Related Science News

November 23, 2020

Alternative gene control mechanism based on organization of DNA within nucleus

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have identified how the architecture of the cell nucleus can change gene activity in plants. This discovery reveals fundamental knowledge about genome regulation and points towards future methods for potentially manipulating the expression of many genes simultaneously. The long strands of DNA and the […]
November 23, 2020

Breast cancer discovery could help stop disease's deadly spread

University of Virginia Cancer Center researchers have identified a gene responsible for the spread of so-called “triple-negative” breast cancer to other parts of the body – a process called metastasis – and developed a potential way to stop it. Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer that […]
November 23, 2020

New treatments for hot flashes target neurons

As many as 75 percent of the women in North American experience hot flashes, and many of these women still look to hormone therapy to relieve the surge of hormones, otherwise known as vasomotor symptoms, or VMS. But new research, shared recently at the Annual North American Menopause Society Conference, shows the direction of […]
November 23, 2020

Yale-led project continues probe into biological markers of autism

Five years ago, a Yale-led partnership launched a landmark study to identify the biomarkers, or biological indicators, of autism that could help diagnose, track, and assess treatments in patients. Since then, the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials has discovered the first two biomarkers for any psychiatric disorder to be accepted into […]
November 23, 2020

Small molecule, big potential for treating prostate cancer

Prostate cancer growth is often driven by male sex hormones called androgens. Hormone therapy is commonly administered to lower the level of androgens in the body, but relapse is common when the cancer cells develop resistance to these therapies. A multidisciplinary team of cancer researchers led by Angela Koehler, the […]
November 23, 2020

A DNA-based nanogel for targeted chemotherapy

Current chemotherapy regimens slow cancer progression and save lives, but these powerful drugs affect both healthy and cancerous cells. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have designed DNA-based nanogels that only break down and release their chemotherapeutic contents within cancer cells, minimizing the impacts on normal ones and potentially eliminating painful […]
November 23, 2020

Frozen eggs and ovarian tissue helped women conceive children after breast cancer

Women with breast cancer whose eggs or ovarian tissue were frozen had more children after their diagnosis than women who did not undergo fertility preservation using those methods before the start of cancer treatment. That is according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in JAMA […]
November 22, 2020

New NIH BRAIN Initiative awards move toward solving brain disorders

The National Institutes of Health will fund more than 175 grants, totalling nearly $500 million, through the NIH’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, part of a large effort among federal and non-federal partners to use knowledge about how the brain works to develop more effective therapies for […]
November 21, 2020

A gene mutation that protects against disease

Researchers at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute, Université de Montréal and McMaster University think they’ve found a fountain of youth — and it’s unique to a few French Canadian families. Canadian scientists looking at a rare genetic mutation think they may have discovered the proverbial fountain of youth. But it’s […]
November 21, 2020

Research boost to find treatments for 'undruggable' cancers

A research team at the University of Bath, in collaboration with biotechnology company Sapience Therapeutics, is redoubling its efforts to discover new peptide-based treatments capable of acting upon 'undruggable' targets in cancer cells. Some cancers are notoriously resistant to treatment – it is these tumours that are the focus of the […]
November 21, 2020

Minuscule Migrations

Cells move constantly throughout our bodies, performing myriad operations critical to tissue development, immune responses and general wellbeing. This bustle is guided by chemical cues long studied by scientists interested in cellular migration. To better understand this phenomenon, a team of biologists and physicists, led by UC Santa Barbara’s Distinguished […]
November 21, 2020

What Platelets and Endothelial Cells May Reveal About the Coronavirus Disease

Yale researchers have helped identify the mechanisms behind a major cause of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Extensive blood clots in both large and small blood vessels in the lungs and throughout many major organs in the body have been linked to worse outcomes in patients hospitalized with severe […]
November 20, 2020

Neurons stripped of their identity are hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, study finds

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have identified new Alzheimer's disease mechanisms in neurons. The scientists have discovered that changes in the structure of chromatin, a tightly coiled form of DNA, trigger neurons to lose their specialized function and revert to an earlier cell state. That results in the loss […]
November 20, 2020

Vitamin D Supplements May Reduce Risk of Developing Advanced Cancer

For many years, investigators have been trying to pin down the tantalizing connection between vitamin D and cancer. Epidemiological studies have found that people who live near the equator, where exposure to sunlight produces more vitamin D, have lower incidence and death rates from certain cancers. In cancer cells in […]
November 20, 2020

Cancer Crosstalk

Any given tumor is composed of a multitude of cell types that can each look or behave differently from its neighbors. An emerging body of research suggests that these differences can influence disease progression or the way a tumor responds to drugs. Now, a new study by Harvard Medical School […]
November 20, 2020

Revolutionary CRISPR-based genome editing system treatment destroys cancer cells

Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is very effective in treating metastatic cancers, a significant step on the way to finding a cure for cancer. The researchers developed a novel lipid nanoparticle-based delivery system that specifically targets cancer cells and destroys them by genetic manipulation. The […]
November 20, 2020

Diagnostic Imaging May Increase Risk of Testicular Cancer

Early and repeated exposures to diagnostic imaging, such as X-rays and CT scans, may increase the risk of testicular cancer, suggests a new study from Penn Medicine researchers published online in PLOS ONE. “The steady rise in testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) cases over the past three or four decades suggests there is an […]
November 19, 2020

Unraveling a mystery surrounding embryonic cells

Last year, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, identified the early origins of neural crest cells — embryonic cells in vertebrates that travel throughout the body and generate many cell types — in chick embryos. Now the researchers have used a human model to figure out when neural crest cells […]
November 19, 2020

Working to better understand the brain

Case Western Reserve University researchers are part of an international team striving to crack the secrets of how our neurons—the nerve cells that send and receive signals to and from the brain—work together to regulate physical movements. The work is supported by a $3 million grant from the National Institutes […]
November 19, 2020

Study explores sleep apnea, autoimmune disease link

New research by University of Georgia scientists sheds light on why people with obstructive sleep apnea may have associated autoimmune disorders. The results could lead to better approaches to treatment and possibly new drug therapies. The study, led by Bradley Phillips, builds on previous research showing that obstructive sleep apnea increases the […]
November 19, 2020

Broadening the Taxonomy of Cellular Senescence in Aging

Cells enter a senescent state constantly throughout life, largely because they have reached the Hayflick limit on replication, but also due to molecular damage, cancerous mutations, injury to tissue, radiation, or other causes. A senescent cell stops replicating, swells in size, and begins to secrete a mix of inflammatory signals, […]
November 18, 2020

Student team develops noninvasive endometriosis test

When Meghan Martin ’21, a biochemistry and American Sign Language double major, was a sophomore in high school, she began experiencing intense, chronic pain. An avid runner and soccer player, she was crippled by cramps, nausea, and back spasms that left her unable to participate in the sports she loved. […]
November 18, 2020

Wound-healing biomaterials activate immune system for stronger skin

Researchers at Duke University and the University of California, Los Angeles have developed a biomaterial that significantly reduces scar formation after wounding, leading to more effective skin healing. The U.S. National Science Foundation-funded research demonstrates that activating an immune response can trigger regenerative wound healing. The work builds on the team's previous research […]
November 18, 2020

SMART researchers develop gelatin microcarrier for cell production

Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, have developed a novel microcarrier for large-scale cell production and expansion that offers higher yield and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods and reduces steps required in the cell retrieval process. Microcarriers are particles used in bioreactor-based […]
November 18, 2020

The SynergyAge Database: Which Genetic Effects on Life Span are Additive?

The SynergyAge database is intended to collect information on interactions between longevity-related mutations. Many such genetic alterations have been studied in laboratory species – yeast, flies, worms, mice, and so forth – but interactions between mutations are only sparsely investigated in comparison. This is true for all interventions in aging, […]
November 17, 2020

Predicting the risk of severe side effects of cancer treatment

The risk of serious adverse effects on the blood status and bone marrow of patients during chemotherapy can be predicted by a model developed at LiU. This research may make it possible to use genetic analysis to identify patients with a high probability of side effects. It is often difficult […]
November 17, 2020

Killing Cancer Naturally: New Process to Produce Compounds with Anti-Cancer Properties

Scientists from the Tokyo University of Science have made a breakthrough in the development of potential drugs that can kill cancer cells. They have discovered a method of synthesizing organic compounds that are four times more fatal to cancer cells and leave non-cancerous cells unharmed. Published in the American Chemical […]
November 17, 2020

Shift workers at increased risk of asthma, research shows

An international team of scientists led by The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has found that shift workers, especially those working permanent night shifts, showed increased risks of asthma, especially moderate or severe asthma. The study of 280,000 UK Biobank participants also revealed that irregular night shift workers […]