General

You know lobsters from TV documentaries, school biology books and restaurant menus. You may know that they can grow up to be pretty big and that they are delicious. You might also have seen a bizarre fact about them floating on the internet – lobsters do not age and are […]

In the future, treating a concussion could be as simple as cooling the brain. That’s according to research conducted by the University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers, whose findings support the treatment approach at the cellular level. “There are currently no effective medical treatments for concussions and other types of traumatic brain […]

Prions, a class of misfolded proteins, have a tendency to form infectious aggregates, causing deadly neurodegenerative diseases in humans (such as Alzheimer's). In a new study, scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Kanazawa University use high-speed atomic force microscopy to uncover the structural and dynamic properties of […]

Eisai Co., Ltd. has announced that drug discovery research conducted on lenvatinib mesylate (brand name: LENVIMA, lenvatinib), the orally available multikinase inhibitor discovered by Eisai, has been honored with The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (PSJ) Award for Drug Research and Development '20 by the PSJ. The PSJ Award for Drug […]

Over the past several decades we managed to increase the average lifespan of people. However, now scientists are more focused on healthspan – the duration of the time in your life when you are feeling healthy. Old age is still associated with frailty and cognitive problems. However, scientists from King’s […]

Everyone wants to live a long, happy and healthy life. However, some of us are young and stressed already. In fact, sometimes young people are looking up to older people, because they look so calm and composed. Why is that? Is it true that life gets better with age? Scientists […]

Your energy levels fluctuate throughout the day. Sometimes you feel full of energy and ready to tackle whatever the day is going to throw at you. And then you feel tired and want to go to sleep. These fluctuations are controlled by the circadian clock. If it does not work […]

An analysis of a large Swedish cohort revealed that breast density, microcalcifications, and masses are heritable features, and that breast density and microcalcifications were positively associated with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Research. “Breast features identified through mammography are important for identifying women […]

A new study in Neuron offers clues to why autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more common in boys than in girls. National Institutes of Health scientists found that a single amino acid change in the NLGN4 gene, which has been linked to autism symptoms, may drive this difference in some […]

The same basic tools that allow computers to function are now being used to control life at the molecular level. The advances have implications for future medicines and synthetic biology. Reporting in the journal Science, a team led by the University of Washington School of Medicine has created artificial proteins that function […]

By now you probably understand that we need to make our energy in a cleaner way. Solar, wind and hydro power plants will eventually take over. However, what you might not know is that some people believe that growth in fossil fuel use is required for increases in life expectancy. […]

Everyone wants to live a long a healthy life. Only in this way you get to experience more while you are alive. Age is the dominant risk factor for many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, dementia, heart disease, stroke and so on. Now scientists from the Salk Institute together with partners […]

People who are at high risk of developing lung cancer, such as heavy smokers, are routinely screened with computed tomography (CT), which can detect tumors in the lungs. However, this test has an extremely high rate of false positives, as it also picks up benign nodules in the lungs. Researchers […]

Understanding how the protein tau moves between neurons yields insight into possible treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. In the fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, the tau protein is a major culprit. Found abundantly in our brain cells, tau is normally a team player […]

Colorectal cancer kills more than 50,000 people a year in the United States alone, but scientists have struggled to find the exact mechanisms that trigger the growth of tumors in the intestine. Cancer researchers have zeroed in on a tightly sequestered group of stem cells within the intestine as suspects […]

Using a modified natural substance along with current clinical approaches could improve colon cancer treatment, according to findings by the University of California, Irvine biologists. The discovery comes from their research into the role of an amino acid in tumor development and a potential method for reversing the process. Their […]

Targeting patients with machine learning can increase the number of people getting liver cancer screenings, according to a National Institutes of Health-sponsored study by a research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University, Iowa State University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Regular and timely health screenings save […]

The machine learning techniques scientists use to predict outcomes from large datasets may fall short when it comes to projecting the outcomes of people’s lives, according to a mass collaborative study led by researchers at Princeton. Published by 112 co-authors in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the results […]

Findings provide insight that may inform search for treatments. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a second gene that causes melorheostosis, a rare group of conditions involving an often painful and disfiguring overgrowth of bone tissue. The gene, SMAD3, is part of a pathway that regulates cell development […]

Researchers at the University of California San Diego discovered that high blood levels of RNA produced by the PHGDH gene could serve as a biomarker for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. The work could lead to the development of a blood test to identify individuals who will develop the disease […]

Researchers have developed the first computational model of a human cell and simulated its behavior for 15 minutes – the longest time achieved for a biological system of this complexity. In a new study, simulations reveal the effects of spatial organization within cells on some of the genetic processes that […]

Chemical engineers have developed a way to protect transplanted drug-producing cells from immune system rejection. One promising way to treat diabetes is with transplanted islet cells that produce insulin when blood sugar levels get too low. However, patients who receive such transplants must take drugs to prevent their immune systems […]

MIT biochemists can trap and visualize an enzyme as it becomes active — an important development that may aid in future drug development. How do you capture a cellular process that transpires in the blink of an eye? Biochemists at MIT have devised a way to trap and visualize a […]

In Japan, an increase in the aging population has exacerbated the demand for regenerative medicine to address increasingly common diseases, such as knee osteoarthritis. In a new study, scientists from Tokyo University of Science, led by Prof Hidenori Otsuka, have developed a novel biocompatible hydrogel that acts as a structural […]

James Cook University scientists say a diet heavy in healthy fats and light on carbs may have significant benefits for people who suffer from some metabolic, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. Professor Zoltan Sarnyai is a neuroscientist with JCU’s Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine. He led a team examining […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and St Erik Eye Hospital in Sweden have discovered a way to refine the production of retinal cells from embryonic stem cells for treating blindness in the elderly. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, they have also managed to modify the cells so that they can hide […]

People continuously exposed to air pollution are at increased risk of dementia, especially if they also suffer from cardiovascular diseases, according to a study at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Therefore, patients with cardiovascular diseases who live in polluted environments may require additional support from […]

Cerebroatrophic hyperammonemia (CH) is a rare genetic disorder caused by the mutation of the MECP2 gene. The disease is prominent in females and the common clinical signs and symptoms include microcephaly (head circumference is smaller than normal), loss of coordination and normal movement, loss of communication abilities, abnormal hand movements, […]

Researchers are investigating whether hydroxychloroquine, a commonly used anti-malarial, and autoimmune-disease treatment, can prevent COVID-19. A multi-site clinical trial, led by the University of Washington School of Medicine in collaboration with New York University Grossman School of Medicine, aims to definitively determine whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent transmission in people exposed […]

Two Michigan researchers make major inroads into the biology of brown fat and its implications for weight loss and obesity-related diseases In recent years, brown fat has garnered attention as the so-called good fat that can protect against obesity and its associated health risks, like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Two […]