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Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. And for mitochondria, much like for double-header engines stacked together in a steam train, working in multiples has its benefits. New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that when cells divide rapidly, their mitochondria are fused together. In this configuration, the […]

A single dose of a PD-1 inhibitor before surgery for melanoma can put patients in remission. Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, who documented this finding in the largest cohort of patients to be treated with anti-PD-1 drugs before surgery, also showed that immune responses brought […]

Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) have shown that immunotherapy treatments against cancer could reduce the amount of virus that persists in people on triple therapy. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, they show, in the cells of people living with HIV, how these therapies reveal […]

Scientists in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Biochemistry are watching evolution happen in real time. In a recent study published online in the Journal of Bacteriology, biochemistry professor Michael Cox and his team describe blasting E. coli bacteria with ionizing radiation once a week, causing the bacteria to become radiation resistant. In doing so, they […]

Both in Denmark and internationally, there is political agreement on the need to minimize the exposure of people and the environment to endocrine disruptors. In order to legislate in a way that protects both humans and the environment, it is crucial for lawmakers to know what dose is safe. Risk […]

Buried deep within the dazzlingly intricate machinery of the human cell could lie a key to treating a range of deadly cancers, according to a team of scientists at Florida State University. In a new study, researchers discovered a critical missing step in the production of proteasomes — tiny structures […]

There are certain diseases that are so difficult to treat that you definitely would want to have an immunity from them. Like cancer or type 2 diabetes. However, most of us are not protected from these conditions. Except people with a certain type of dwarfism. Now scientists from University of […]

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the third cause of visual impairment worldwide and the leading cause of blindness in higher income countries with aging populations. It is estimated that by 2020 196 million people will suffer AMD. Several years ago, treatment of AMD had a breakthrough with the application […]

Transplanting pancreatic islet cells into patients with diabetes is a promising alternative to the daily insulin injections that many of these patients now require. These cells could act as a bioartificial pancreas, monitoring blood glucose levels and secreting insulin when needed. For this kind of transplantation to be successful, scientists need […]

New findings by researchers at Cardiff University suggest that intensive therapy during the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS) leads to better long-term outcomes for patients, despite it often being viewed as a riskier option than other first line treatments. Dr Emma Tallantyre, from Cardiff University’s Division of Psychological Medicine […]

A study led by researchers at Cardiff University means that more people of African descent who have treatment-resistant schizophrenia could be safely given the drug best proven to manage their symptoms. The team identified a genetic and benign cause in people of African descent for lower neutrophil levels: a condition […]

Blocking two molecular pathways that send signals inside cancer cells could stave off esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), the most common esophageal malignancy in the United States, according to new research from a team led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The group identified the pathways using advanced computational and […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a new and rare skeletal disease. In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine they describe the molecular mechanism of the disease, in which small RNA molecules play a role that has never before been observed in a congenital human disease. The results […]

Results from a pioneering clinical trials programme that delivered an experimental treatment directly to the brain offer hope that it may be possible to restore the cells damaged in Parkinson's. The multimillion-pound study, funded by Parkinson's UK with support from The Cure Parkinson's Trust and in association with the North […]

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a defect in immune cells known as “killer T cells” that explains their inability to destroy cancer tumors. The researchers believe that repairing this defect could make the cells much better cancer killers. Further, they predict their discovery could be used […]

Yale researchers have developed a new way to efficiently engineer immune cells, an advance which enhances the ability to fend off cancer and other diseases, they report in the issue of the journal Nature Methods. A number of new life-saving therapies rely on reconfiguring human immune cells to act as living […]

Researchers at the Lions Eye Institute (LEI) and The University of Western Australia have pioneered a study of the world’s first and only laboratory model of a rare type of retinal disease, paving the way for new treatment pathways. Cone dystrophy with supernormal rod response (CDSRR) is an inherited disease […]

University of Queensland researchers have discovered a hidden metabolic advantage that prevents people with a specific type of dwarfism from developing type 2 diabetes or cancer. UQ Diamantina Institute researcher Dr Yash Chhabra said the findings could pave the way for new diabetes treatments for all. “We set out to understand why, unlike most […]

A five-minute workout called Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) has been shown to lower blood pressure as much as aerobic exercise and more than some medications. Participants breathe in vigorously 30 times, five days a week, through a device that provides resistance. Preliminary findings suggest it may also boost cognitive […]

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Queensland University of Technology of Australia, have developed a device that can isolate individual cancer cells from patient blood samples. The microfluidic device works by separating the various cell types found in blood by their size. The device may one day […]

Computing scientists at the University of Alberta have developed a neural network that outperforms other state-of-the-art methods of identifying lung tumours from MRI scans—an advance that could help reduce damage to healthy tissue during radiation treatment. “Algorithms like the one developed in our laboratory can be used to generate a […]

After a heart attack, the cells in the heart muscle cannot get enough nutrients and oxygen to survive, so they die. A structural support network in the heart’s wall can help those cells regenerate, however, two enzymes that break down the network are naturally increased after a heart attack, leaving […]

Ageing is still not considered a disease. This is a problem, because doctors cannot prescribe known drugs that slow the ageing down, but maybe it will change with better understanding of the mechanism behind ageing. Now scientists from the University of Edinburgh found that some of the damaging cell effects […]

Sidney Strickland knew what he was up against when he began working on the disease more than two decades ago, and little has changed: Alzheimer’s remains a deadly health threat and among the most feared diseases on the planet, unchecked in its power to destroy brain cells and erase minds. […]

One out of every six Canadian couples experiences infertility, and some resort to in vitro fertilization. Trouble is, the embryos obtained through this technique often have defects. In a study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) succeeded in reducing the number of defects in […]

The immune system is involved in almost every disease, at one level or another. Special cells, proteins, tissues, and organs that defend people against germs and other perceived invaders are its sum. Doctors and researchers conduct an array of tests to characterize a person’s immune health, including looking at the […]

A UC San Francisco study of human and mouse pancreatic tissue suggests a new origin story for type 1 (T1) diabetes. The findings flip current assumptions about the causes of the disease on their head and demonstrate a promising new preventative strategy that dramatically reduced disease risk in laboratory animals. […]

Skin cells taken from patients with a rare genetic disorder are up to ten times more sensitive to damage from ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation in laboratory tests, than those from a healthy population, according to new research from the University of Bath. It is hoped that the work, which has […]

UC San Francisco scientists have used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system to create the first pluripotent stem cells that are functionally “invisible” to the immune system, a feat of biological engineering that, in laboratory studies, prevented rejection of stem cell transplants. Because these “universal” stem cells can be manufactured more efficiently […]

Melissa Thone, a fourth-year doctoral student in chemical & biomolecular engineering, recently won over the judges of UCI’s Public Impact Fellowship program with her innovative and promising work on cancer treatments. In a competition hosted by the Graduate Division, she was one of only four students awarded $12,000 2018-19 Public […]