General

Our microbiomes — the complex communities of microbes that live in, on and around us — are influenced by our diets, habits, environments and genes, and are known to change with age. In turn, the makeup of our microbiomes, particularly in the gut, is well-recognized for its influence on our […]

Oxford University scientist have discovered the molecular ‘first responder’ which detects disturbances in the flow of blood through the arteries, and responds by encouraging the formation of plaques which can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke and even death. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that mice […]

SC scientists have developed a new tool to peer more deeply and clearly into living things, a visual advantage that saves time and helps advance medical cures. It’s the sort of foundational science that can be used to develop better diagnostics and treatments, including detecting lung cancer or damage from […]

Researchers from the University of Toronto Engineering and Sunnybrook Hospital have developed a novel type of handheld 3D printer capable of depositing uniform sheets of skin to cover large burn wounds, while its “bio ink” has been shown to accelerate the healing process. Writing in the journal Biofrabrication, the researchers […]

A fungus that attacks almond and peach trees may be key to identifying new drug targets for cancer therapy. A team of Florida State University researchers from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry found that a natural product from the fungus Fusicoccum amygdali stabilizes a family of proteins in the […]

Most memories fade in a matter of days or weeks, while some persist for months, years, or even for life. What allows certain experiences to leave such a long-lasting imprint in our neural circuits? This is an age-old question in neurobiology that has never been resolved, but new evidence is […]

Rutgers biomedical engineers have developed a “bio-ink” for 3D printed materials that could serve as scaffolds for growing human tissues to repair or replace damaged ones in the body. The study was published in the journal Biointerphases. Bioengineered tissues show promise in regenerative, precision and personalized medicine; product development; and basic research, […]

For children with high-risk brain tumors that resist standard therapy, the next step is often enrolling in a clinical trial. But connecting these young patients with the most promising therapies in the world is often a complicated and lengthy process. To address this challenge, an elite, global network of children’s […]

It’s no coincidence that some of the worst viral disease outbreaks in recent years — SARS, MERS, Ebola, Marburg and likely the newly arrived 2019-nCoV virus — originated in bats. A new University of California, Berkeley, study finds that bats’ fierce immune response to viruses could drive viruses to replicate […]

Epigenetic clocks are produced by examining age-related changes in DNA methylation, finding combinations of such changes that are consistent across populations, and predict chronological age. These clocks also predict mortality, in the sense that people with higher epigenetic than chronological age tend to have a higher mortality risk, or be more burdened […]

As much as 12 percent of adults in the United States are living with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an aggressive condition that can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. After identifying a molecular pathway that allows NASH to progress into liver cell death, University of California San Diego School of Medicine […]

Once a vague scapegoat for a variety of ills, increasing evidence suggests a condition known as “leaky gut” — in which microbes and other molecules seep out of the intestines — may be more common, and more harmful, than previously thought. Leaky gut is most often experienced by older people, […]

An anti-cancer compound developed at the University of Michigan has shown “profound” activity in mouse models against two subtypes of leukemia — representing up to 40% of patients — a U-M research team reports in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The compound, dubbed MI-3454, inhibits the protein-protein interaction between menin and Mixed Lineage […]

NSF-funded scientists reporting in the journal eLife have revealed that they are closer to understanding a risk factor for stomach cancer: how the bacterium Helicobacter pylori maintains its shape. About half the world's population is chronically infected with H. pylori, a bacterium whose helical, or corkscrew, shape allows it to burrow into the mucus lining of […]

An international team of scientists has identified a protein which is strongly linked to the commonest cause of blindness in developed countries when its levels are raised in the blood. The discovery is a major step forward in the understanding of age-related macular degeneration, which affects 1.5 million people in […]

A ‘biobank’ of pancreatic tumour samples, administered by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, has contributed to the most comprehensive database of cancer genomes in the world to date. The Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Initiative (APGI) contributed 175 genomes to the Pan-Cancer Project, a global effort that has created a resource […]

Genetically-edited immune cells can persist, thrive, and function months after a cancer patient receives them, according to new data published by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. The team showed cells removed from patients and brought back into the lab setting were […]

In a new study, researchers from DTU and the research unit for childhood asthma COPSAC have—as the first in the world—showing that immune system responses in children as young as 18 months can be used to predict the risk of them developing intermittent or persistent asthma. The method used by […]

How do some mammals postpone the development of their embryos to await better conditions for having offspring?  A recent study at the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine explored this reproductive enigma, which can occur in more than 130 species of mammals as well as in some […]

An elaborate system of filaments, liquid droplet dynamics and protein connectors enables the repair of some damaged DNA in the nuclei of cells, researchers at the University of Toronto have found. The findings further challenge the belief that broken DNA floats aimlessly – and highlight the value of cross-disciplinary research […]

From plastics to pesticides, it seems like every week delivers fresh news about the dangers of endocrine disruptors—chemicals in the environment that alter the body’s hormones and can lead to reproductive, developmental, neurologic and immune problems and cancer. Industry regulation and individual consumer choice can reduce exposure to such chemicals, […]

Loud noise can damage the inner ear and cause hearing loss. Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Iowa have shown that a drug compound can block damage caused by loud noise, raising the possibility of medication that prevents noise-induced hearing […]

Dementia is one of the most debilitating consequences of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition characterized by tremors, stiffness, slow movement and impaired balance. Eighty percent of people with Parkinson’s develop dementia within 20 years of the diagnosis, and patients who carry a particular variant of the gene APOE are at especially […]

Clumps of proteins inside cells are a common thread in many neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. These clumps, or solid aggregates of proteins, appear to be the result of an abnormality in the process known as liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), in which individual proteins […]

From avoiding lower back pain to burning more calories and improving memory, weightlifting offers wide-ranging benefits for body and mind, say U of A experts. While research shows little or no link between exercise and any meaningful long-term weight loss, that doesn’t mean exercising, particularly resistance training, doesn’t provide a […]

Biologists identify hearing-loss receptor in mice, use drug to prevent hearing damage. Once you start to lose your hearing, you can’t get it back. But what if you could prevent hearing loss by blocking in advance the effects of loud noises? That’s a route a team of biologists at the University […]

Survival may more than double for adults with glioblastoma, the most common and deadly type of brain tumor, if neurosurgeons remove the surrounding tissue as aggressively as they remove the cancerous core of the tumor. This discovery, reported in a retrospective study headed by researchers at UC San Francisco, is […]

Chronic inflammation, which results when old age, stress or environmental toxins keep the body’s immune system in overdrive, can contribute to a variety of devastating diseases, from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to diabetes and cancer. Now, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified a molecular “switch” that controls the […]

The phrase “Pavlov’s dogs” has long evoked images of bells, food and salivating dogs. Even though this tried-and-true model of repetitive patterns mimics a variety of learning processes, what happens on a cellular level in the brain isn’t clear. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire took a closer look […]

Scientists suggest a new strategy that uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to regulate immune reaction to transplanted tissues. The team, led by Professor Ken-ichiro Seino of Hokkaido University’s Institute for Genetic Medicine, found that thymic epithelium cells derived from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can regulate immune response […]