General

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 […]

A koala virus could help researchers explain millions of years of accumulated ‘junk’ DNA in the human genome. An international team of researchers – including scientists from The University of Queensland – is studying a virus infecting koalas in the hope it could demonstrate how viruses have altered the DNA […]

When Joan Jorgensen was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her roommate confided that she had just one period before going through menopause in high school. Doctors told Jorgensen’s roommate that she would never have biological children. “This is devastating news at any age, let alone a high school […]

In the treatment of cancer, chemotherapy is a cleaver, not a scalpel. By attacking rapidly dividing cells, chemotherapy effectively fights tumors, but it also ravages healthy cells in the gut, bone marrow, the scalp and other organs, leading to severe side effects. These toxic chemicals save lives, but at a […]

Hookworms infect nearly 430 million people in the world, mostly in countries where sanitation is poor, and people often walk barefoot. The body’s immune system is critical to attacking the hookworm, resulting in damage to the body’s tissues. But just how this damage takes place — and what helps repair […]

Key aspects of the ageing of human cells can be reversed by new compounds developed at the University of Exeter, research shows. In a laboratory study of endothelial cells – which line the inside of blood vessels – researchers tested compounds designed to target mitochondria (the “power stations” of cells). In […]

A correlation between obesity and genetics has been found to be modified by diet, according to a scientific paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A research group led by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist found that a specific gene—APOA2—can result in a higher body mass index (BMI). […]

A University of Adelaide scientist and leading Adelaide surgeon is developing an early detection test for a deadly cancer and has today received a funding boost from the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF). Professor Martin Oehler, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University’s Robinson Research Institute and Director of Gynaecological […]

Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremor, loss of smell and neuropsychiatric problems. However, many people aren’t diagnosed until their disease is well-advanced, which could limit their treatment options. Now, researchers have tested a sensor to detect early-stage Parkinson’s disease from the breath of patients. They report their results in ACS Chemical […]

A new genetic screen may predict a person’s future risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture, according to a study by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Specifically, the study, one of the largest of its kind, identified 899 regions in the human genome associated with low bone-mineral density, […]

A pair of new studies led by investigators at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital looks to T cells as paths toward reducing organ transplant rejection and treating autoimmune diseases. The immune system has two major kinds of T cells. T helper cells, also known as effector T cells, […]

Mutations in the gene LRRK2 have been linked to about three percent of Parkinson’s disease cases. Researchers have now found evidence that the activity of LRRK2 protein might be affected in many more patients with Parkinson’s disease, even when the LRRK2 gene itself is not mutated. The study was published […]

Throughout his science training in Vietnam, Germany, Austria and the United States, Nam Chu has loved finding ways to fight diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. “To do that,” he says, “you need to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms—how certain proteins can cause the disease and how you can intervene.” Now a […]

A gene linked to 3 to 4 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease could play an important role in most, if not all, people with the disease, according to new study findings from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC. The gene, called LLRK2, was previously thought to only cause […]