General – Page 296 – Innovita Research
January 8, 2018

Dirt-dwelling microbe produces potential anti-melanoma weapon

A type of soil-dwelling bacterium produces molecules that induce death in melanoma cells, research at Oregon State University shows. The molecule is a secondary metabolite, also known as a natural product, of Streptomyces bottropensis, and its properties are important because there are not many therapies that effectively manage melanoma, the […]
January 5, 2018

Supercharged antibiotics could turn tide against superbugs

An old drug supercharged by University of Queensland researchers has emerged as a new antibiotic that could destroy some of the world’s most dangerous superbugs. The supercharge technique , led by Dr Mark Blaskovich and Professor Matt Cooper from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), potentially could revitalise other antibiotics. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria […]
January 5, 2018

Stem cell transplant for severe scleroderma improves survival, quality of life

New clinical trial findings show that a therapeutic regimen involving transplantation of a person’s own blood-forming stem cells can improve survival and quality of life for people with severe scleroderma, a life-threatening autoimmune disease. The regimen, known as myeloablative autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), includes chemotherapy and total body […]
January 4, 2018

Cellular barcoding helps scientists understand the behavior of stem cells

By tagging bone marrow cells of mice with a genetic label, or barcode, researchers were able to track and describe the family tree of individual blood cells as they form in their natural environment. The scientists discovered that these cells regenerate differently than their counterparts do after a blood cell […]
January 4, 2018

Penn Engineers: Bone Marrow Transplant Stem Cells Can 'Swim' Upstream

When a cancer patient receives a bone marrow transplant, time is of the essence. Healthy stem cells, which can restart the production of blood cells and immune system components after a patient’s own are compromised, need to make their way from the circulatory system into the bones as quickly as […]
January 3, 2018

Unraveling the mechanisms that control cell growth and size

All living cells, from simple yeasts to human brain cells, regulate their rate of growth and their ultimate size and shape. How they do this, however, is one of the fundamental mysteries of biology. A new study, published in Current Biology, reveals a complex network of signals and feedback loops that control […]
January 3, 2018

NIH discovery brings stem cell therapy for eye disease closer to the clinic

Scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, report that tiny tube-like protrusions called primary cilia on cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) — a layer of cells in the back of the eye  — are essential for the survival of the retina’s […]
January 3, 2018

Spurring the body to repair itself

Growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, Carla V. Rothlin, Ph.D., associate professor of immunobiology and of pharmacology, and her three sisters listened to dinnertime conversations steeped in science. Their mother, a physician, regularly shared dermatological case studies from her practice. Their father, a pharmacology researcher, gave incremental progress […]
January 2, 2018

Silky secrets to make bones

Some secrets to repair our skeletons might be found in the silky webs of spiders, according to recent experiments guided by supercomputers. Scientists involved say their results will help understand the details of osteoregeneration, or how bones regenerate. A study found that genes could be activated in human stem cells […]
January 2, 2018

Robotic device improves balance and gait in Parkinson's disease patients

Some 50,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) every year. The American Institute of Neurology estimates there are one million people affected with this neurodegenerative disorder, with 60 years as average age of onset. Falls and fall-related injuries are a major issue for people with Parkinson’s—up […]
January 2, 2018

Cancer fighter from Cameroon

It was a day Christian Njatcha will never forget. A graduate student in pharmacology, Njatcha was examining mice with lung cancer with one question in mind: Could the proto-drug he had given them defeat the disease? Answer: It could. The tumors had shrunk, and the mice were doing well. “That […]
December 29, 2017

Regrowing Limbs Could be the Future for Military Medicine

For some animals, such as salamanders, regrowing a missing limb is a common healing process. But what if people could do the same? Could the future of treating amputations include warfighters regrowing their own muscle, bone, and nerve tissues? “We’re not quite there yet,” said Army Lt. Col. David Saunders, […]
December 29, 2017

How a tumor grows can predict response to cancer therapy

Individual tumors respond differently to cancer drugs, if at all. Until now, it remained a mystery why tumors have different reactions to the exact same therapy. But a new study at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering finds that tumor growth properties can influence response to cancer drugs. “Identifying a […]
December 29, 2017

Cleaner air, longer lives

The air we breathe contains particulate matter from a range of natural and human-related sources. Particulate matter is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in the United States each year, but legislation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is credited with significantly decreasing this number, as well as the […]
December 29, 2017

Engineers Hack Cell Biology to Create 3-D Shapes from Living Tissue

In the journey from egg to embryo to mature organism, our bodies stretch and wrinkle and fold like a fabulously intricate piece of origami. Now UC San Francisco bioengineers have shown that many of the complex folded shapes that form mammalian body plans and internal tissue structures can be re-created […]
December 28, 2017

Lack of sleep boosts levels of Alzheimer’s proteins

Have you resolved to take better care of yourself in the new year? Here’s a relatively painless way to do it: Catch a few more zzz’s every night. A third of American adults don’t get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic poor sleep has […]
December 28, 2017

Salamander genome gives clues about unique regenerative ability

This is the first time that an entire newt genome has been sequenced, an achievement that can give rise to new discoveries on the amphibian’s ability to recreate brain neurons as well as entire body parts. Amongst the first findings are a multitude of copies of a certain microRNA group, […]
December 28, 2017

Harnessing sperm to treat gynecological diseases

Delivering drugs specifically to cancer cells is one approach researchers are taking to minimize treatment side effects. Stem cells, bacteria and other carriers have been tested as tiny delivery vehicles. Now a new potential drug carrier to treat gynecological conditions has joined the fleet: sperm. Scientists report in the journal ACS […]
December 28, 2017

Blueberry vinegar improves memory in mice with amnesia

Dementia affects millions of people worldwide, robbing them of their ability to think, remember and live as they once did. In the search for new ways to fight cognitive decline, scientists report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that blueberry vinegar might offer some help. They found that the fermented […]
December 27, 2017

More frequent genomic monitoring may help guide cancer treatment

Ongoing monitoring for genetic changes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) during targeted treatment may allow clinicians to adjust patients’ treatments as the cancer evolves, according to a study published in Nature Communications led by Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Genome Center scientists. Physicians usually genetically profile a patient’s cancer […]
December 27, 2017

Revealing commonalities between central and peripheral nervous system progenitors

The nervous system is arguably the most complex organ of the vertebrate body. The eye, ear and olfactory epithelium are part of the peripheral nervous system and provide visual, sound and smell information to the brain. As part of the central nervous system the brain integrates this information to build […]
December 27, 2017

Seasonal images reveal the science behind stem cells

At first glance, a pair of award-winning images created by University of Southampton postgraduate researcher Catarina Moura seem to have a seasonal theme. But look more closely and you’ll see that the component parts of the pictures (or micrographs) of a Christmas tree and seasonal wreath are actually comprised of […]
December 27, 2017

Hormone therapy combination may benefit health without increasing cancer risk

Treating ovariectomized mice with a combination of conjugated estrogens and the drug bazedoxifene triggers the expression of genes that improve metabolism and prevent weight gain –  without stimulating the uterus and increasing risks of reproductive cancer, a new study suggests. University of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor Zeynep Madak-Erdogan led a group […]
December 27, 2017

Breaking up (protein complexes) is hard to do, but new UW study shows how

A new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers identified the structural basis for how tightly bound protein complexes are broken apart to become inactivated. The structure explains why the complexes are less active in some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, and offers a starting point to identify drug targets to reactivate […]
December 27, 2017

Physical exercise can fight dementia – and it is never too late to start

We know that physical exercise is good for your mind and body. It can offset dementia, but when exercising is too late? A new research from UCL shows that it is actually never too late – exercising brings benefits against dementia regardless of part exercising habits and the onset of […]
December 22, 2017

Virtual reality may improve drug delivery to cancer cells (Video)

For most people, virtual reality is just an interesting piece of entertainment. It is quite an experience to play games or even watch movies in virtual reality. However VR may be a useful research tool for medical scientists as well. Now researchers from UNSW, Australia, are creating virtual reality technology […]
December 22, 2017

Defending against environmental stressors may shorten lifespan

A shorter life may be the price an organism pays for coping with the natural assaults of daily living, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues in Japan. The scientists used fruit flies to examine the relationship between lifespan and signaling proteins that defend the […]
December 21, 2017

Disruptive Therapy for Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is the most common form of sensory loss in humans, and almost half of cases stem from genetic causes. Now, a team led by researchers from Harvard Medical School, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have […]