April 20, 2018

Could stem cell therapy be an effective treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia?

The small, pilot study aims to recruit seven people to find out if the bone marrow stem cell mobilising drug, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF), could improve blood markers and potentially treat the condition. GCSF, which is commonly used in diseases related to the blood, as well as in healthy people […]
April 20, 2018

Redefining the preconception period

New research published in The Lancet and co-authored by Professor Lucilla Poston CBE, shows that the diet and lifestyle of both parents before conception plays a key role in the long-term health of their children. In a series of papers Professor Poston, Head of King’s School of Life Course Sciences, and colleagues from […]
April 19, 2018

Novel antioxidant makes old blood vessels seem young again

Older adults who take a novel antioxidant that specifically targets cellular powerhouses, or mitochondria, see aging of their blood vessels reverse by the equivalent of 15 to 20 years within six weeks, according to new CU Boulder research. The study, published this week in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, […]
April 19, 2018

Immune-engineered device targets chemo-resistant lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that is diagnosed in the U.S. more than 70,000 times annually, arises from overly proliferating immune cells within the body’s lymph nodes, which are connected to a network of lymph vessels through which lymphatic fluid flows. The most common type of lymphoma is diffuse large B-cell […]
April 19, 2018

Gene Mapping Lays Groundwork for Precision Chemotherapy

Despite the great successes of targeted cancer drugs and the promise of novel immunotherapies, the vast majority of people diagnosed with cancer are still first treated with chemotherapy. Now a new study by UCSF researchers using techniques drawn from computational biology could make it much easier for physicians to use […]
April 19, 2018

Stem cell symposium to highlight clinical trials, safety and regulation

Twenty years ago this fall, a team of scientists led by James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin–Madison published the first paper describing successful derivation of human embryonic stem cells. The discovery of these master human stem cells empowered a new and promising direction in biomedical research, and for the […]
April 19, 2018

Night owls have higher risk of dying sooner

“Night owls” — people who like to stay up late and have trouble dragging themselves out of bed in the morning — have a higher risk of dying sooner than “larks,” people who have a natural preference for going to bed early and rise with the sun, according to a […]
April 19, 2018

New cancer monitoring technology worth its weight in gold

A new blood test using gold nanoparticles could soon give oncologists an early and more accurate prognosis of how cancer treatment is progressing and help guide the on-going therapy of patients. Researchers at The University of Queensland have developed new nanotechnology to monitor the diversity of individual cancer cells circulating […]
April 18, 2018

Agreement renewal bolsters liver tumor research

Sirtex Medical Ltd. has renewed a grant award to Dan Brown, MD, professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and chief of Interventional Oncology, and his Vanderbilt Health colleagues, for a research program designed to treat patients with liver tumors that cannot be addressed with surgery. In 2015, Brown and colleagues […]
April 18, 2018

Obesity is shifting cancer to young adults

Obesity can also alter a young person’s likelihood of developing cancer later in life A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has compiled evidence from more than 100 publications to show how obesity increases risk of 13 different cancers in young adults. The meta-analysis describes how obesity has […]
April 17, 2018

Scientists identify a way to increase the lifespan of fruit flies

One of the major goals of scientists is to increase the longevity of humans. Our lifespan has been increasing for a long time, but we all want to live longer and healthier lives. Now a team of scientists led by UCL has found that a moderate dietary restriction extend lifespan […]
April 17, 2018

Parents should eat healthy and exercise more before conception

You see that all the time. A woman gets pregnant and immediately changes her lifestyle in order to keep the baby healthy. This is very beautiful, but is it enough? Scientists from the University of Queensland say that it actually isn‘t enough to make sure that the baby is born […]
April 17, 2018

Study explores carbohydrates’ impact on head, neck cancers

Consuming high amounts of carbohydrates and various forms of sugar during the year prior to treatment for head and neck cancer may increase patients’ risks of cancer recurrence and mortality, a new study reports. However, eating moderate amounts of fats and starchy foods such as whole grains, potatoes and legumes […]
April 17, 2018

Big Brains, Little Brains

Mouse brains are tiny and smooth. Ferret brains are larger and convoluted—and could provide the missing link in understanding how humans acquired big brains. Children with microcephaly, whose brains are abnormally small, have a part in the story too. Microcephaly is notorious for its recent link to the Zika virus, […]
April 17, 2018

Personalized Tumor Vaccine Shows Promise in Pilot Trial

A new type of cancer vaccine has yielded promising results in an initial clinical trial conducted at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The personalized vaccine is made from patients’ own immune cells, which are exposed in the laboratory […]
April 17, 2018

That Evening Sun: Sundown Syndrome

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia commonly experience sundown syndrome: a sudden worsening of confusion, agitation and aggression at the end of the day. This daily pattern suggested that sundowning, as the phenomenon is also known, may be governed by the body’s internal biological clock. Synchronized by […]
April 17, 2018

Long-term cancer survivor beats odds, prompts study

You’ve heard of the face that launched a thousand ships? Margaret “Peg” Geisler, 82, is the case that launched an international search for “extreme survivors” of metastatic breast cancer. Geisler, a retired UW–Madison director of outreach development, has lived with breast cancer for 40 years and with metastatic cancer (meaning it spread […]
April 17, 2018

NIH researchers crack mystery behind rare bone disorder

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health worked with 15 patients from around the world to uncover a genetic basis of “dripping candle wax” bone disease. The rare disorder, known as melorheostosis, causes excess bone formation that resembles dripping candle wax on x-rays. The results, appearing in Nature Communications, offer […]
April 16, 2018

How Advanced Nanotechnology Can Improve Cancer Care

A new Tel Aviv University study addresses the challenges of nanoparticle-based cancer-targeting strategies. It also suggests ways of refocusing the collaborative work of cancer researchers and clinicians to move the field forward from “the bench” to the patients. The study follows landmark research published 10 years ago in Nature Nanotechnology that reviewed the full […]
April 16, 2018

Women in their early 30s have lower risk of giving birth prematurely

Mothers aged 30 to 34 years have more full-term pregnancies and healthier babies than those in the 20-to-24 age group. These are the findings of a new  epidemiological study led by an Université de Montréal researcher which looked at over 165,000 births in 32 Quebec hospitals from 2008 to 2011. “We’ve always […]
April 16, 2018

Drinking more than five pints a week could shorten your life, study finds

Regularly drinking more than the recommended UK guidelines for alcohol could take years off your life, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. Part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study shows that drinking more alcohol is associated with a higher risk of stroke, fatal aneurysm, heart failure […]
April 16, 2018

Treating Vision Loss

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects more than 1.75 million individuals in the United States. Because the population is aging, that number will increase to almost 3 million by 2020. Between 80 and 90 percent of cases in this country are the dry version of the condition, for which no effective treatment exists. Now, a team […]
April 16, 2018

Brain development influenced by the immune system

University of Queensland researchers have highlighted a link between fetal brain development and the origins of developmental diseases such as schizophrenia. UQ Faculty of Medicine’s Dr Liam Coulthard said many adult diseases originated during fetal development. “Complement factors – part of the immune system that kills bacteria and helps white […]
April 13, 2018

Peptide-based biogenic dental product may cure cavities

Researchers at the University of Washington have designed a convenient and natural product that uses proteins to rebuild tooth enamel and treat dental cavities. The research finding was first published in ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering. “Remineralization guided by peptides is a healthy alternative to current dental health care,” said lead […]
April 12, 2018

Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry”

In humans and other mammals, the female reproductive cells – the eggs or oocytes – need nourishment in order to grow and remain fertile. It is known that the egg gets its food from little arm-like feeding tubes (called filopodia) that jut out from tiny cells surrounding the egg and […]