General

By the second trimester, long before a baby’s eyes can see images, they can detect light. But the light-sensitive cells in the developing retina — the thin sheet of brain-like tissue at the back of the eye — were thought to be simple on-off switches, presumably there to set up […]

The highly contagious norovirus causes diarrhea and vomiting and is notorious for spreading rapidly through densely populated spaces, such as cruise ships, nursing homes, schools, and daycare centers. Each year, it is responsible for some 200,000 deaths, mostly in the developing world. There are no treatments for this intestinal virus, […]

From gene therapies to cancer immunotherapies to cancer vaccines, recent biomedical advances have redefined what is possible in medicine. Yet, despite the advent of such transformative therapies, bottlenecks in the discovery pipeline and backlogs in production remain pressing challenges that hamper the rapid and widespread delivery of new lifesaving treatments […]

Two genes that appear to help stem cells in the intestine burn dietary fat may play a role in colon cancer, according to a Rutgers study. The study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, describes a new connection between the way cells consume fat and how genes regulate stem cell behavior in the […]

Researchers make a breakthrough by identifying that several aggressive pediatric brain tumors are the result of stalled development in embryonic cells. A research team led by Dr. Claudia Kleinman, an investigator at the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, together with Dr. Nada Jabado, of the Research Institute […]

A University of Bristol spin-out company has raised £1.1 million in funding to develop next generation cell therapies that could open new ways to treat solid tumours and improve the lives of 18 million people worldwide who are diagnosed with cancer each year. Presently, treatments for solid tumours, which account […]

The buildup of scar tissue makes recovery from torn rotator cuffs, jumper’s knee, and other tendon injuries a painful, challenging process, often leading to secondary tendon ruptures. New research led by Carnegie’s Chen-Ming Fan and published in Nature Cell Biology reveals the existence of tendon stem cells that could potentially […]

Scientists from the Case Western Reserve University digital imaging lab, already pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict whether chemotherapy will be successful, can now determine which lung-cancer patients will benefit from expensive immunotherapy. And, once again, they’re doing it by teaching a computer to find previously unseen […]

Gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease plays indirect role in risk for delirium, study finds. Delirium is the most common post-surgical complication in older adults. Marked by acute temporary confusion, disorientation and/or agitation, it strikes as many as half of adults over 65 who undergo high-risk procedures such as cardiac surgery […]

It is well known that fine particulates in the air are associated with cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases and cancer. What are not yet known are the different types of pollution that contribute to this fine particulate matter and which are most harmful to human health. Randall Martin, professor of energy, […]

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of cancer affecting children in Switzerland and, unfortunately, is often incurable. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Children’s Hospital Zurich have now found a way to stop the driving force behind this type of leukemia at a molecular level […]

Low-grade glioma is a slow-growing brain tumour. Although it develops very slowly, it is still deadly. Worse still, it drastically limits people’s independence and quality of life, because it causes seizures. But advancements in medicine and new treatment practices drastically improved the prognosis for people with the low-grade glioma. Back […]

Researchers have discovered striking variation in the underlying genetic machinery that orchestrates sexual differentiation in frogs, demonstrating that evolution of this crucial biological system has moved at a dramatic pace. A team of biologists examined more than two dozen species of Pipidae, a family of frog found in tropical South […]

Extra DNA scooped up and copied alongside cancer-causing genes helps keep tumors going—elements that could represent new drug targets for brain tumors and other cancers notoriously difficult to treat. One of the ways a cancer-causing gene works up enough power to turn a normal cell into a cancer cell is […]

The researchers found nearly two thirds (60%) of the group aged 17 and under experienced insomnia or restless sleep and in turn, a higher proportion of these had conditions such as ADHD, anxiety disorders and conduct disorder. Furthermore, those with sleep problems were also more likely to have movement problems, […]

A team of Cardiff University researchers has uncovered a potential new way to treat a very rare genetic disorder that causes muscles in the arms and legs to become increasingly weak. GNE myopathy is a debilitating condition that affects young adults in their 20s or 30s, typically leaving them in […]

A new study published by The Journal of Pediatrics shows increased rates of implementation of hospital-based breastfeeding initiatives are associated with decreased rates of infant deaths in the first six days after birth, dispelling speculation that such practices might increase infant death. The authors of the study examined trends in the percentage of births […]

Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. It is not easy to notice, because people are not paying attention. You have to look after your moles and skin pigmentation – this is the only way to catch melanoma early. However, it is even more difficult to recognize and identify […]

Wound-repair capabilities preserve tissue integrity during early infection and might prevent inflammation that underlies immune exhaustion. Wound healing events in mucous tissues during early infection by Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, or SIV, guard some primate species against developing  AIDS, a recent study has learned.  The research looked at why certain species […]

When his wife died of a rare ovarian cancer 10 years ago, Powel Crosley vowed to find a cure. Despite a lack of scientific training at the time, he is now within sight of the first ever clinical test for a treatment. The 66-year-old will graduate tomorrow with a master’s […]

Researchers have devised a new plan of attack against a group of deadly childhood brain cancers collectively called diffuse midline gliomas (DMG), including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), thalamic glioma and spinal cord glioma. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, Stanford University, California, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, identified […]

By 2030, for the first time in recorded history, the old will begin to outnumber the young. This demographic shift poses significant social, economic, and health challenges, but also presents an unprecedented opportunity for accelerating research, innovation, and entrepreneurism in the field of healthy longevity – thereby building more vibrant […]

Drugs commonly used to treat arthritis may help to prevent breast cancer spreading to the bone, where it is incurable, new research suggests. In a major new study published in Nature Communications, scientists propose that NHS arthritis drugs anakinra, canakinumab and sulfasalazine could in future be repurposed to help treat breast […]

Harvard Medical School researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified a previously unknown biological pathway that promotes chronic inflammation, a discovery that may help explain why sedentary people have an increased risk for heart disease and strokes. Reporting in Nature Medicine, the researchers at Mass General and several other institutions […]

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists, with chemists and cancer biologists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), have developed a new therapy that extended the survival of mice with acute myeloid leukemia. The scientists are the first to demonstrate the anti-cancer effect of blocking the Salt-Inducible Kinase 3 (SIK3) pathway in leukemia […]

Milking the umbilical cord — gently squeezing the cord and pushing the contents into the newborn’s abdomen before clamping the cord — could increase the risk for severe intraventricular hemorrhage, or bleeding into the brain’s fluid-filled cavities, in extremely preterm infants, according to results of a study funded by the […]

Adults with Type 2 diabetes may have more to gain by participating in physical activity and exercise than healthy adults, but they may also have more to lose, according to University of Alberta exercise and diabetes physiology researchers. “Exercise can improve one’s glucose levels, which can help slow the progression […]

Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a new class of drugs with the potential to make cancer treatment safer and more effective by preventing cancer cells from repairing themselves. “For patients with resistant cancer, these drugs could rescue them by rendering their cancer once again treatable,” said U […]

Current cancer treatment courses often begin with tissue biopsies. Biopsies, however, which involve the physical resection of a small tissue sample, can lead to localized tissue injury, bleeding, inflammation, and stress, as well as increased risk of metastasis. New technology developed by a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU), […]

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are developing tiny solutions for some of today's largest challenges. From understanding the basic properties of nanomaterials thousands of times thinner than a human hair to developing nanomaterials with unique and useful properties, their research could lead to big outcomes […]