General

Results from a pioneering clinical trials programme that delivered an experimental treatment directly to the brain offer hope that it may be possible to restore the cells damaged in Parkinson's. The multimillion-pound study, funded by Parkinson's UK with support from The Cure Parkinson's Trust and in association with the North […]

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a defect in immune cells known as “killer T cells” that explains their inability to destroy cancer tumors. The researchers believe that repairing this defect could make the cells much better cancer killers. Further, they predict their discovery could be used […]

Yale researchers have developed a new way to efficiently engineer immune cells, an advance which enhances the ability to fend off cancer and other diseases, they report in the issue of the journal Nature Methods. A number of new life-saving therapies rely on reconfiguring human immune cells to act as living […]

Researchers at the Lions Eye Institute (LEI) and The University of Western Australia have pioneered a study of the world’s first and only laboratory model of a rare type of retinal disease, paving the way for new treatment pathways. Cone dystrophy with supernormal rod response (CDSRR) is an inherited disease […]

University of Queensland researchers have discovered a hidden metabolic advantage that prevents people with a specific type of dwarfism from developing type 2 diabetes or cancer. UQ Diamantina Institute researcher Dr Yash Chhabra said the findings could pave the way for new diabetes treatments for all. “We set out to understand why, unlike most […]

A five-minute workout called Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) has been shown to lower blood pressure as much as aerobic exercise and more than some medications. Participants breathe in vigorously 30 times, five days a week, through a device that provides resistance. Preliminary findings suggest it may also boost cognitive […]

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Queensland University of Technology of Australia, have developed a device that can isolate individual cancer cells from patient blood samples. The microfluidic device works by separating the various cell types found in blood by their size. The device may one day […]

Computing scientists at the University of Alberta have developed a neural network that outperforms other state-of-the-art methods of identifying lung tumours from MRI scans—an advance that could help reduce damage to healthy tissue during radiation treatment. “Algorithms like the one developed in our laboratory can be used to generate a […]

After a heart attack, the cells in the heart muscle cannot get enough nutrients and oxygen to survive, so they die. A structural support network in the heart’s wall can help those cells regenerate, however, two enzymes that break down the network are naturally increased after a heart attack, leaving […]

Ageing is still not considered a disease. This is a problem, because doctors cannot prescribe known drugs that slow the ageing down, but maybe it will change with better understanding of the mechanism behind ageing. Now scientists from the University of Edinburgh found that some of the damaging cell effects […]

Sidney Strickland knew what he was up against when he began working on the disease more than two decades ago, and little has changed: Alzheimer’s remains a deadly health threat and among the most feared diseases on the planet, unchecked in its power to destroy brain cells and erase minds. […]

One out of every six Canadian couples experiences infertility, and some resort to in vitro fertilization. Trouble is, the embryos obtained through this technique often have defects. In a study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) succeeded in reducing the number of defects in […]

The immune system is involved in almost every disease, at one level or another. Special cells, proteins, tissues, and organs that defend people against germs and other perceived invaders are its sum. Doctors and researchers conduct an array of tests to characterize a person’s immune health, including looking at the […]

A UC San Francisco study of human and mouse pancreatic tissue suggests a new origin story for type 1 (T1) diabetes. The findings flip current assumptions about the causes of the disease on their head and demonstrate a promising new preventative strategy that dramatically reduced disease risk in laboratory animals. […]

Skin cells taken from patients with a rare genetic disorder are up to ten times more sensitive to damage from ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation in laboratory tests, than those from a healthy population, according to new research from the University of Bath. It is hoped that the work, which has […]

UC San Francisco scientists have used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system to create the first pluripotent stem cells that are functionally “invisible” to the immune system, a feat of biological engineering that, in laboratory studies, prevented rejection of stem cell transplants. Because these “universal” stem cells can be manufactured more efficiently […]

Melissa Thone, a fourth-year doctoral student in chemical & biomolecular engineering, recently won over the judges of UCI’s Public Impact Fellowship program with her innovative and promising work on cancer treatments. In a competition hosted by the Graduate Division, she was one of only four students awarded $12,000 2018-19 Public […]

It is something everyone will have to deal with. Our life has its beginning and it has its ending. It is not fun being aware of that, but it is the reality. End of life typically requires some sort of care. People get sick physically and mentally and cannot take […]

Engineers have used microfluidic technology to create a “placenta-on-a-chip” that models how compounds can be passed from a mother to a fetus. “I am interested in microfluidics and I’ve been excited about using the technology to understand what happens in the cellular environment and within the body,” said Nicole Hashemi, […]

In older people, symptoms of pain, depression and fatigue are commonplace. But how common? Researchers examined the prevalence and impact of six common symptoms (pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, breathing difficulty, sleep problems) and found that nearly half of adults ages 65 and older have two or more of these symptoms […]

The idea of team-based cancer care most often focuses on involving primary care physicians in the care of cancer survivors. But research has shown patients are discussing initial cancer treatment options with their primary care doctors. And now a new study finds that a significant number of these physicians report notable […]

Using sophisticated gene sequencing and computing techniques, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the San Diego Supercomputer Center have achieved a first-of-its-kind glimpse into how the body’s immune system gears up to fight off infection. Their findings, published in the journal Nature, could aid development of “rational vaccine design,” as […]

Not much is known about how bipolar disorder (BD) affects people throughout their lives. Do women and men differ in the severity of their symptoms? Does a person’s age when a bipolar diagnosis is made have any bearing on how severe the symptoms are? How do other medical conditions affect […]

New research on how cancer mutations influence a certain type of receptor on the cell membrane opens the way for the development of tailored drugs for certain cancers, such as rectal cancer and lung cancer. This according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University, who have been collaborating with […]

Life is short and it is even shorter if you‘re alone. It is not just some tacky popular wisdom – it is scientific reality. Numerous researches have proven that healthy relationships help people remain healthier for longer. Now a team of scientists, led by the University of Edinburgh, found that […]

A new Purdue University technique to analyze proteins expressed on cancer cells shows promise in more rapidly detecting these cell types in patients.. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The days – or even weeks – spent waiting for the results of a cancer-screening test can feel like an eternity. Especially when […]

A growing collection of anecdotal stories raises the possibility that nerve injury in an arm or a leg can act as a trigger for the development amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS — a progressive neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the famous New York Yankee who […]

A protein known to play a role in cancer may also be increasing fibrosis in scleroderma patients. Scleroderma, a rare, chronic autoimmune disease, is marked by hardening of the skin and internal organs. Symptoms often include pain, stiffness, fatigue and breathing difficulties. “The disease creates excessive fibroblast activation that ultimately […]

Researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have found that a genetic mutation seen in about half of all brain tumors produces a response that prevents radiation treatment from working. Altering that response using FDA-approved drugs restores tumors’ sensitivity to radiation therapy, extending survival in mice. The paper, representing more […]

New research has revealed the fascinating adaptation of some Australian sea snakes that helps protect their vulnerable paddle-shaped tails from predators. An international study led by the University of Adelaide shows that several species of Australian sea snakes can sense light on their tail skin, prompting them to withdraw their […]