General

All living cells, from simple yeasts to human brain cells, regulate their rate of growth and their ultimate size and shape. How they do this, however, is one of the fundamental mysteries of biology. A new study, published in Current Biology, reveals a complex network of signals and feedback loops that control […]

Scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, report that tiny tube-like protrusions called primary cilia on cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) — a layer of cells in the back of the eye  — are essential for the survival of the retina’s […]

A new Tel Aviv University study pinpoints the inverse correlation between a known oncogene — a gene that promotes the development of cancer — and the expression of an oncosuppressor microRNA as the reason for extended pancreatic cancer survival. The study may serve as a basis for the development of an effective […]

Growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, Carla V. Rothlin, Ph.D., associate professor of immunobiology and of pharmacology, and her three sisters listened to dinnertime conversations steeped in science. Their mother, a physician, regularly shared dermatological case studies from her practice. Their father, a pharmacology researcher, gave incremental progress […]

Some secrets to repair our skeletons might be found in the silky webs of spiders, according to recent experiments guided by supercomputers. Scientists involved say their results will help understand the details of osteoregeneration, or how bones regenerate. A study found that genes could be activated in human stem cells […]

Some 50,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) every year. The American Institute of Neurology estimates there are one million people affected with this neurodegenerative disorder, with 60 years as average age of onset. Falls and fall-related injuries are a major issue for people with Parkinson’s—up […]

It was a day Christian Njatcha will never forget. A graduate student in pharmacology, Njatcha was examining mice with lung cancer with one question in mind: Could the proto-drug he had given them defeat the disease? Answer: It could. The tumors had shrunk, and the mice were doing well. “That […]

For some animals, such as salamanders, regrowing a missing limb is a common healing process. But what if people could do the same? Could the future of treating amputations include warfighters regrowing their own muscle, bone, and nerve tissues? “We’re not quite there yet,” said Army Lt. Col. David Saunders, […]

Individual tumors respond differently to cancer drugs, if at all. Until now, it remained a mystery why tumors have different reactions to the exact same therapy. But a new study at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering finds that tumor growth properties can influence response to cancer drugs. “Identifying a […]

The air we breathe contains particulate matter from a range of natural and human-related sources. Particulate matter is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in the United States each year, but legislation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is credited with significantly decreasing this number, as well as the […]

In the journey from egg to embryo to mature organism, our bodies stretch and wrinkle and fold like a fabulously intricate piece of origami. Now UC San Francisco bioengineers have shown that many of the complex folded shapes that form mammalian body plans and internal tissue structures can be re-created […]

Have you resolved to take better care of yourself in the new year? Here’s a relatively painless way to do it: Catch a few more zzz’s every night. A third of American adults don’t get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic poor sleep has […]

This is the first time that an entire newt genome has been sequenced, an achievement that can give rise to new discoveries on the amphibian’s ability to recreate brain neurons as well as entire body parts. Amongst the first findings are a multitude of copies of a certain microRNA group, […]

Delivering drugs specifically to cancer cells is one approach researchers are taking to minimize treatment side effects. Stem cells, bacteria and other carriers have been tested as tiny delivery vehicles. Now a new potential drug carrier to treat gynecological conditions has joined the fleet: sperm. Scientists report in the journal ACS […]

Dementia affects millions of people worldwide, robbing them of their ability to think, remember and live as they once did. In the search for new ways to fight cognitive decline, scientists report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that blueberry vinegar might offer some help. They found that the fermented […]

Ongoing monitoring for genetic changes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) during targeted treatment may allow clinicians to adjust patients’ treatments as the cancer evolves, according to a study published in Nature Communications led by Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Genome Center scientists. Physicians usually genetically profile a patient’s cancer […]

The nervous system is arguably the most complex organ of the vertebrate body. The eye, ear and olfactory epithelium are part of the peripheral nervous system and provide visual, sound and smell information to the brain. As part of the central nervous system the brain integrates this information to build […]

At first glance, a pair of award-winning images created by University of Southampton postgraduate researcher Catarina Moura seem to have a seasonal theme. But look more closely and you’ll see that the component parts of the pictures (or micrographs) of a Christmas tree and seasonal wreath are actually comprised of […]

Treating ovariectomized mice with a combination of conjugated estrogens and the drug bazedoxifene triggers the expression of genes that improve metabolism and prevent weight gain –  without stimulating the uterus and increasing risks of reproductive cancer, a new study suggests. University of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor Zeynep Madak-Erdogan led a group […]

A new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers identified the structural basis for how tightly bound protein complexes are broken apart to become inactivated. The structure explains why the complexes are less active in some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, and offers a starting point to identify drug targets to reactivate […]

We know that physical exercise is good for your mind and body. It can offset dementia, but when exercising is too late? A new research from UCL shows that it is actually never too late – exercising brings benefits against dementia regardless of part exercising habits and the onset of […]

“Don‘t break a hip” – that’s what we say when someone is climbing a chair. A simple joke is less funny when you find out that every year 79,000 people in UK alone suffer hip fractures. Most of these people are older women. Now scientists say that regular screenings for […]

For most people, virtual reality is just an interesting piece of entertainment. It is quite an experience to play games or even watch movies in virtual reality. However VR may be a useful research tool for medical scientists as well. Now researchers from UNSW, Australia, are creating virtual reality technology […]

A shorter life may be the price an organism pays for coping with the natural assaults of daily living, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues in Japan. The scientists used fruit flies to examine the relationship between lifespan and signaling proteins that defend the […]

Hearing loss is the most common form of sensory loss in humans, and almost half of cases stem from genetic causes. Now, a team led by researchers from Harvard Medical School, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have […]

Gene therapy holds promise for treating a variety of diseases, including some inherited blinding conditions. But for a gene therapy to be effective, one must know the precise gene responsible for a given individual’s disorder and develop a tailored treatment. For diseases that may be caused by mutations in many […]

Oregon State University scientists have developed a nanomedicine platform for cancer that can help doctors know which tissue to cut out as well as kill any malignant cells that can’t be surgically removed. The platform allows for greater precision and thoroughness in cancer treatment. Here’s how it works: Nanoparticles tightly […]

New research has drawn a link between changes in the brain’s anatomy and biomarkers that are known to appear at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), findings that could one day provide a sensitive but non-invasive test for AD before cognitive symptoms appear. Scientists have known for some time […]

A device attached to a patient’s scalp that delivers a continuous dose of low-intensity electric fields improves survival and slows the growth of a deadly brain tumor, according to a new clinical trial led by a Northwestern Medicine scientist and published in the journal JAMA. The new treatment for glioblastoma uses […]

Scientists have found a new way to explain the hearing loss caused by cisplatin, a powerful drug used to treat many forms of cancer. Using a highly sensitive technique to measure and map cisplatin in mouse and human inner ear tissues, researchers found that forms of cisplatin build up in […]