEK 48 million in funding to enable a phase 1 clinical trial where new retinal cells generated from […]