General

Scientist have identified a link between exposure to high levels of oestrogen sex hormones in the womb and the likelihood of developing autism. The findings are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. The discovery adds further evidence to support the prenatal sex steroid theory of autism first proposed 20 years […]

Although psychiatric disorders can be linked to particular genes, the brain regions and mechanisms underlying particular disorders are not well-understood. Mutations or deletions of the SHANK3 gene are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a related rare disorder called Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Mice with SHANK3 mutations also display some […]

In recent decades, scientists have successfully mapped the human genome, but it’s viewed in a way similar to viewing a screen without a sharp resolution picture. Now a new digital tool designed at the University of Missouri will allow scientists to study the detailed interactions between chromosomes within the human genome through […]

As we age, our eyes lose their ability to focus up close. It’s a condition called presbyopia, and it’s both extremely common and relatively easy to fix, with solutions like reading glasses, bifocals, or progressive lenses. Another common correction, called monovision, solves the problem with different lenses in each eye, […]

A team of Vanderbilt investigators has discovered how a DNA repair pathway protein shields sites of damage to avoid mutations and maintain genome integrity. “DNA repair is critical to prevent cancer. The loss of or inefficiencies in DNA repair cause mutations and changes in our chromosomes that lead to cancer […]

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center have enrolled their first participant in a new clinical research study evaluating the potential benefits of an investigational medicine for people with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. The Phase 1 research study, called “Efavirenz in Patients with […]

In a study using yeast cells and data from cancer cell lines, Johns Hopkins University scientists report finding a potential weak spot in cancer cells that have extra sets of chromosomes, the structures that carry genetic material. The vulnerability is rooted in a common feature among cancer cells — the high protein […]

A researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation will use a $634,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study the role of T cells in cardiovascular disease among older people. The five-year NIH grant awarded to Daniel Wayne Trott, an assistant professor in the Department […]

Argonne National Laboratory’s storied Advanced Photon Source, home to thousands of experiments through the years, is currently aiding in a study of shark spines — one that could shed light on human bones. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory has facilitated tens of […]

Cuts, scrapes, blisters, burns, splinters, and punctures – there are a number of ways our skin can be broken. Most treatments for skin wounds involve simply placing a barrier over them (usually an adhesive gauze bandage) to keep it moist, limit pain, and reduce exposure to infectious microbes, but do […]

Cellular soldiers created using the body’s own defenses can track down and kill escaping cancer cells during surgeries, preventing metastasis and saving lives, a Vanderbilt University biomedical engineer has discovered, particularly in cases of triple negative breast cancer. Michael King, J. Lawrence Wilson Professor of Engineering and chair of the […]

After a cancer patient receiving an immunotherapy developed encephalitis and died 18 months into treatment, researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) investigated why the complication occurred, performing a molecular analysis of the disease’s pathology and mining data to determine the incidence of similar occurrences. The molecular analysis revealed the presence […]

But often what ails us is inside the body and is not so easy to reach. In such cases, a treatment like surgery or chemotherapy might be called for. A pair of researchers in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science are working on an entirely new form of treatment—microrobots […]

For many older adults, resistance training may not be part of their daily routine, but a new position statement suggests it is vital to improving their health and longevity. “When you poll people on if they want to live to 100 years old, few will respond with a ‘yes’,” says Maren Fragala, […]

Many women have breast implants with no serious complications, but textured implants manufactured by Allergan are now considered too risky for patients. Allergen announced a global recall of the macro-textured implants that have been linked to a rare type of cancer, breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). The Food and […]

The tiny hydra, a freshwater invertebrate related to jellyfish and corals, has an amazing ability to renew its cells and regenerate damaged tissue. Cut a hydra in half, and it will regenerate its body and nervous system in a couple of days. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have […]

Using the zebra finch, a songbird, the researchers looked at the effects of short-term social isolation on measures related to long-term brain function and health. The results show that the experience of being alone has immediate consequences on brain gene activity. The researchers found that some of the changes are […]

It’s important to know one’s new cells are getting nourishment. Rice University scientists are working on a way to tell for sure. The Rice lab of bioengineer Jane Grande-Allen has invented soft microparticle sensors to monitor oxygen levels in hydrogels that serve as scaffolds for growing tissues. Hydrogels being developed at Rice’s Brown […]

As embryos develop, they follow predetermined patterns of tissue folding, so that individuals of the same species end up with nearly identically shaped organs and very similar body shapes. MIT scientists have now discovered a key feature of embryonic tissue that helps explain how this process is carried out so […]

Just by slowing their metabolism, mutant fruit flies can go from zero to hero. In a new Northwestern University study, researchers slowed mutant fruit flies’ metabolic rates by 50%, and the expected detrimental effects of many mutations never manifested. After experimentally testing fruit flies’ many different genetic mutations, the researchers […]

Old-school Hollywood editors cut out unwanted frames of film and patched in desired frames to make a movie. The human body does something similar—trillions of times per second—through a biochemical editing process called RNA splicing. Rather than cutting film, it edits the messenger RNA that is the blueprint for producing […]

Multiple sclerosis is a  demyelinating disease, characterized by the damage of the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain. There is no known cure for multiple sclerosis and long-term outcome is difficult to predict. MS is the most common immune-mediated disorder affecting the central nervous system with 2-2.5 million […]

The mere presence of parasites can have a negative effect on hosts, according to new research by University of Alberta parasitologists. The study, led by U of A associate professor Lien Luong, examined the effects on fruit flies living among parasitic mites. It found that flies exposed to, but not infected […]

With its elegant double helix and voluminous genetic script, DNA has become the of darling of nucleic acids. Yet, it is not all powerful. In order for DNA to realize its potential—for genes to become proteins—it must first be transcribed into RNA, a delicate molecule that requires intense care and […]

The chemical interactions that give proteins their shape may be weaker and more numerous than previously recognized. These weak connections provide a new way for researchers to understand proteins that cause disease and help them gain insights into the fundamentals of chemistry. Chemists at the University of Tokyo modeled the […]

Cells dispose of harmful “trash” through autophagy, a normal and necessary process in which aggregated proteins and dysfunctional structures are handled. If any part of this fails, waste builds up inside cells, eventually killing them. According to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as […]

Medicine has a “Goldilocks” problem. Many therapies are safe and effective only when administered at just the right time and in very precise doses – when given too early or too late, in too large or too small an amount, medicines can be ineffective or even harmful. But in many […]

Scientists have created the first completely artificial protein switch that can work inside living cells to modify—or even commandeer—the cell’s complex internal circuitry. The switch is dubbed LOCKR, short for Latching, Orthogonal Cage/Key pRotein. Companion papers published in the journal Nature describe LOCKR’s design and demonstrate several practical applications of the […]

When it comes to heart disease, the health of the scaffold where cardiac cells grow may be a much bigger factor than previously believed. Stuart Campbell, associate professor of biomedical engineering & cellular and molecular physiology, led a team of researchers examined the effects of a diseased extracellular matrix (ECM) […]

Trinity College Dublin researchers have found that one in 347 men and one in 436 women can be expected to develop motor neurone disease during their lifetime. Motor neurone disease (MND) is a devastating condition which causes progressive paralysis, increasing physical disability and ultimately death within an average of two […]