General

People who inherit a faulty copy of the so-called “breast cancer genes” BRCA1 and BRCA2 are at high risk of cancer. About 10 percent of breast cancer cases and 15 percent of ovarian cancers can be traced back to a flaw in one of these genes. A class of drugs known as PARP inhibitors […]

Researchers have found that treating psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, with biologic drugs that target immune system activity can reduce the early plaque buildup that clogs arteries, restricts blood flow, and leads to heart attacks and stroke. The findings highlight how immunotherapies that treat inflammatory conditions might play a […]

Research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in animal models and patient tissues has identified a new molecular pathway in the liver that suggests a commonly used anti-rejection medication could be repurposed to treat certain liver cancers. “What we’ve found is that liver cancers with a specific mutation in the […]

Tissues and organs in the human body are shaped through forces generated by cells, that push and pull, to “sculpt” biological structures. Thanks to a new tool developed at McGill University, scientists will now be able to watch, and map these forces. Christopher Moraes, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department […]

The production of sperm — otherwise known as spermatogenesis — generates more than 1,000 sperm per second in normal males. This productivity comes, in part, from a special cell type called the spermatogonial stem cell. The staying power of this stem cell has allowed many celebrities, including Robert DeNiro and […]

MicroRNAs can weaken cancer cells in advance of standard therapy in preclinical models, study shows. In the quest for new cancer therapies, microRNAs—tiny strings of nucleotides churned out inside cells—have been a source of both excitement and disappointment. While preclinical studies have found that microRNAs play an important role in […]

Researchers have discovered how specific cells in the guts of mice slow down metabolism and eventually contribute to obesity, diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis. The findings, scientists say, could have important implications for the prevention and treatment of these kinds of metabolic diseases in humans. The study was funded by the […]

A new study reveals that approximately 1 in 5 individuals may experience mental health symptoms up to six months after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), suggesting the importance of follow-up care for these patients. Scientists also identified factors that may increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or […]

An international team of researchers has identified a gene responsible for the onset of pigmentary glaucoma, which may lead to new therapies for the condition. “People who traditionally we wouldn't think of having glaucoma—young males in their 20s and 30s—are at particular risk for this form of the disease and […]

One of the big challenges in neurobiology is cell classification, a problem compounded by the fact that the same cell type can look different depending on the method of analysis used to classify it — whether by cell shape, gene expression profile, electrophysiological firing pattern, or selective vulnerability to certain […]

The wonder-material graphene could hold the key to unlocking the next generation of advanced, early stage lung cancer diagnosis. A team of scientists from the University of Exeter has developed a new technique that could create a highly sensitive graphene biosensor with the capability to detect molecules of the most […]

Damage to nerves during surgery or after an injury such as a slipped disc can lead to long-term pain. An international collaboration of scientists, led by Alexander Davies and Simon Rinaldi from the University of Oxford, has found that specialised cells within the body’s immune system – Natural Killer cells […]

Two distinct parts of the human brain – the neocortex and the hippocampus (a part of the brain involved in higher-order brain functions) – have been shown to help protect our memories from interfering with one another. Researchers from the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging at the University of Oxford […]

MIT cancer biologists have discovered a new mechanism that lung tumors exploit to promote their own survival: These tumors alter bacterial populations within the lung, provoking the immune system to create an inflammatory environment that in turn helps the tumor cells to thrive. In mice that were genetically programmed to […]

Search for a description of “p53” and it becomes clear that this human protein is widely known for its cancer-fighting benefits, leading to its renown as “the guardian of the genome.” Scientists at the University of California San Diego have published a new study challenging that description. Studying the “wild type” version […]

Computer simulations show for the first time that when a patient has history of an enlarged prostate, tumors in the prostate barely grow at all. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For men older than about 60, an enlarged prostate means feeling the urge to make a pit stop way too often […]

A new compound based on Iridium, a rare metal which landed in the Gulf of Mexico 66 M years ago, hooked onto albumin, a protein in blood, can attack the nucleus of cancerous cells when switched on by light, University of Warwick researchers have found. The treatment of cancer using […]

Human embryo research is a controversial topic that often pits the necessity of biomedical investigation against the moral commitment to protect early human life. A new series of research papers from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is discussing human embryos and the related ethical, policy and scientific issues […]

In a new study published in the journal Cell, the team showed that cells determine exactly where they need to be and therefore what body parts they will become by optimizing the use of all information available from the genetic code. This optimization allows each cell to position itself within one cell’s […]

There are many ways to frame the forces that shape this Sunday’s Super Bowl – East Coast vs. West Coast, dynasty (the New England Patriots) vs. upstarts (the Los Angeles Rams). But there’s an even more stark contrast in the matter of age. That is, we have 40-something quarterback Tom […]

Researchers exploring the effects of a long-standing treatment for cystic fibrosis have discovered a potential new target for drugs to treat the disease, which has no cure and typically cuts decades off the lives of patients. The research, a collaboration between the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and UC Berkeley, […]

Scientists are making important progress in the battle against a class of devilishly complex human pediatric brain cancers thanks to a new study from a team of Florida State University students and faculty. Among young children, there’s no brain tumor more common than medulloblastoma. But no specific and effective therapy […]

The human body's immune system is like a vast team of special agents. Certain cells called T cells each individually specialize in recognizing a particular intruder, such as the influenza virus or salmonella. Determining a given T cell's target is a critical step in designing personalized treatments for cancers and […]

For children undergoing immunotherapy – a promising treatment for peanut allergies – uncomfortable side effects can induce anxiety, perhaps to the point of skipping doses or dropping treatment entirely. But guiding young patients to the mindset that uncomfortable side effects are a sign that treatment is working can help reduce […]

The team, at the University’s European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, found they could stop gastric cells dividing and growing by deleting a particular cell-surface receptor implicated in the function of stem cells. Dr Toby Phesse, Cardiff University, said: “The prognosis of gastric cancer is very poor, with very few […]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic disease of the heart and a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes.Scientists have long known that the condition’s cardinal feature—an unusually thick heart muscle that contracts and relaxes abnormally—is fueled by some glitch in the heart’s molecular machinery. Yet, the spark-plug that […]

Harvard Medical School geneticists have created a new model-in-a-dish of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for more than 90 percent of Alzheimer’s cases and tends to strike people without a family history of the disease. The model marks the first time researchers have identified the same molecular abnormalities across multiple […]

In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists at the University of Missouri have helped advance a patient-specific, precision medicine treatment for bone cancer in dogs. By creating a vaccine from a dog’s own tumor, scientists worked with ELIAS Animal Health to target specific cancer cells and avoid the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, while […]

The natural world, with all its diversity, is a popular place for researchers to go looking for new drugs, including those that fight cancer. But there is often a wide gap between finding a plant, sponge, or bacterium that contains a candidate drug, and actually bringing a medicine to the […]

Leukaemia promotes premature ageing in healthy bone marrow cells – according to new research from the University of East Anglia. Findings published today in the journal Blood show that healthy bone marrow cells were prematurely aged by cancer cells around them. It is well known that ageing promotes cancer development. […]