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Help for patients with sickle cell disease may soon come from gene editing to fix the mutation that causes the disease and boost the patient’s own protective fetal hemoglobin. New research shows that using CRISPR-Cas9 and a corrective short DNA template to repair the sickle cell mutation in a patient’s hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) could be efficient […]

There are no approved treatment options for patients with advanced bladder cancer after they’ve received standard chemotherapy and immune treatments, but the results of a phase II clinical trial led by Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital researchers demonstrate an effective treatment for this deadly disease. The findings were presented […]

Diagnosing genetic diseases is a difficult task. Biomarkers are not always identified and analysing DNA takes a considerable amount of time. But now thanks to advancements in DNA testing diseases caused by genetic changes could be detected more readily. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh say that this achievement allows […]

A large, randomized immunotherapy clinical trial continues to show improved overall survival and progression-free survival in advanced lung cancer patients, researchers reported at this year’s American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting. The update on the KEYNOTE-189 trial provides nearly two years data on use of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy […]

A technique that illuminates blood flow during surgery predicted which head and neck cancer patients were likely to have issues with wound healing. It could enable surgeons to make adjustments during surgery or recovery to improve outcomes. A team of surgeons at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center found the approach […]

New research suggests the composition of breast milk in normal weight mothers differs from that of overweight mothers, and that variations in small molecule metabolites found in breast milk are possible risk factors for childhood obesity. It’s known that maternal obesity is one of the strongest predictors of childhood obesity. […]

A specialized pain management program for patients who underwent robotic surgery for urologic cancers resulted in just eight percent going home with narcotics after discharge, compared to 100 percent who would have received them without this enhanced recovery protocol. What’s more, the group of patients who did receive narcotics went home with […]

Vanderbilt University researchers have discovered how a protein pump distinguishes between chemicals that it will expel from a cell and inhibitors that block its action. The pump, called P-glycoprotein, protects cells by removing potentially harmful chemicals, but it contributes to drug resistance when those chemicals are therapeutic drugs — which […]

Scientists have identified a new internal regulator that helps control the body’s response to fight infection. The discovery could be a target for new drugs to tackle autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and scleroderma, where healthy tissues are attacked by the body’s own immune system. The international collaboration was led […]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects an estimated one in 59 people in the United States, causing a variety of difficulties with social communication and repetitive behavior. Many factors, including genetic and environmental effects, are believed to influence symptoms, and there are no approved treatments. Now, using mouse models, Caltech researchers […]

New findings from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania provide clues about immune response of tumors in patients with BRCA 1/2-related breast cancers. The research, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, could shape treatment strategies and clinical trial design for these patients, who make up about […]

A Penn study of nearly 3,000 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in China revealed strong connections between 30 to 60 minutes of shuteye at least three days a week and positive outcomes in a handful of areas. Ask just about any parent whether napping has benefits and you’ll likely hear […]

The enzyme Nocturnin, which governs daily tasks such as fat metabolism and energy usage, works in an entirely different way than previously thought, reported a team of researchers at Princeton University. The newly discovered mechanism reveals the molecular link between the enzyme’s daily fluctuations and its energy-regulating role in the […]

Can your liver sense when you’re staring at a television screen or cellphone late at night? Apparently so, and when such activity is detected, the organ can throw your circadian rhythms out of whack, leaving you more susceptible to health problems. That’s one of the takeaways from two new studies […]

When Sandie Read was diagnosed with dementia at 57, she felt a mixture of fear, anxiety and depression. Fifteen years later and not only is she offering support to fellow sufferers but she’s also working with researchers to improve the way people communicate and interact with those living with the […]

The composition of the vaginal microbiome is an indicator of whether a woman will experience preterm birth, or carry the fetus full term, according to one of the largest studies of its kind.  The findings are publishedmicrobio in Nature Medicine. The microbiome is the collection of organisms growing in a particular location. […]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people (such as the unexpected near fatal cardiac arrest suffered by the-then 23 year old footballer Fabrice Muamba), but the microscopic heart muscle abnormalities behind these tragic events can only be picked up in a post-mortem. Now, in […]

Eating too much fat and sugar makes you overweight and unhealthy – even young children know that. But why is that, and is there anything we can do about it? In a study published in the journal Cell, Prof. Jens Brüning's research group at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism […]

Men whose mothers were exposed to stressful life events during the first 18 weeks of pregnancy may have reduced sperm counts when they become adults, according to a new study led by The University of Western Australia. The research, published in Human Reproduction, reveals the first few months of pregnancy […]

Fragile X Syndrome is a debilitating condition, which occurs when a particular gene is disrupted causing disturbed communication between brain cells. This is why is is one of the most common genetic reasons for mental disability, including such conditions as autism, and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Now scientists […]

Yoga is a very popular physical activity, emphasizing breathing and flexibility. Believe it or not, many professional athletes, including MMA fighters, partake in yoga to improve their physical condition. Now scientists at The University of Edinburgh discovered that yoga for older adults helps maintaining better mental and physical health. Yoga […]

Aging-related inflammation can drive the decline of a critical structural protein called lamin-B1, which contributes to diminished immune function in the thymus, according to research from Carnegie’s Sibiao Yue, Xiaobin Zheng, and Yixian Zheng published in Aging Cell. Each of our cells is undergirded by a protein-based cellular skeleton. And […]

Advertising has a long history of targeting people with fantastic promises. From the perfect cream that will zap wrinkles before they even form to the workout gadget that will tone your entire body in 10 days, we are told of problems we didn’t know we had—and the solutions we need […]

The University of Washington in Seattle is among eight U.S. research sites undertaking a study to confirm whether brain imaging can detect signs of autism spectrum disorder in infants. The National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding the multicenter research with a five-year, […]

In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the rate of disease growth varies widely. In a new study from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Washington, scientists report that CLL growth is apt to follow one of three […]

Nearly 90 per cent of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survive, yet the same treatments that save their life can adversely affect their quality of life and cardiorespiratory fitness health.  In fact, the cardiorespiratory fitness of ALL survivors can be significantly worse than a sample of healthy Canadians, despite […]

A multicenter research team led jointly by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received a five-year, $9.5 million grant to further evaluate whether brain imaging can help detect very high risk of autism spectrum disorder in early infancy. […]

Tumors arise when cells shake off their restraints and start to multiply out of control. But how fast a tumor grows does not depend solely on how quickly the cancer cells can divide, a new study has found. By examining brain tumors in mice, researchers at Washington University School of […]

Your heart procedure was a success, and cardiac rehabilitation is going strong. That, of course, is great news. But there’s more to do to keep your mind and body healthy in the long run, says Susan Ryskamp, a dietitian at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center. One key factor: food. […]

DNA assembled into nanostructures such as tubes and origami-inspired shapes could someday find applications ranging from DNA computers to nanomedicine. However, these intriguing structures don’t persist long in biological environments because of enzymes called nucleases that degrade DNA. Now, researchers have designed DNA nanostructures that can heal themselves in serum. […]