General

Sequencing a genome is getting cheaper, but making sense of the resulting data remains hard. Researchers have now found a new way to extract useful information out of sequenced DNA. By cataloging subtle evolutionary signatures shared between pairs of genes in bacteria, the team was able to discover hundreds of previously […]

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have identified, for the first time in oesophageal cancer, the cancer killing capability of a lesser-known type of immune cell, presenting a new potential therapeutic target. Their research has been published in the international journal Frontiers in Immunology. Oesophageal cancer is a very aggressive type […]

When it comes to killing cancer cells, two drugs are often better than one. Some drug combinations offer a one-two punch that kills cells more effectively, requires lower doses of each drug, and can help to prevent drug resistance. MIT biologists have now found that by combining two existing classes […]

New research from the University at Buffalo provides pathophysiologic evidence of the effect of air pollution on cardiovascular disease in China. The findings also suggests that China may need to revise its standard for one type of pollutant. Researchers found that long-term exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, as […]

A new study from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center found that children born to obese mothers were more likely to develop cancer in early childhood. Using Pennsylvania birth records, the researchers found a correlation between pre-pregnancy body-mass index (BMI) in mothers and subsequent cancer diagnosis […]

Certain plants, insects, crustaceans and fish possess the uncanny ability to change the sex of their offspring before they are born. Mammals have never before demonstrated this genetic skill, until now. A new Tel Aviv University study reveals a genetic system in mammals that enables two animals to mate and produce only […]

Their findings, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, come from a detailed assessment of 121 species ranging from humans to sponges, may have important implications for conservation strategies and for predicting which species will be the winners and losers from the global environment crisis. “Pace of life” relates to how […]

A new machine-learning method accurately identifies regions of the human genome that have been duplicated or deleted — known as copy number variants — that are often associated with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The new method, developed by researchers at Penn State, integrates data from several algorithms that attempt […]

A worldwide coalition of researchers and clinicians has agreed that light therapy is among the most effective interventions for the prevention of oral mucositis, painful ulcers in the mouth resulting from cancer therapy. The new guidelines from the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) and International Society of […]

The finding is a promising step forward in understanding eye growth – and potentially fixing near- and far-sightedness. Those with a rare genetic condition called nanophthalmos have abnormally small eyes whose internal structures – including the size of the lens – are otherwise normal. The condition can cause a host […]

In recent decades, treatment options for people with cystic fibrosis have improved dramatically. The newest drugs, known as potentiators, target a protein called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, which is mutated in people with the disease. Yet, while these medications can help some people with cystic fibrosis, they are far […]

Imagine a molecule powerful enough to reconfigure your mind and body — a molecule that makes your bones and muscles grow, makes your organs behave differently and alters your mind and your mood. Such is the power of sex hormones — estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. These naturally occurring chemicals are […]

Scientists at Colorado State University (CSU) and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed a new powerful tool called a “frankenbody”, for imaging protein dynamics in living cells. Just as Frankenstein's monster is stitched together from different limbs, the frankenbody was created by taking the binding regions of a […]

Novel set of G-quadruplex stabilizers may help stop gene from driving tumor growth in hundreds of cancers. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A gene called MYC has become one of the hottest targets for cancer researchers around the world. MYC is known to drive tumor growth in nearly all cancer types […]

Researchers at UNSW Sydney have discovered that a drug used for almost 40 years to treat worm infections in humans and animals can be used to inhibit melanoma growth and spread in mice. The drug, which is available over-the-counter in Europe, is a so-called anthelmintic used to control parasitic infections. […]

From bugs to plants to animals, for all living things to grow they must create more cells. To do so, each existing cell, whether in an embryo or an adult, receives cues to copy its chromosomes — large pieces of DNA that contain each cell’s entire genetic code. In a […]

A molecular process involved in the action of anti-leukemia drugs has been discovered at Université de Montréal’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). While calling into question a central tenet of oncology, this discovery, published in the journal Cancer Cell, also holds promise for the development of effective treatments in the […]

Researchers in Japan have edited plant mitochondrial DNA for the first time, which could lead to a more secure food supply. Nuclear DNA was first edited in the early 1970s, chloroplast DNA was first edited in 1988, and animal mitochondrial DNA was edited in 2008. However, no tool previously successfully […]

A simple set of decision-support tools combined with institutional buy-in can help increase the number of cancer patients who engage in treatment to help them quit tobacco, data from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania show. The study is based on researchers’ clinical experience with […]

Researchers in many fields of science and medicine engineer different types of human cells for drug testing and other purposes. They often begin with stem cells—unspecialized cells that have the potential to form many different types of tissue. By turning on certain genes, scientists attempt to coax stem cells into becoming […]

After thyroid cancer surgery, many patients should be in the position of deciding with their doctors whether to pursue treatment with radioactive iodine to help ease long-term follow-up and offer reassurance that the cancer is gone. A new survey by researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and U-M Institute […]

A happy cell is a balanced cell, but for every stupendously twisted protein it creates, it must tear the old ones asunder. That means untangling a convoluted pretzel-like mass for recycling. Cdc48 plays a critical role in unraveling the spent proteins. “Cdc48 is like a Swiss army knife of the […]

A small chemical change — shifting the position of two hydrogen atoms — makes the difference between mice that are healthy and mice with insulin resistance and fatty liver, major risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. Making the change prevented the onset of these symptoms in mice fed a […]

Pancreatic cancer is especially challenging to treat – only eight percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are of limited benefit, and even immunotherapy – which revolutionized treatment for other kinds of cancer by activating the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells – […]

Simply introducing a default physician order — a “nudge” — into electronic health records (EHRs) cut the use of unnecessary daily imaging in half during palliative radiation therapy sessions for patients with advanced cancer, according to a Penn Medicine study published in JAMA Oncology. While daily imaging is typically used […]

Using advanced technology, scientists at Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub, Mayo Clinic and UC San Francisco, have discovered an autoimmune disease that appears to affect men with testicular cancer. Called “testicular cancer-associated paraneoplastic encephalitis,” the disease causes severe neurological symptoms in men. They progressively lose control of their limbs, eye movements, […]

New research that uncovers the mechanism behind the newest generation of cancer drugs is opening the door for better targeted therapy. PARP inhibitors are molecular targeted cancer drugs used to treat women with ovarian cancer who have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. The drugs are showing promise in late-stage […]

The standard treatment for aggressive skin cancer is to surgically remove the tumour. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now show that a 2 cm operational margin is sufficient, as opposed to the close to 4 cm margin previously applied by surgeons. For the study, which is published in The […]

In a world first, scientists have found a new way to direct stem cells to heart tissue. The findings, led by researchers at the University of Bristol and published in Chemical Science, could radically improve the treatment for cardiovascular disease, which causes more than a quarter of all deaths in […]

Tooth decay and gum disease impact on illness and healthcare spending, yet the role of genetics in dental problems is largely unknown. New research led by an international team, including researchers at the University of Bristol, suggests hereditary traits and factors such as obesity, education and personality could play a […]