General

Genetically engineered trees that provide fire-resistant lumber for homes. Modified organs that won’t be rejected. Synthetic microbes that monitor your gut to detect invading disease organisms and kill them before you get sick. These are just some of the exciting advances likely to emerge from the 20-year-old field of engineering […]

Using the genome-editing system CRISPR, researchers at MIT and in China have engineered macaque monkeys to express a gene mutation linked to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in humans. These monkeys show some behavioral traits and brain connectivity patterns similar to those seen in humans with these conditions. Mouse studies […]

Having diabetes is a risk factor for many other health conditions, including stroke. “Every 40 seconds an American has a stroke,” says Frederick Korley, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Michigan Medicine. “To be successful at preventing strokes from occurring, we first need to accurately identify those who […]

Higher levels of a customary gut bacteria enhanced by breastfeeding in early infancy were found to be coupled with an improved response to vaccines in infants through two years of age, according to a first-of-its-kind study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their colleagues. Infants in the study, who […]

Research supported by the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) on Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (RA/SLE) provides new insights into tissue damage for these autoimmune conditions. Findings include the identification of novel molecular signatures related to immune system signaling in kidney cells that may reflect their active role in disease process; […]

The human immune system relies on a delicate balance of finely tuned cell types that keep germs and cancerous cells in check. In cancer and chronic infections this balance can be disrupted, resulting in immune system dysfunction or “exhaustion.” An important protein called TOX, which varies in amount in different […]

It is likely that in the not-distant future wounds will heal faster with the help of an electrical pulse that promotes rapid cell growth. The same type of pulse may be used for more efficient and effective delivery of drugs to fight disease. Such treatments rely on a process known […]

What causes the immune system, designed to protect us, to turn on the body and attack healthy cells? Common bacteria that reside in the human gut may be partly to blame, say Yale researchers, who studied the origins of a serious autoimmune disease that frequently affects young women. For their […]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Mostly chemoresistant, PDAC so far has no effective treatment. Understanding the connective tissue, called stroma, that surrounds, nurtures, and even protects PDAC tumors, is key to developing effective therapeutics. “PDAC patients are diagnosed really late, so […]

An anti-inflammatory drug called ketorolac, given before surgery, can promote long-term survival in animal models of cancer metastasis, a team of scientists has found. Furthermore, so-called “pro-resolution” therapies can also trigger the immune system to eliminate metastatic cells. The research also suggests that flanking chemotherapy with anti-inflammatory drugs can unleash […]

Using sound vibrations and pulses of near-infrared light, a Rutgers University scientist has developed a new “virtual biopsy” device that can quickly determine a skin lesion’s depth and potential malignancy without using a scalpel. The ability to analyze a skin tumor non-invasively could make biopsies much less risky and distressing […]

Immunotherapy is going to be the next big thing in cancer treatment. Someday cancer will be stopped at its tracks by drugs that could be essentially called vaccines. Scientists at the University of Helsinki developed porous silicon and adenovirus-based biohybrid nanovaccines that are safe, well tol­er­ated, and effective. Immunotherapy is […]

Our modern world is moving at an incredible pace. This means that we also have to hustle. Many people are waking up with a sound of an alarm clock, sometimes incredibly early. But is it healthy? Scientists from UCL conducted a study looking at sleep and mortality from across different […]

New research from Harvard Medical School researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center has shown that insulin resistance in mice increases the proportion of dysfunctional aged beta cells. Such an increase in aged beta cells could lead to type 2 diabetes. The researchers then confirmed a similarly increased proportion of aged beta […]

A new study shows that the complement system, part of the innate immune system, plays a protective role to slow retinal degeneration in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited eye disease. This surprising discovery contradicts previous studies of other eye diseases suggesting that the complement system worsens retinal […]

New research has identified a novel approach to staving off the detrimental effects of aging, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study suggests that a protein that is abundant in the blood of young mice plays a vital role in keeping mice […]

New research may explain why an antioxidant that protects the brain is also associated with deterioration in areas susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease. The antioxidant, superoxide dismutase or SOD1, improves cognition by fighting off free radicals that cause oxidative damage in the brain. However, an Iowa State University research team found […]

Clinicians, administrators and policymakers should consider ways to support the mental health and well-being of older adults as they go through residential transitions, according to a University of Michigan study that looked at deaths by suicide among people 55 and older. The study focuses on suicides among adults who were […]

Armed with $1.2 million in funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are searching to understand the cause of a rare airway disease in hopes of developing better treatments. Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) is an unexplained narrowing of the windpipe just […]

White coat hypertension, a condition in which a patient’s blood pressure readings are higher when taken at the doctor’s office compared to other settings, was originally attributed to the anxiety patients might experience during medical appointments. However, over the years, research has suggested the elevated readings might be a sign […]

An elderly woman balances on one leg while watching a television display. What do you think she’s doing? She’s actually in the midst of using virtual reality (VR) technology for slow training. While Japan is leading the world in terms of a superaging society, the problem is the big gap […]

Teenage girls with severe antisocial behaviour display reduced brain activity and weaker connectivity between the brain regions implicated in emotion regulation, according to a new study involving researchers from the University's Department of Psychology. The findings, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, offer a neurobiological explanation for the difficulties some girls […]

A new multi-institution study spearheaded by researchers at Florida State University and the University of California, Los Angeles suggests a tiny protein could play a major role in combating heart failure related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common lethal genetic disorder among children. In collaboration with scientists from […]

Using a method called Mendelian randomisation, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that there is a causal association between high BMI and several heart and blood vessel diseases, especially if the fat mass is high. The greatest risk increase was observed for a condition known as aortic valve stenosis. The study […]

Antibodies that exist in the joints before the onset of rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain even in the absence of arthritis, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report. The researchers believe that the finding, which is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, can represent a general mechanism in autoimmunity […]

Vaccinating babies against a virus that causes childhood “stomach flu” greatly reduces their chance of getting so sick that they need hospital care, a new study shows. But the University of Michigan study also reveals a surprise: Being fully vaccinated against rotavirus in the first months of life is associated […]

An international study led by scientists in Oakland, Calif., and Munich, Germany, may offer hope to children and adults with a rare and debilitating genetic disorder, Pantothenate Kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), as well as a potentially new approach to treat other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. […]

New research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has revealed how fruit fly larvae with a seemingly fatal flaw can survive and advance to adulthood. As in all multicellular organisms, both the nuclei and mitochondria of fruit fly cells contain distinct DNA. Those two genomes include complementary instruction manuals for collectively […]

Physical activity in early childhood may have an impact on cardiovascular health later in life, according to new research from McMaster, where scientists followed the activity levels of hundreds of preschoolers over a period of years. They found that physical activity in children as young as three years old benefits […]

With the publication of a new study in the leading scientific journal Nature, a group of researchers from the University of Queensland may have overturned the way scientists think of the evolution of animals on Earth. Thanks to advanced technology, the group was able to make an intuitive, yet unexpected […]