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University of Alberta chemists have developed new tools for studying the human immune system that lay the foundation for research that could improve understanding of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. “Our lab studies sugar-binding receptors called Siglecs that control cells in our immune system,” explained Matthew Macauley, assistant professor […]

Cancer vaccines have shown promise in treating certain tumors, such as melanoma. But such vaccines have limitations. They often target normal proteins that may be more abundant in the tumor but also are present in healthy tissue, which can lead to off-target effects that cause autoimmune disorders and also reduce […]

A study lead by KI researcher and SciLifeLab Fellow Simon Elsässer elucidates a new flavour of heterochromatin, used by embryonic stem cells to silence ‘parasitic’ DNA-elements within the context of their highly dynamic pluripotent chromatin. The study was recently published in Nature Communications. So-called transposons are abundant DNA-elements found in […]

Electrical engineers, computer scientists and biomedical engineers at the University of California, Irvine have created a new lab-on-a-chip that can help study tumor heterogeneity to reduce resistance to cancer therapies. In a paper published in Advanced Biosystems, the researchers describe how they combined artificial intelligence, microfluidics and nanoparticle inkjet printing […]

A new study by University of California researchers shows the promise of high-throughput DNA-sequencing technologies to improve prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcomes for women who have experienced an abnormal prenatal ultrasound. In the UC San Francisco-led study, scientists used a technique called exome sequencing to identify genetic diseases as the underlying […]

Created using synthetic DNA, viltolarsen is an excellent example of precision medicine. A University of Alberta researcher’s past work has led to a new drug being approved for use in the United States to treat patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The drug, viltolarsen, was approved for use in […]

Injuries to peripheral nerves –– tissues that transmit bioelectrical signals from the brain to the rest of the body ­­–– often result in chronic pain, neurologic disorders, paralysis or disability. Now, researchers have developed a stretchable conductive hydrogel that could someday be used to repair these types of nerves when […]

For many people, getting older can, unfortunately, mean an increased risk of illnesses, from cardiovascular disease to cancer. University of Michigan scientists are actively researching the biological underpinnings of ageing with the aim of developing interventions that could help people live longer, healthier lives. A paper in the journal Science Advances describes […]

A study led by researchers at WIMR has, for the first time, demonstrated how CD47 – a cell surface protein – drives biological dysfunctions in the body, such as decreased circulation and poor metabolic homeostasis, both of which worsen with age. Researchers hope developing therapies that target CD47 will significantly reduce […]

All life depends upon DNA repair and replication. In every human cell the essential ability to replicate and repair genomes depends upon the coordinated actions of the genome sequence. Flaws or mistakes in repair and cell cycle regulation can lead to defects in the structure of the DNA and can […]

Individuals with traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, frequently experience the shrinking or atrophying of brain tissue near where the injury occurred, causing additional damage beyond the original harm. If this can be prevented, many could function in the future who cannot now. Few therapies currently exist to treat TBIs, but […]

Driven by a machine learning algorithm, the closed-loop biohybrid device maintained a set membrane voltage in human stem cells for 10 hours. In an impressive proof-of-concept demonstration, an interdisciplinary team of scientists has developed a bioelectronic system driven by a machine learning algorithm that can shift the membrane voltage in […]