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When we are still embryos, proteins of the so-called “hedgehog” signaling pathway stimulate our cells to develop into different organs. When we are adults, this pathway falls largely silent, except in certain tissues that constantly regenerate themselves, for example our skin, and the linings of our blood vessels and digestive […]

The University of Arizona has licensed a drug that aims to shorten the lives of cancer cells to startup Reglagene. The technology, invented at the College of Pharmacy and the BIO5 Institute by Laurence Hurley and Vijay Gokhale, has been shown to be effective in shortening the lives of target cells, essentially inducing cancer cells to grow old […]

Cancer of the pancreas is a deadly disease, with a median survival time of less than six months. Only one in 20 people with pancreatic cancer survives five years past the diagnosis. The reason is the cancer’s insidiousness; tumor cells hide deep inside the body, betraying no symptoms until late […]

People who do hatha yoga report improved balance, but only now has yoga’s impact on falls received rigorous study. Now, University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of family medicine Irene Hamrick reports that the number of falls in older adults dropped 48 percent in the six months after yoga classes began, compared […]

An initial test to determine if a scalpel-free form of brain surgery can reduce tremor caused by Parkinson’s disease has produced encouraging results. Further research is warranted, the researchers conclude in a paper published Monday by the scientific journal JAMA Neurology. The pilot study, led by Dr. Jeff Elias of […]

Understanding the factors that control aging has been one of humanity’s endless pursuits, from the mystical fountain of youth to practical healthful regimens to prolong life expectancy. A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego has now helped decipher the dynamics that control how our cells age, […]

Cancer cells can be targeted and destroyed with the metal from the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, according to new research by an international collaboration between the University of Warwick and Sun Yat-Sen University in China. Researchers from the Professor Sadler and Professor O’Connor groups in Warwick’s […]

Colon cancer, Crohn’s, and other diseases of the gut could be better treated – or even prevented – thanks to a new link between inflammation and a common cellular process, established by the University of Warwick. Led by Dr Ioannis Nezis at Warwick’s School of Life Sciences, new research demonstrates […]

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have created a new lab-grown blood vessel replacement that is composed completely of biological materials, but surprisingly doesn’t contain any living cells at implantation. The vessel, that could be used as an “off the shelf” graft for kidney dialysis patients, performed well in a […]

Here’s an open invitation to steal. It goes out to cancer fighters and tempts them with a new program that predicts cancer drug effectiveness via machine learning and raw genetic data. The researchers who built the program at the Georgia Institute of Technology would like cancer fighters to take it for free, […]

A new study published in the journal Neuron sheds light on the normal function of LRRK2, the most common genetic cause for late-onset Parkinson’s disease. The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health. For more than 10 […]

Data from the SysteMS pilot study, a collaboration between Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Verily and Biogen exploring the use of biosensors as a measure of MS disease severity, were presented today at MSParis2017, the seventh Joint Meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS and Americas Committee […]

Transplanting young blood vessel cells into older mice can make their aged stem cells take on the characteristics of young stem cells, leading to healthier blood systems and promoting better recovery from cancer treatment side effects, according to new research from Weill Cornell Medicine. Blood stem cells, also known as […]

Cancerous tumors need nutrients to grow, so they secrete factors promoting new blood-vessel formation to feed themselves. Researchers have long known that cells in low-oxygen environments at the center of the tumor send out these factors, but a new study by University of Illinois researchers found that stemlike cells at […]

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that a single infusion of wildtype hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) into a mouse model of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) measurably halted cellular damage caused by the degenerative disease. The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggest a […]

As cells with a propensity for cancer break down food for energy, they reach a fork in the road: They can either continue energy production as healthy cells, or shift to the energy production profile of cancer cells. In a new study published Monday (Oct. 23, 2017) in the journal Nature […]

A new therapy that uses blood-vessel-lining cells to regenerate damaged tissue has the potential to treat liver cirrhosis, Weill Cornell Medicine scientists demonstrate in new research. The small-scale animal study, published in the journal Radiology, was a test of the basic feasibility of the cell delivery technique and not designed to […]

A sharp rise in the number of women seeking BRCA genetic testing to evaluate their risk of developing breast cancer was driven by multiple factors, including celebrity endorsement, according to researchers at the University of Georgia. “BRCA testing and counseling provide important information on the risk of developing breast and […]

Seventy-two new genetic variants that contribute to the risk of developing breast cancer have been identified by a major international collaboration involving hundreds of researchers worldwide. Of these variants, reported today in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics, 65 are common variants that predispose to breast cancer and a further seven predispose specifically […]

A human gene called p53, which is commonly known as the “guardian of the genome,” is widely known to combat the formation and progression of tumors. Yet, mutant forms of p53 have been linked to more cases of human cancer than any other gene. Investigating core mechanisms of how cancer cells […]

A framed, black-and-white photo of Dr. Janko Nikolich-Zugich rests on a bookshelf in his office. He is seen in profile, head bent, a pen tucked into the pocket of his lab coat. Nikolich-Zugich is at work at his lab bench at New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Twenty-five years after […]

Breast cancer cells recycle ammonia, a waste byproduct of cell metabolism, and use it as a source of nitrogen to fuel tumor growth, report scientists from Harvard Medical School in the journal Science. The findings, published online ahead of print on Oct. 12, show that the presence of ammonia accelerates proliferation […]

Following a successful clinical trial involving Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for adult cancers was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, the only facility in the northeast to be part of the clinical […]

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of the first centers nationwide to offer a new immunotherapy that targets certain blood cancers. Newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for types of advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults, the CAR-T […]

A new study published in Nature Communicationsreveals that it is possible to repurpose the function of different mature cells across the body — and harvest new tissue and organs from these cells. The research tracks the transformation of genetically manipulated cells into melanocytes, which are responsible for the production of skin […]

Scars may fade, but the skin remembers. New research from The Rockefeller University reveals that wounds or other harmful, inflammation-provoking experiences impart long-lasting memories to stem cells residing in the skin, teaching them to heal subsequent injuries faster. These stem cells, which replenish the skin’s outer layer take their cue […]

Some people may have mild memory problems without an increased risk of Alzheimer‘s. However, it is one of the factors that may reveal that a possibility to develop this disease is high. A new study lead by the University of Birmingham has shown that delayed response to written word could […]

A new study published in Nature, conducted by an alliance between industry and academia involving the University of Liverpool, highlights a new approach to targeting key cancer-linked proteins, thought to be ‘undruggable’. The majority of cancers have a faulty or inactive gene, p53, which allows them grow out of control. The […]

A drug isolated from a marine pest holds promise for treating some of the world’s nastiest diseases, and researchers would love to find out just how effective it is – if only they could get their hands on more. As it stands, the world’s supply of the chemical is down […]

Researchers at MIT have developed a synthetic gene circuit that triggers the body’s immune system to attack cancers when it detects signs of the disease. The circuit, which will only activate a therapeutic response when it detects two specific cancer markers, is described in a paper published in the journal Cell. […]