General

Alzheimer’s disease is difficult to diagnose as well as treat,  but researchers now have a promising new screening tool using the window to the brain:  the eye. A study of 3,877 randomly selected patients found a significant link between three degenerative eye diseases – age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma – […]

Engineers and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota have teamed up to create a groundbreaking 3D-printed device that could someday help patients with long-term spinal cord injuries regain some function. A 3D-printed guide, made of silicone, serves as a platform for specialized cells that are then 3D printed on […]

In countries which already permit embryo research, there are no “compelling moral arguments” why the time limit for experimentation should not be doubled say ethics experts. Currently, research on embryos is limited in many countries to a maximum period of 14 days after their fertilisation in the lab. But ethicists […]

Osteoporosis, decreased physical activity and weight gain are serious health concerns for postmenopausal women. Researchers from the University of Missouri now have discovered through a new animal study that soy protein found in food might counter the negative effects of menopause on bone and metabolic health. Moreover, the researchers believe that soy […]

Links between exposure to the metal manganese and neurological symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease emerged decades ago, but an Iowa State University biomedical scientist is examining how exposure to other metals may amplify the likelihood of those symptoms. The research has implications for a wide range of occupations that require […]

Biological markers responsible for extreme exhaustion in patients with cancer have now been linked to fatigue in those with Parkinson’s disease, according to new research from Rice University. “Inflammation and fatigue in early, untreated Parkinson’s disease” will appear in an upcoming edition of Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. It is one of […]

Cancerous tumors are more than a lump of cells growing out of control; they participate in active combat with the immune system for their own survival. Being able to evade the immune system is indeed a hallmark of cancer. Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania show that, to assist in the […]

A class of cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors could be useful for treating and preventing brain disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, and some forms of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), by halting the misplacement of specific proteins that affect nerve cells, according to a study published […]

Testing for dozens of genetic mutations in tumors of patients with a common form of advanced lung cancer did not appear to improve survival compared to routine genetic testing, a study led by Yale Cancer Center (YCC) scientists has found. The research was published in JAMA. Broad-based genomic sequencing (BGS) evaluates numerous genes […]

Several gene mutations have been linked to Parkinson’s disease, but exactly how and where some of them cause their damage has been unclear. A new Yale study, published in The Journal of Cell Biology, shows that one of the genes whose mutations are responsible for a familial form of Parkinson’s encodes […]

One of the key drivers behind aging – commonly viewed as the progressive decline in bodily function, which is closely linked to a variety of chronic diseases – is the accumulation of “senescent” cells in our tissues and organs. The removal of poorly functioning cells has been shown to improve […]

Some people respond well to both aerobic exercise and strength training, while others don’t. And some of us respond well to only one of those things, but not both. Harvard Medical School scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have uncovered a surprising molecular “switch” that may help to explain this […]

All humans begin life as a single cell that divides repeatedly to form two, then four, then eight cells, all the way up to the approximately 26 billion cells that make up a newborn. Tracing how and when those 26 billion cells arise from one zygote is the grand challenge […]

Dogs, known for their extraordinarily keen senses of smell, can be trained to use their sensitive sniffers to find drugs, bombs, bed bugs, missing hikers and even cancer. Among dogs and other animals that rely on smell, at least one factor that may give them an advantage is a sheet […]

New research, published in Thorax, funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust has shown that babies with cystic fibrosis (CF) are born weighing less than babies without the condition, even allowing that they are more likely to be born prematurely. The research, conducted by CF-EpiNet – a Cystic Fibrosis Trust Strategic Research Centre (SRC) of which […]

The frequency of brain tumors has been underestimated in children with the common genetic syndrome neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), according to a new study. This disorder is characterized by birthmarks on the skin and benign nerve tumors that develop in or on the skin. Brain tumors also are known to […]

Spinal cord injury or damage causes permanent changes in strength, sensation and other body functions. Hope of recuperation is slim to none. Now a new Tel Aviv University study finds the intravenous injection of a potent enzyme, just hours after an accident, has the potential to diminish a cascade of pathological events […]

Worker ants, despite their diligence, seldom encounter opportunities for social mobility. In many species, individuals adhere to strict caste roles: queens lay eggs and workers take care of almost everything else, including offspring. In a new study, published in Science, Rockefeller scientists describe the molecular mechanisms controlling this division of labor. “We […]

Ageing in worms mainly results from the direct action of genes and not from random wear and tear or loss of function, and the same is likely to be true in humans, according to research by UCL, Lancaster University and Queen Mary University of London scientists. The study, published in Current […]

MIT researchers are employing novel machine-learning techniques to improve the quality of life for patients by reducing toxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy dosing for glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Glioblastoma is a malignant tumor that appears in the brain or spinal cord, and prognosis for adults is no […]

Researchers from the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered an important distinction in how blood-forming stem cells are supported by their micro-environments during rest and after injury. The body appears to switch the type of cell that produces […]

Scientists now have the ability to label cell parts in bright fluorescent colors, render tissue slices in high-definition photos and use video to monitor animal behavior down to the milliseconds. After capturing such images, researchers can analyze them to gain new insights on everything from basic cell structure to cancer […]

About 50 percent of people who reach the age of 85 will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Most will die within about five years of exhibiting the hallmark symptoms of the disease – severe memory loss and a precipitous decline in cognitive function. But the molecular processes that lead to the disease […]

Researchers have developed a new form of nanoparticle and associated imaging technique that can detect multiple disease biomarkers, including those for breast cancer, found in deep-tissue in the body. Reported in the science journal ‘Nature Nanotechnology’, the research opens up a new avenue in minimally invasive disease diagnosis and will […]

The rarity of appendix cancer, accounting for less than 1 percent of tumors that originate in the gastrointestinal tract, and the lack of scientific data for this disease means that current treatment guidelines recommend applying therapies to people with appendix cancer that are intended for those with colon cancer. To […]

The bladder is a master at self-repair. When damaged by infection or injury, the organ can mend itself quickly, calling upon specialized cells in its lining to repair tissue and restore a barrier against harmful materials concentrated in urine. But a new study in mice from researchers at the University […]

In a study published in Aging Cell, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison show that mice making too much of a human protein called AT-1 show signs of early aging and premature death, which are also symptoms of the human disorder progeria. Researchers were able to reverse the signs of accelerated […]

MIT chemical engineers have developed a new sensor that lets them see inside cancer cells and determine whether the cells are responding to a particular type of chemotherapy drug. The sensors, which detect hydrogen peroxide inside human cells, could help researchers identify new cancer drugs that boost levels of hydrogen […]

The fusion of a sperm cell with an egg cell is the very first step in the process that leads to new individuals in sexually reproducing species. Fundamental as this process may be, scientists are only now beginning to understand the complexities of how it works. In a paper published […]

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that they have successfully created spinal cord neural stem cells (NSCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that differentiate into a diverse population of cells capable of dispersing throughout the spinal cord and can be maintained for long periods […]