General

The human gut microbiome is a complex microbial ecosystem that plays an important role in our health. For example, these microbes — bacteria, viruses, fungi — help regulate metabolism, fend off infections, produce essential vitamins and break down dietary fiber. They may also be biomarkers of health and disease. A […]

By the time type 1 diabetes is diagnosed, most of the insulin-producing beta cells have already been destroyed. Now, using an innovative transplantation technique, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have been able to intervene to save the beta cells in mice by discovering […]

The same sources thought to inflict oxidative stress on cells—pollution, diesel exhaust, smoking and obesity—also are associated with shorter telomeres, the protective tips on the ends of the chromosomal shoelace. A new study from the University of Pittsburgh, published in Molecular Cell, provides the first smoking gun evidence that oxidative […]

Though much of the human genome has been sequenced and assembled, scientists have hit road blocks trying to map unassembled regions of DNA that consist mostly of repetitive sequences. One of these regions, found in every cell, is the centromere. Researchers from the University of Rochester, along with their colleagues […]

These days, scientists can collect a few skin or blood cells, wipe out their identities, and reprogram them to become virtually any other kind of cell in the human body, from neurons to heart cells.   The journey from skin cell to another type of functional cell involves converting them into induced pluripotent […]

Obesity is a growing problem among toddlers, children and adolescents in the United States. Gaining weight and fat mass rapidly during the first six months of life is one risk factor that can lead to obesity in children. A University of Minnesota School of Public Health study, recently published in the journal Nutrients, […]

The relative risk of a recurrence of cancer is reduced by 60% in dogs whose tumors are completely removed, a new analysis by Oregon State University researchers has found. The researchers reviewed published veterinary studies and found a recurrence of less than 10% in dogs where the soft tissue sarcoma […]

Radiation therapy against cancer can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease much later in life, as the radiation causes chronic inflammation of the exposed blood vessels. In a new study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have shown that these inflammations can be treated with […]

In just a few short weeks, tens of thousands of newly minted doctors will start the most intense year of their training: the first year of residency, also called the intern year. A new study suggests that between now and next summer, that experience will make their DNA age six […]

An International study which the Danish iPSYCH project has contributed to has now brought us one step closer to understanding why some people suffer from bipolar disorder. After six years of work, researchers from Denmark and abroad have succeeded in uncovering genes which play an important role in the development […]

Cells missing a certain protein on their surface can’t move normally, UConn researchers reported in Science Signaling. The research could give insight into how cells move and repair wounds in normal tissue, as well as how cancer spreads through the body. Cells are the body’s workers, and they often need to […]

A molecule that helps blood clot may also play a role in multiple sclerosis relapses, researchers reported in the journal PNAS. The new research may help answer the mystery of why remissions happen, as well as find early markers of the disease. The research also shows a new way to […]

How do bones heal, and how could they heal better? The answer to these questions may lie in a newly discovered population of “messenger” cells, according to an USC Stem Cell study published in the journal eLife. “With nearly half a million patients in the U.S experiencing failed bone repair every […]

Although much of the human genome has been sequenced and assembled, scientists have hit roadblocks trying to map unassembled regions of DNA that consist mostly of repetitive sequences, including the centromere. Now, for the first time, researchers from the University of Connecticut and University of Rochester have sequenced all the […]

Scientists from Trinity have discovered a potential new target for regulating inflammation, which drives a range of diseases including diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s.  The potential target is an ancient immune protein – SARM – that has been conserved throughout evolution and thus is very similar in humans, other mammals, flies and worms. […]

The discovery of a new way to target and treat the leading genetic contributor to Parkinson's may open the way for a potential new clinical treatment. Researchers from Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) have identified how the dysfunction of a key protein, LRRK2, causes the neurons affected […]

Researchers have developed a method that could drastically accelerate the search for new drugs to treat mental health disorders such as schizophrenia. Mental health disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide, accounting for 31% of total years lived with disability. While our understanding of the biology behind these disorders […]

Most human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Any deviation from this number can be fatal for cells, and several genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome, are caused by abnormal numbers of chromosomes. For decades, biologists have also known that cancer cells often have too few or too many copies […]

Children with their first or early adult set of teeth that stick out have an increased chance of damaging them, but the risk can be easily reduced without being prohibitively costly. A study undertaken at the University of Adelaide of more than 50,000 children aged under 19 years published in […]

UW Medicine researchers are recruiting pregnant women to study whether prenatal marijuana use – in the absence of alcohol, tobacco, and any illicit drug consumption – affects their infants’ brain development, cognitive and motor development, medical health, and social behavior. The “Moms + Marijuana” study is co-led by Drs. Natalia Kleinhans and Stephen […]

U-M is looking for families with a child or children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to take part in a national study aimed at speeding up research and insight into the disorder. Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is associated with a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, […]

Long-term stress has been linked with cardiovascular disease, but for people with depression, researchers say small, everyday stressors may be enough to diminish blood vessel function in otherwise healthy adults. A team of researchers led by Penn State found that among adults with depression, those who had experienced stress in […]

In 2017, nearly 37 million people were living with HIV worldwide, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Current treatments for the virus, which becomes AIDS in its most advanced stage, involve a combination of drugs known as antiretroviral therapy (ART). For those who know they have […]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common causes of vision loss in people over age 65. The exact cause is unknown, but the fact that a family history of AMD increases a person’s risk for the condition suggests genetics play an important role. Using stem cells derived […]

A new algorithm developed by MIT researchers takes cues from panoramic photography to merge massive, diverse cell datasets into a single source that can be used for medical and biological studies. Single-cell datasets profile the gene expressions of human cells — such as a neurons, muscles, and immune cells — to […]

Some risk factors for osteoporosis such as being older and female or having a family history of the condition cannot be avoided. But others can, like smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol, taking certain medications, or being exposed to environmental pollutants. But until now researchers haven’t gained a firm picture of how […]

A common chronic skin condition affecting 125 million people worldwide, psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, a class of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body’s own healthy cells. In recent years, new medications—known as biologics, which inhibit the overactive immune system by targeting specific inflammatory pathways—have revolutionized the […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a stem cell based model in order to study the resilience and vulnerability of neurons in the neurodegenerative disease ALS. The results are published in the journal Stem Cell Reports and can aid in the identification of new genetic targets for treatments protecting sensitive […]

In pursuit of a novel tool for the research and treatment of celiac disease, Harvard Medical School scientists at the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center (MIBRC) at Massachusetts General Hospital have validated the use of intestinal organoids. These three-dimensional tissue cultures are miniature, simplified versions of the intestine produced in vitro. […]

Scientists have discovered how mutations in DNA can cause neurodegenerative disease. The discovery is an important step towards better treatment to slow the progression or delay onset in a range of incurable diseases such as Huntington’s and motor neurone disease – possibly through the use, in new ways, of existing […]