General

Scientists discover how non-human primate ovaries age, with implications for human fertility. Due to the modern tendency to postpone childbirth until later in life, a growing number of women are experiencing issues with infertility. Infertility likely stems from age-related decline of the ovaries, but the molecular mechanisms that lead to […]

During development, cells generated from people with autism have frequent breaks in the DNA of certain genes Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a unique pattern of DNA damage that arises in brain cells derived from individuals with a macrocephalic form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The observation, published […]

A combination of two previously studied osteoarthritis drugs works better than either drug alone, Salk researchers discovered. People with osteoarthritis, or “wear and tear” arthritis, have limited treatment options: pain relievers or joint replacement surgery. Now, Salk researchers have discovered that a powerful combination of two experimental drugs reverses the […]

Associate Professor Anthony Leicht was part of an international group led by Professor John Saxton from Northumbria University and the University of East Anglia that studied how exercise might help prostate cancer sufferers who were about to start Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT). The initial treatment for sufferers involves using drugs […]

Among adults with chronic viral hepatitis at high risk of liver cancer, those who took low-dose aspirin long-term were less likely to develop liver cancer or to die from liver-related causes. The findings come from a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conducted by a team […]

Life is rife with patterns. It’s common for living things to create a repeating series of similar features as they grow: think of feathers that vary slightly in length on a bird’s wing or shorter and longer petals on a rose. It turns out the brain is no different. By […]

The microscopic populations of bacteria in our intestines are, in some ways, just like us: They live in communities, eat, work, reproduce, and eventually die. Many of these bacterial species live in harmony with our bodies, providing benefits to us in exchange for nutrients and shelter. When the right kinds […]

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have devised a new strategy to stop tumors from developing the new blood vessels they need to grow. Once thought to be extremely promising for the treatment of cancer, blocking molecules that stimulate new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) has proven […]

Specific health measures – such as function, cognition and psychological well-being – should be incorporated into the assessment of whether major surgery is suitable for older adults, especially if the mortality risk after surgery outweighs the benefits, according to a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco. In a […]

The integrated stress response (ISR) is a well-studied biological circuit that behaves like a disaster response center: it takes control when something in the cell goes awry. When the ISR receives a distress signal, it responds by reallocating cellular resources. Run-of-the-mill cellular functions are shut off so that valuable resources […]

Who among us hasn’t had a sore throat, a hoarse voice or a lump in the neck? Usually, these are minor problems that go away on their own or after a course of antibiotics—but if they don’t, check in with your doctor. These can all be signs of oropharyngeal cancer […]

A novel system to amplify gene expression signals could be a game-changer for scientists who study the regulatory processes in cells that are central to all life. The Rice University lab of bioscientist Laura Segatori has developed a versatile gene signal amplifier that can do a better job of detecting the expression […]

Specific combinations of statins and antihypertensives may also reduce risk for Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new USC study of nearly 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries. The findings suggest that treatments already in use for blood pressure and cholesterol control could reduce the number of people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, researchers […]

When Gregory Poore was a freshman in college, his otherwise healthy grandmother was shocked to learn that she had late-stage pancreatic cancer. The condition was diagnosed in late December. She died in January. “She had virtually no warning signs or symptoms,” Poore said. “No one could say why her cancer […]

Skin diseases affect half of the world’s population, but many treatments are not effective, require frequent injections, or cause significant side effects. But what if there was a treatment that eliminated injections, reduced side effects, and increased drug effectiveness? A skin therapy with these properties may be on the horizon […]

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a new imaging agent that could let doctors identify not only multiple types of tumors but the surrounding normal cells that cancer takes over and uses as a shield to protect itself from attempts to destroy it. The […]

A new cellular biology study, published in the journal Structure by scientists at Vanderbilt, reports a shape-shifting structure in the human body that plays an important role in the timely delivery of fats and proteins. Led by Lauren Jackson, assistant professor of biological sciences and biochemistry at Vanderbilt, the work is […]

Programs that help smokers kick the habit along with existing lung cancer screening efforts could reduce lung cancer mortality by 14% compared with screening alone, according to a study led by the University of Michigan. “The study shows the huge impact that combined screening/smoking cessation programs could have,” said senior […]

The Multiplex Model is a new way of looking at Alzheimer’s disease developed by Professor Julie Williams, Dr Rebecca Sims and Dr Matt Hill of the University’s UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) and unveiled in the Journal Nature Neuroscience. The model was produced by looking at all known genetic risk factors […]

Scientists designed a tunable peptide-like molecular coating that enables 3-D DNA nanostructures to maintain their structural integrity and functionality in different physiological environments relevant to drug delivery and other biomedical applications. Scientists have designed and synthesized chains of molecules with a precise sequence and length to efficiently protect 3-D DNA […]

Call it the next frontier in cancer immunotherapy—biomedical materials-inspired design of cancer-fighting immune treatments. In an effort to do just that, Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and its collaborating institutions, the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative […]

Space exploration can take a toll on the human heart.  Astronauts are at risk for changes in their cardiac function and rhythm. To learn how microgravity and other physical forces in space exact their effects on the heart muscle, a Tissue Chips in Space project has now been packed for […]

Florida State University researchers working in an international collaboration have identified new genetic variants that cause heart disease in infants, and their research has led to novel insights into the role of a protein that affects how the heart pumps blood. It is a discovery that could lead to new […]

A study published in the academic journal Cell on 27 February 2020 concludes that reducing one’s caloric intake could reduce inflammation throughout the body, delay the onset of age-related diseases, and prolong lifespan. “We already knew that calorie restriction increases life span, but now we’ve shown all the changes that […]

The University of Zurich has sent adult human stem cells to the International Space Station (ISS). Researchers from UZH Space Hub will explore the production of human tissue in weightlessness. On 6 March at 11:50 p.m. EST, the International Space Station resupply mission Space X CRS-20 took off from Cape […]

Led by graduate student Shannon Keenan, the team used light to activate chemical signals in developing fruit flies and traced the effects on a protein called Capicua, or Cic. Located in a cell’s nucleus, Cic binds to DNA and performs the specialized task of silencing genes. The study, published in Developmental Cell […]

New research in mice suggests that certain immune cells may help guide fetal development of the heart and play a role in how the adult heartbeats, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings, published in the journal JCI Insight, may help lay […]

Scientists better predict recurrence of prostate cancer for black patients, according to new study; land $3.2 million in federal grants to explore racial bias in cancer diagnosis using Artificial Intelligence, computational imaging. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reveal apparent cellular distinctions between black […]

In recognition of this year’s World Cancer Day theme, ‘I Am and I Will’, Professor Pablo Fernandez-Penas talks about how researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) are committed to a world with zero deaths from melanoma. Tell us a bit about your work. I am the co-lead […]

The results of a first-in-human clinical trial of gene therapy to treat a common cause of genetic blindness have shown partial reversal of sight loss in some patients. X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, caused by mutations in RPGR gene, is the most common cause of blindness in young people. The inherited mutations […]