Related Science News

July 18, 2018

Yale-developed test for Alzheimer’s disease directly measures synaptic loss

Yale researchers have tested a new method for directly measuring synaptic loss in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. The method, which uses PET imaging technology to scan for a specific protein in the brain linked to synapses, has the potential to accelerate research for new Alzheimer’s treatments, the researchers said. The […]
July 18, 2018

Protein found to be key component in irregularly excited brain cells

Researchers have identified a key protein involved in the irregular brain cell activity seen in autism spectrum disorders and epilepsy. The protein, p53, is well-known in cancer biology as a tumor suppressor. The findings, reported in the journal Human Molecular Genetics and Neuropharmacology, will open new avenues for understanding the […]
July 18, 2018

High Vinculin Levels Help Keep Aging Fruit Fly Hearts Young

Our cells tend to lose their shape as we grow older, contributing to many of the effects we experience as aging. This poses particular problems for the heart, where aging can disrupt the protein network within muscle cells that move blood around the body. A new discovery in how heart […]
July 17, 2018

Yale cancer researchers suggest new treatment for rare inherited cancers

Studying two rare inherited cancer syndromes, Yale Cancer Center (YCC) scientists have found the cancers are driven by a breakdown in how cells repair their DNA. The discovery, published in Nature Genetics, suggests a promising strategy for treatment with drugs recently approved for other forms of cancer, said the researchers. The two conditions […]
July 17, 2018

New genetic link for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK, and researchers from Cardiff University have identified a genetic alteration that is linked to poor prognosis for patients with the disease. Advanced prostate cancer patients initially respond well to hormonal therapies but nearly all will eventually […]
July 17, 2018

Tackling cancer at ground zero with designer molecules

A new molecule designed by University of Adelaide researchers shows great promise for future treatment of many cancers. The new molecule successfully targets a protein that plays a major role in the growth of most cancers. This protein target is called proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), otherwise known as the […]
July 17, 2018

Products of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism may have anticancer effects, study shows

A class of molecules formed when the body metabolizes omega-3 fatty acids could inhibit cancer’s growth and spread, University of Illinois researchers report in a new study in mice. The molecules, called endocannabinoids, are made naturally by the body and have similar properties to cannabinoids found in marijuana – but […]
July 16, 2018

Turning Cancer on Itself

What if cancer cells could be re-engineered to turn against their own kind? A new study led by Harvard Medical School researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital leverages the power of gene editing to take a critical step toward using cancer cells to kill cancer. The team reports promising results […]
July 16, 2018

Breast Cancer Follow-Up Imaging Varies Widely, Study Finds

Follow-up imaging for women with non-metastatic breast cancer varies widely across the country, according to a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco. Some patients go without the annual mammograms that experts recommend, while others with the same cancer diagnosis receive full-body scans that expose them to significant […]
July 16, 2018

HPV study could spur new cervical-cancer screening guidelines

New research on human papillomavirus (HPV) testing drew the same reaction from Drs. Rachel Winer and Constance Mao: It’s about time. The UW Medicine researchers responded to a decade-long study reported by two Canadian universities. It showed that HPV screening is more accurate at detecting cervical pre-cancers than the long-established Pap smear. Both doctors hope this will […]
July 16, 2018

T Cell Engineering Breakthrough Sidesteps Need for Viruses in CRISPR Gene-Editing

In an achievement that has significant implications for research, medicine, and industry, UC San Francisco scientists have genetically reprogrammed the human immune cells known as T cells without using viruses to insert DNA. The researchers said they expect their technique – a rapid, versatile, and economical approach employing CRISPR gene-editing […]
July 16, 2018

Eye expert leads research to better predict blindness in patients

A University of Southampton eye expert is leading research using state-of-the art imaging to predict which patients with early age-related-macular-degeneration (AMD) are at more risk of blindness. Professor of Ophthalmology in the University’s Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences member, Andrew Lotery, is leading an international research team which […]
July 13, 2018

Focussed ultrasound used to improve effects of cancer drugs

Researchers have made a breakthrough in more precisely targeting drugs to cancers. Using ultrasound and lipid drug carriers (liposomes), a multi-disciplinary team of biomedical engineers, oncologists, radiologists and anaesthetists at the University of Oxford have developed a new way to improve the targeting of cancer drugs to tumours. The new […]
July 13, 2018

VIP neurons hold master key to jet lag response

Travel by airplane has opened the door to experiencing different cultures and exploring natural wonders. That is, if you can get past the jet lag. But what if you could take control of the brain’s daily timing system? Biologists at Washington University in St. Louis unlocked a cure for jet […]
July 13, 2018

Senolytic drugs reverse damage caused by senescent cells in mice

Injecting senescent cells into young mice results in a loss of health and function but treating the mice with a combination of two existing drugs cleared the senescent cells from tissues and restored physical function. The drugs also extended both life span and health span in naturally aging mice, according […]
July 13, 2018

Rise of the Clones

A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has identified some of the first known inherited genetic variants that significantly raise a person’s likelihood of developing clonal hematopoiesis, an age-related white blood cell condition linked with higher risk of […]
July 12, 2018

Potential game-changer for Parkinson's disease outcomes

A unique gaming system called ‘OrbIT’ will play a lead role in the fight to improve life for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, thanks to funding from the Estate of the late Olga Mabel Woolger. In a three-year $90,000 study, Flinders University Rehabilitation Engineer, Mr David Hobbs and University of […]
July 12, 2018

Vitamin D no defence against dementia

New research from South Australian scientists has shown that vitamin D (also commonly known as the sunshine vitamin) is unlikely to protect individuals from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease or other brain-related disorders. The findings, released in the science journal Nutritional Neuroscience reported that researchers had failed to find solid clinical […]
July 12, 2018

Combination of blood test and imaging improves detection of prostate cancer

The study compares traditional detection of prostate cancer with a novel practice using a blood test, the Stockholm3 test, in combination with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and targeted prostate biopsies. More men get a correct diagnosis and treatment The results show that the suggested diagnostic strategy decreased the number of […]
July 12, 2018

“Fighting” Cancer May Detract Men from Palliative Care

Men with advanced cancer are 30 percent less likely than women to consider palliative care, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study. Researchers believe the findings reflect social norms about gender roles — as well as widespread messages in the media and society about “fighting” cancer. Often men see themselves […]
July 11, 2018

Vitamin D does not protect people from brain-related disorders

Dementia is a hugely debilitating condition, taking its toll on aging people and their families. Humans value their intellectual ability highly and coming to terms that they are deteriorating is very difficult. Many people believe that there are some remedies that can prevent multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease or […]
July 11, 2018

Deadly Form of Advanced Prostate Cancer is Common, Calls for Distinct Treatment

A new study of prostate cancer in 202 men, whose cancers had spread and were resistant to standard treatment, found that a surprisingly large number of these cancers – about 17 percent – belong to a deadlier subtype of metastatic prostate cancer. Previously, it was thought that these cancers constituted […]
July 11, 2018

Pucker up, baby! Lips take center stage in infants’ brains, study says

A typically developing 2-month-old baby can make cooing sounds, suck on her hand to calm down and smile at people. At that age, the mouth is the primary focus: Such young infants aren’t yet reaching for objects with their hands or using their feet to get around, so the lips […]
July 11, 2018

Brain circuit triggers hot flashes in males and females

Activation of a single type of neuron appears to trigger hot-flash-like symptoms in mice.  In the issue of Cell Reports, researchers show that so-called Kiss1 neurons in the hypothalamus may be the link between sex hormone fluctuations and the hot flashes that affect many menopausal women. These cells project to a brain region controlling […]
July 11, 2018

High blood pressure in pregnancy linked to mother's heart function

The study, led by Imperial College London and researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, also suggest pregnant women who develop high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia), or fetal growth restriction (where a baby's growth slows or stops before birth), may have differences in their blood circulation. The team tracked the […]
July 11, 2018

Molecular brake on human cell division prevents cancer

One of biology’s great mysteries is how a single fertilised egg can generate millions of cells that together make up a human body, while simultaneously restricting growth to prevent lethal diseases such as cancer. This process is strictly regulated by our DNA, the genetic cookbook carried by each single cell […]
July 11, 2018

Crystal Structure Reveals How Curcumin Impairs Cancer

Through x-ray crystallography and kinase-inhibitor specificity profiling, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with researchers at Peking University and Zhejiang University, reveal that curcumin, a natural occurring chemical compound found in the spice turmeric, binds to the kinase enzyme dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase 2 (DYRK2) at […]
July 10, 2018

Low-carb, high-fat diet may boost targeted cancer therapy

A very low carbohydrate, high-fat diet called the ketogenic diet may improve the effectiveness of an emerging class of cancer drugs, according to a study in mice by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian. In a study published in Nature, scientists provide a possible […]