General

How life works may come down to dumbbell-like bits of DNA. Rice University scientists on a long quest to study the structure and function of chromosomes have found that amid the apparent chaotic state of DNA during interphase, when cells are between divisions, there are pockets of order in the configuration […]

For people with multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system, exercise is a proven way to hold off symptoms of fatigue and loss of mobility. But those same symptoms of the disease can cause such mobility issues in some people with MS that even getting started with exercising is […]

An electronic nudge to clinicians—triggered by an algorithm that used machine learning methods to flag patients with cancer who would most benefit from a conversation around end-of-life goals—tripled the rate of those discussions, according to a new prospective, randomized study of nearly 15,000 patients from Penn Medicine and published in […]

According to the Mayo Clinic, about 15% of couples are infertile, and male infertility plays a role in over one-third of these cases. Often, problems with sperm development are to blame. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have found a way to deliver a protein important for sperm cell production directly to […]

For many cancers, doctors are increasingly looking to the DNA that solid tumours shed into the bloodstream to help with diagnosis and monitoring. But brain cancer has been a different story thanks to the natural blockade created by the blood-brain barrier. Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Michigan Medicine […]

Brain cell dysfunction in low oxygen is, surprisingly, caused by the very same responder system that is intended to be protective, according to a newly published study by a team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “These powerful protein responders initially protect brain cells from low […]

Among women participating in cervical cancer screening in Sweden, those with a diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer had an increased risk of iatrogenic injuries (as a consequence of medical intervention) and non-iatrogenic injuries (caused by accidents and self-harm) requiring hospitalization, according to results published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. […]

Martin Enge’s research group at the Department of Oncology-Pathology has developed a new method for joint analysis of a cell’s state and accumulated genetic variation in single cells, applied to childhood leukaemias and other cancers. The article is published in the journal Molecular Cell. The method enables studies of how […]

A multidisciplinary team of researchers at McMaster University have discovered a structural feature of human bone that has never been studied before under a microscope, bringing scientists closer to advancing bone implants and treatments for bone diseases. Using a plasma focused ion beam microscope at the Canadian Centre for Electron […]

Ulcers are open wounds that fail to heal. They are caused or exacerbated by poor blood and nerve supply and in the case of foot ulcers, bad feet architecture. In severe cases, they can lead to amputation and there are an estimated 8,000 preventable foot amputations in Australia every year. […]

Researchers at McMaster and Brock universities have created the prototype for a hand-held device to measure a biomarker for cancer, paving the way for home-based cancer monitoring and to improve access to diagnostic testing. The device works much like the monitors that people with diabetes use to test their blood-sugar […]

New research shows a simple skin test can accurately identify Parkinson’s disease, demonstrating for the first time the feasibility of the method. Currently diagnosed by clinical signs and symptoms but only definitively diagnosed at autopsy, Parkinson’s disease is commonly misdiagnosed early in the disease course, complicating clinical trials of potential […]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), nanometer-sized messengers that travel between cells to deliver cues and cargo, are promising tools for the next generation of therapies for everything from autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases to cancer and tissue injuries. EVs have already been shown to help heart cells recover after a heart attack, but […]

This phase 2 trial also identified a subset of patients with specific mutations who may see the most benefit from the drug. When first- and second-line treatments have been exhausted, few options remain for patients with advanced head and neck cancer. A new phase 2 clinical trial by researchers at […]

Pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly and Company have purchased Disarm Therapeutics, a startup biotechnology firm founded by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Disarm Therapeutics was co-founded by Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD, and Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD, to speed the development of treatments for multiple neurodegenerative conditions. Based […]

Intranasal administration of an anti-inflammatory drug helped reduce disease progression in a preclinical model of multiple sclerosis, according to recent research out of the University of Alberta. Christopher Power, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, and Leina Saito, a graduate student on his team, showed that delivering an anti-inflammatory […]

New generation CRISPR technology lays foundation for therapeutics to treat a wide range of inherited ocular diseases. A breakthrough study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, results in the restoration of retinal and visual functions of mice models suffering from inherited retinal disease. Published in Nature Biomedical […]

Large repository of blood samples from military personnel provides invaluable resource for PNNL biomedical scientists Routine serial blood draws during military personnel’s service are proving to be an invaluable bank of specimens for health researchers. Using samples collected at enlistment, every two years for HIV testing, and at pre-deployment and post-deployment, […]

Humans aren’t born with mature brain circuitry that attaches emotions to the things they see or hear in their environment, a new study shows. Researchers studying brain scans of newborns found that the part of the brain involved in experiencing emotions isn’t functionally connected in a mature way with the […]

Gene editing for the development of new treatments, and for studying disease as well as normal function in humans and other organisms, may advance more quickly with a new tool for cutting larger pieces of DNA out of a cell’s genome, according to a new study by UC San Francisco […]

Hair loss seems like a minor problem to many. You got bald, so what? Some people prefer this look. However, for many men going bald is a terrible experience and they would pay good money to avoid it. Now scientists at the University of Helsinki have identified a mechanism that […]

Multidrug resistance (MDR) – a process in which tumours become resistant to multiple medicines –– is the main cause of failure of cancer chemotherapy. Tumour cells often acquire MDR by boosting their production of proteins that pump drugs out of the cell, rendering the chemotherapies ineffective. Now, researchers reporting in […]

A team led by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has produced a detailed picture of fuel and nutrient use by the human heart. The study, published in Science, was the first of its kind, involving the simultaneous sampling of blood from different parts […]

For a tiny embryo to develop into an adult organism, its cells must develop in precise patterns and interact with their neighbours in carefully orchestrated ways. To create complex tissues and organs – from the pattern of rods and cones in the retina to the Byzantine filtration systems of the […]

The thymus is a small organ in which thymocytes generated in the bone marrow mature to become T cells of the adaptive immune system. Unfortunately, the thymus atrophies with age, its active tissue largely replaced by fat in most people by age 50 or so. Thereafter the adaptive immune system […]

It’s called senescence, when stressed cells can no longer divide to make new cells, and it’s considered a factor in aging and in some diseases. Now scientists have some of the first evidence that at a younger age at least, senescent cells show up quickly after a major injury and […]

Most research on the microbial life of the body in the context of aging is focused on the gut microbiome, though a fair amount of investigation of oral microbial populations also takes place. In both cases, changes occur with age that allow harmful species of microbe to prosper, contributing to […]

The microbiome of the gut changes with age, and this is presently thought to have a meaningful influence over the course of aging. It is perhaps in the same ballpark as the effects of exercise on the pace of aging and risk of age-related disease, and certainly overlaps with the […]

Age-related dementia is in the cards for many. It is an incurable condition, which is one of the worst things about aging. It is debilitating to the patient as well as his entire family. Now scientists at UCL have developed an artificial intelligence based app, which can help screening people […]

Researchers here report on an interesting proof of concept, incorporating electronic device capabilities into the flexible biomaterials used as scaffolding for blood vessel tissue engineering. As a next generation technology to potentially replace the use of stents in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, bioartificial blood vessel sections are already promising. […]