November 13, 2020

Sugar work: U-M study finds sugar remodels molecular memory in fruit flies

A high-sugar diet reprograms the taste cells in fruit flies, dulling their sensitivity to sugar and leaving a “molecular memory” on their tongues, according to a University of Michigan study. Examining fruit flies, researchers Monica Dus, Anoumid Vaziri and collaborators found that high-sugar diets completely remodelled the flies’ taste cells, […]
November 13, 2020

Cellular Survivors

When it comes to complex life — that of the multicellular variety — cell death can be just as important as survival. It allows organisms to clean house and prevent the proliferation of damaged cells that could compromise tissue function. Several years ago, biologist Denise Montell, a distinguished professor at UC […]
November 13, 2020

Penn Researchers Discover Two Key Events That Turn Normal Cells into Cancer

More than 100 different cancers can arise all over the body, but two universal metabolic pathways may tie them all together, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report in a new study published online in Cell Metabolism. Researchers have long believed all cancers are […]
November 13, 2020

A new test for chronic fatique syndrome

Developed by researchers at UdeM and the CHU Sainte-Justine, the innovation allows testing of patients who cannot participate in clinical studies due to the severity of their condition. Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), better known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is a complex chronic disease affecting some 600,000 Canadians and up to 2.5 […]
November 13, 2020

Molecular atlases reveal how human cells develop and grow

UW Medicine researchers at the Brotman Baty Institute in Seattle have created two cell atlases that track gene expression and chromatin accessibility during the development of human cell types and tissues. One atlas maps gene expression within individual cells across 15 fetal tissues. The second atlas maps the chromatin accessibility […]
November 13, 2020

Detecting Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms arise

Both of Andrew Kiselica’s grandfathers developed dementia when he was in graduate school. As Kiselica was going through neuropsychology training in graduate school, he saw his mother’s father become unable to walk or speak due to severe dementia. The University of Missouri researcher said that personal experience has motivated his work to […]
November 12, 2020

Gut Bacteria Linked to Weight Gain Following Chemotherapy Treatment for Breast Cancer

Marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month, researchers say they eventually hope to identify women at risk and offer methods to prevent weight gain following chemotherapy. Approximately 30% of breast cancer patients who receive chemotherapy treatment gain weight, though it is unclear why this phenomenon occurs in some women but not in others.  […]
November 12, 2020

Compounds block stress-enhanced nicotine intake in rats

Stress is a major cause of relapse after people quit smoking. Worrying situations, such as money or relationship problems, can affect neurotransmitter levels in the brain, leading former smokers to reach for a cigarette. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science have discovered that compounds that activate γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) […]
November 12, 2020

Penn Researchers Identify Specific Genes and Cell Pathways as Key Players in the Rare Female Lung Disease Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)

Deleting the TSC2 gene in specific lung cells of mice led to the activation of the mTORC1 signalling pathway and pulmonary disease characteristics consistent with human LAM disease, particularly in female breeder mice. These mice without TSC2 also exhibited a dysfunctional WNT cellular signalling pathway, which is also tied to lung […]
November 11, 2020

pH-sensitive iridium complexes as catalytic anticancer compounds

IMDEA Nanociencia researchers present a new family of organometallic iridium complexes that generate cytotoxicity only upon intracellular activation. Chemotherapy is defined as the use of chemicals to reach and damage cancer cells. On its way towards the tumour, the drugs can affect healthy cells as well. For example, cisplatin, a […]
November 11, 2020

No, your birth control won’t cause depression

Study debunks common myth that hormonal contraceptives cause depression, suicide in women. Women who struggle with mental illness often don’t take the most effective birth control methods because they worry the hormones in these contraceptives can trigger depression and suicide, a myth that has been perpetuated by recent studies. A […]
November 11, 2020

Study discovers potential target for treating aggressive cancer cells

As researchers and medical professionals work to develop new treatments for cancer, they face a variety of challenges. One is intratumor heterogeneity — the presence of multiple kinds of cancer cells within the same tumor. Often, these “mosaic” tumors include cells, such as polyploidal giant cancer cells, that have evolved […]
November 11, 2020

Fish give insight on sound sensitivity in autism

A tiny fish is helping scientists understand how the human brain processes sound, while also giving insight to autism spectrum disorder. Scientists at The University of Queensland used zebrafish that carry the same genetic mutations as humans with Fragile X syndrome and autism, and discovered the neural networks and pathways that produce […]
November 11, 2020

Mid-levels of immune marker at birth may protect against autism

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated the association between certain immune markers in neonates and the risk of later developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They found that mid-levels of a classical marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein, were associated with the lowest risk for ASD – whereas too much or not […]
November 11, 2020

Making cancer cells more susceptible to dying

Radiation and chemotherapy are designed to kill cancer cells. But for many patients, cancer cells can survive even after being hit with high doses of chemotherapy or radiation. To make treatment more effective, scientists are focusing on ways to tweak the inner machinery of cancer cells to make them more […]
November 11, 2020

Chemicals in your living room cause diabetes

A new UC Riverside study shows flame retardants found in nearly every American home cause mice to give birth to offspring that become diabetic. These flame retardants, called PBDEs, have been associated with diabetes in adult humans. This study demonstrates that PBDEs cause diabetes in mice only exposed to the […]
November 10, 2020

New immunotherapy launches a two-pronged attack against cancer

Cancer affects millions and millions of people every year. Scientists would like to encourage our own immune system to attack it, which is why immunotherapies are probably the most promising treatments for cancer. Now scientists at UCL developed a new kind of immunotherapy, which launches a two-pronged attack against melanoma, […]
November 10, 2020

Preventing frailty could delay or prevent dementia

Dementia is in the cards for many. It is a common typically age-related cognitive decline, which is a burden for the patients and their families. Dementia is an incurable condition and one of the most common causes of death as well. It is estimated that around 50 million people globally […]
November 10, 2020

BioVaxys Files Patent Application for Novel COVID-19 Diagnostic for T-Cell Immunity

BioVaxys Technology Corp. (CSE: BIOV) (“BioVaxys” or “the Company”), a world leader in haptenized protein vaccine research and development, announced that it has filed a Provisional Patent Application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office entitled “Method and kit for detection of cell mediated immune response” related to the potential […]
November 10, 2020

Researchers Apply Microvesicle Technology for Nerve Repair

Nerve injury is a common clinical problem. The repair or regeneration of the defective nerve is a complex process. Peripheral nerves have a limited capacity to regenerate after an injury. Microvesicles are a type of extracellular vesicles that are released from the cell membrane. The membranes of mesenchymal stem cells, […]
November 10, 2020

Research maps gene functions in pancreas cells that lead to diabetes

A team of researchers led by a University of Alberta pharmacology professor has mapped the function and gene expression of individual insulin-producing cells within the human pancreas, opening new paths of research for diagnosing and treating diabetes. “There’s been a lot of excitement the last few years about understanding how pancreatic beta […]
November 10, 2020

Biomedical engineers investigate engineered tissue to treat lung disease

Research by University at Buffalo biomedical engineers Ruogang Zhao and Yun Wu may help discover new drugs to treat pulmonary fibrosis, a severe lung disease that can be life-threatening. Pulmonary fibrosis has many causes, including smoking, ageing, environmental factors and viral infections, such as those associated with COVID-19. There is […]
November 10, 2020

A more abundant hormone to treat atrial fibrillation

Calcitonin, a well-known thyroid hormone that helps regulate bone mass and collagen production, is also produced by cells in the heart, researchers in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia have found. Published in Nature, their breakthrough promises to aid in developing new treatments for people with atrial fibrillation (AF), a common […]
November 9, 2020

Diet and lifestyle during pregnancy linked to modifications in infants’ DNA

A new study has shown pregnant women with obesity could reduce the health risks for their infants through improved diet and more physical activity. Research published in the journal PLosMed investigates the impact of high glucose in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and changes to infants DNA. GDM is […]
November 9, 2020

Researchers show how to target a 'shape-shifting' protein in Alzheimer’s disease

A new study suggests that it is possible to design drugs that can target a type of shape-shifting protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease, which was previously thought to be undruggable. A team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, have identified a new mechanism of targeting amyloid-beta, a protein […]