General

Researchers have mapped the gene activity of osteocytes to improve their understanding of skeletal disease. Research led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has for the first time mapped the unique genetic profile of the skeleton’s ‘master regulator’ cells, known as osteocytes. The study published in Nature Communications outlines the […]

Determining safe yet effective drug dosages for children is an ongoing challenge for pharmaceutical companies and medical doctors alike. A new drug is usually first tested on adults, and results from these trials are used to select doses for pediatric trials. The underlying assumption is typical that children are like […]

For all animals, eliminating some cells is a necessary part of embryonic development. Living cells are also naturally sloughed off in mature tissues; for example, the lining of the intestine turns over every few days. One way that organisms get rid of unneeded cells is through a process called extrusion, […]

A new study from scientists at The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin reveals important findings, indicating that being overweight or obese significantly reduces blood flow in the brain. The study also shows that increased physical activity can positively modify, or even negate, this reduction in […]

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, have used gene therapy to prevent learning and memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a key step toward eventually testing the approach in humans with the neurodegenerative disease. The findings were published online […]

People who have experienced a cerebral hemorrhage or brain bleed have a two-fold increase in the risk of having an ischemic stroke (caused by an artery blockage) or heart attack, compared with members of the general population, according to new research from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. The […]

COVID-19 pandemic has put us on our toes. It feels like it’s been bothering us for a very long time and the end is not in sight yet. However, vaccines may end this pandemic rather soon if we are efficient at vaccinating people. Now scientists from UCL say that it […]

University of Bristol research into octopus vision has led to a quick and easy test that helps optometrists identify people who are at greater risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of incurable sight loss. The basis for this breakthrough was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental […]

Cancer of the colon and rectum is one of the deadliest forms of cancer and has in recent years affected growing numbers of young people. In the largest registry study to date, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Harvard University in the USA demonstrate a possible connection between colorectal polyps in […]

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have discovered a species of the ascidian, a marine animal, capable of regenerating all of its organs even after it has been broken into three fragments. The study was led by Professor Noa Shenkar, Professor Dorothee Huchon-Pupko, and Tal Gordon of TAU’s School of Zoology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life […]

This year, more than 60,000 adults in the United States will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and, statistically, as few as 10 percent will survive five years after diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society. Because pancreatic cancer is hidden deep within the body and often symptomless, it’s frequently diagnosed […]

Researchers ID protein “signature” in severe COVID-19 cases. Harvard Medical School researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified the protein “signature” of severe COVID-19, which they describe in a new study published in Cell Reports Medicine. “We were interested in asking whether we could identify mechanisms that might be contributing to death […]

A team of University of Alberta researchers has discovered a way to use 3-D bioprinting technology to create custom-shaped cartilage for use in surgical procedures. The work aims to make it easier for surgeons to safely restore the features of skin cancer patients living with nasal cartilage defects after surgery. […]

Early in human development, during the first trimester of gestation, a fetus may have XX or XY chromosomes that indicate its sex. Yet at this stage a mass of cells known as the bipotential gonad that ultimately develops into either ovaries or testes has yet to commit to its final […]

You know that raw overwhelm people have been reporting after months of a pandemic, compounded by economic issues and social unrest? Does fatigue and compulsive social media scrolling strike a familiar chord? Those brittle feelings offer us a glimpse into what regular life can be like for individuals with sensory […]

University of Washington scientists have shed light on why some people who have a stroke do not also have abnormal heart rhythms, even though their hearts contain similar scar tissue. Their results, published in eLife, could help identify the best treatments for people who might be at risk of recurrent stroke, […]

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have devised a four-part small-molecule cocktail that can protect stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from stress and maintain normal stem cell structure and function. The researchers suggest that the cocktail could enhance the potential therapeutic uses of stem cells, ranging […]

Researchers are now able to wirelessly record the directly measured brain activity of patients living with Parkinson’s disease and to then use that information to adjust the stimulation delivered by an implanted device. Direct recording of deep and surface brain activity offers a unique look into the underlying causes of […]

Daily exposure to auto emissions during childhood may set the stage for cardiovascular disease in later life, according to a USC Children’s Health Study that followed 70 children into young adulthood. The research, published in the journal Environmental Health, used ultrasound to examine the carotid arteries in participants at age 10 […]

A study published in Nature Communications shows that the drug rucaparib has been effective in treating certain types of ovarian cancers if used early in treatment, after a diagnosis, and before the cancer cells build up a resistance to chemotherapy. Rucaparib is in a relatively new class of drugs – Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase or […]

Small changes in the structure of DNA have been implicated in breast cancer and other diseases, but they’ve been extremely difficult to detect — until now. Using what they describe as a “chemical nose,” UC Riverside chemists are able to “smell” when bits of DNA are folded in unusual ways. […]

A new smell test developed by Queen Mary University of London researchers has been found to be easy to use in patients with Parkinson’s disease, and could also be helpful in diagnosing COVID-19 in the broader population. Smell tests have the potential to support the diagnosis of certain neurological conditions, […]

A single dose of vaccine boosts potent responses against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants in those with previous COVID-19, a study has found. In those who have not previously been infected and have so far only received one dose of vaccine the immune response to variants of concern may be insufficient. The […]

Yale researchers have shown that developmental abnormalities, including those that lead to pregnancy loss and autism, are controlled by the genetics of the fetus and placenta — and not the mother’s intrauterine environment. The findings are reported in the online edition of the journal Placenta. One out of every 33 […]

It’s one of the most audacious projects in biology today—reading the entire genome of every bird, mammal, lizard, fish, and all other creatures with backbones. And now comes the first major payoff from the Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP): near complete, high-quality genomes of 25 species, including the greater horseshoe bat, […]

Cancerous tumors thrive on blood, extending their roots deep into the fabric of the tissue of their host. They alter the genetics of surrounding cells and evolve to avoid the protective attacks of immune cells. Now, Penn State researchers have developed a way to study the relationship between solid, difficult-to-treat […]

Fixing traumatic injuries to the skin and bones of the face and skull is difficult because of the many layers of different types of tissues involved, but now, researchers have repaired such defects in a rat model using bioprinting during surgery, and their work may lead to faster and better […]

Penn scientists use cryo-electron microscopy to illuminate how piperlongumine works against glioblastoma. Piperlongumine, a chemical compound found in the Indian Long Pepper plant (Piper longum), is known to kill cancerous cells in many tumor types, including brain tumors. Now an international team including researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine […]

Sperm doesn’t shift into high gear in mammals just to show off, new research shows. It originally needed that extra speed to break the egg barrier. Later on, evolution enabled sperm to use its souped-up swimming to navigate tricky reproductive pathways even before reaching the egg. That is the finding […]

Women who receive COVID-19 mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna while in their third trimester of pregnancy generate a strong immune response and pass protective antibodies through umbilical cord blood to their babies, according to a study conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian researchers, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. […]