General

The makeup of our microbiomes — the unique communities of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that live in and on us — have been linked, with varying degrees of evidence, to everything from inflammatory bowel disease to athletic performance. But exactly how could such tiny organisms have such immense influences […]

Exotic molecule linked to ozone also at work in chronic diseases and cancers, and even the decomposition of food. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have made a surprising discovery that could help explain our risk for developing chronic diseases or cancers as […]

It’s known that genetics, or an inherited genome, is a major determinant of one’s risk for autoimmune diseases, like Type 1 diabetes. In human cells, a person’s genome—about six feet of DNA—is compressed into the micrometer space of the nucleus via a three-dimensional folding process. Specialized proteins decode the genetic […]

Cats share around 250 types of genetic diseases with humans, and they are seen as a next-generation animal model for diseases. During his days as a veterinarian, Project Professor Watanabe saw many animals succumb to diseases, including genetic diseases which were incurable. He presses forward with his research on cat […]

Researchers have converted human stem cells into insulin-producing cells and demonstrated in mice infused with such cells that blood sugar levels can be controlled and diabetes functionally cured for nine months. The findings, from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are published online in the journal […]

The Alberta government’s plan for many arthritis, diabetes, and Crohn’s disease patients to switch to less expensive medications by July 1 could create legal challenges for doctors, say two researchers at the University of Alberta. “If a physician has concerns about switching, there may be a legal obligation as a […]

Development of a novel technology to generate maps of interaction between RNA and genomic DNA reveals that different classes of transcripts play a significant role in chromatin organization and regulation of gene expression. The results are published in Nature Communications by an international collaboration lead by researchers at RIKEN in […]

While many of us worry about proteins aggregating in our brains as we age and potentially causing Alzheimer’s disease or other types of neurodegeneration, we may not realize that some of the same proteins are aggregating in our muscles, setting us up for muscle atrophy in old age. University of […]

To improve how broken bones heal in people with diabetes, the School of Dental Medicine’s Henry Daniell, Sheri Yang, and colleagues are leading work to develop an affordable oral therapy—grown in plants. People with diabetes are at a higher risk of fracturing a bone than the general population. And if […]

X-ray studies reveal atomic-level distortions that enhance generation of heat for killing tumor cells or improving response to chemotherapy/radiation Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered key details of magnetic nanoparticles that may improve their use in an innovative treatment known as magnetic hyperthermia—literally […]

Researchers said the wavelengths at sunrise and sunset have the biggest impact to brain centers that regulate our circadian clock and our mood and alertness. Their study, “A color vision circuit for non-image-forming vision in the primate retina,” published in Current Biology Feb. 20, identifies a cell in the retina, which […]

Studies of the various approaches to raising NAD+ levels in aged mitochondria are a good illustration of the importance of the loss of mitochondrial function in degenerative aging. Researchers have studied this effect in numerous tissues and organs, with most such work examining muscle or the brain, both energy-hungry tissues and thus more dependent […]

Current tests for male fertility include measuring the concentration and motility of spermatozoa. However, other characteristics of sperm, such as their ability to follow a chemical trail to the egg, can influence the likelihood of fertilization. Now, researchers reporting in Analytical Chemistry have devised a quick and convenient microfluidic chip to assess […]

The brain is a ravenous organ. A three-pound adult human brain consumes about a fifth of the body’s energy, yet it cannot store energy on its own and requires constant nourishment from the cardiovascular system. The organ’s energy needs fluctuate greatly depending on neural activity, and sufficient blood must be […]

Due to Zika virus, more than 1,600 babies were born in Brazil with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, from September 2015 through April 2016. The epidemic took health professionals by surprise because the virus had been known since 1947 and was not linked to birth defects. As scientists scrambled to […]

In the UK, ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in females*. A new study has found evidence to suggest that statins could lower the risk of women developing ovarian cancer. The research led by the University of Bristol, and funded by Cancer Research UK, is published in JAMA. […]

Researchers hope confirmation of association will lead to novel therapeutics for infants and adults. Breastfeeding affects infant growth and, researchers have found, helps prevent obesity, both in childhood and later in life. However, the components of breast milk responsible for these beneficial effects remain mostly a mystery. Human milk is […]

Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a control system that could make CAR T-cell therapy safer and more powerful when treating cancer. By programming CAR T cells to switch on when exposed to blue light, the researchers controlled the cells to destroy skin tumors in mice […]

Researchers in a new study provide evidence for significant levels of cell death to occur in the brain earlier than expected in the development of Alzheimer's disease, during the stage of mild cognitive impairment thought to be driven by the aggregation of amyloid-β. The researchers identify some portions of a mechanism by which […]

There are many ongoing discussions about the possibility to reduce the effects of biological aging, or even eliminating/reversing it completely. Here, the video presented below briefly summarizes the main concepts and research trends in the field of aging, and provides interesting commentaries from two world-wide recognized scientists, professor David Sinclair […]

Over 46 million people in the world suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, a common type of dementia named after the doctor who first identified it. It has been 110 years since the disease was first reported, but a fundamental treatment has yet to be discovered. One reason why could be that […]

Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that results in hearing and vision loss in childhood, affects about four out of every 100,000 Canadians and accounts for over 50 percent of the Deafblind community. Now, with new funding from Fighting Blindness Canada (FCB), Vincent Tropepe, professor and chair of the department of cell and systems biology in […]

Scientists at Dongguk University successfully treated Alzheimer’s disease in mice using the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9. They used the tool to edit out the Alzheimer’s causing gene in the mice, thereby improving their memory and other cognitive functions. While this is only a first step and much research remains to be […]

An analysis of 149 scientific studies has identified 24 genetic variants that predispose women to endometrial cancer. The systematic review, led by Emma Crosbie, Professor of Gynaecological Oncology from The University of Manchester, part of the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), could help scientists develop targeted screening and prevention […]

Life is usefully defined on the basis of process: any set of entities that participates in the process of evolution by natural selection is alive. But how does evolution by natural selection – and thus life – get started? The answer is far from obvious. Lack of insight haunts origins […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Milan in Italy have identified a gene in human neurons that protects against the degeneration of motor neurons in the deadly diseases ALS and SMA. Gene therapy in animal models of these diseases was shown to protect against cell death […]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder, impairing the motor functions of millions of elderly people worldwide. Often, people with PD will experience disturbances in gastrointestinal function, such as constipation, years before motor symptoms set in. Postmortem examinations of the brains of people with PD have shown that their […]

A new study that reveals the dozens of molecular changes that bring about endometrial cancer offers insight into how physicians might be able to better identify which patients will need aggressive treatment and why a common treatment is not effective for some patients. The study appears in the journal Cell. […]

Six research discoveries with the potential to provide benefit to society have been awarded funding from the University’s Intellectual Property Accelerator Fund, which aims to speed the development of innovative projects into real-world applications. The projects address a range of societal challenges, from new treatments for cancer, hepatitis B and obesity, […]

Many people consult their friends and neighbors before making a big decision. It turns out that cells also consult their neighbors — in the human body. Scientists and physicians have long known that immune cells migrate to the site of an infection, which individuals experience as inflammation — swelling, redness […]