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Understanding protein aggregation over time can help decipher early stages of Parkinson's

One of the biggest difficulties in treating Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the understanding of when it starts.

11 Oct 2019

Genetic oscillator captures changes in gut microbiome growth patterns

For all the attention the human microbiome has been getting over the last few years, one aspect of such research rarely makes headlines: the difficulty of observing how it changes over time in response to various stimuli.

11 Oct 2019

New gene therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration is on the horizon

Gene therapy is showing promise for one of the most common causes of blindness. Data presented today shows that six patients with wet age-related macular degeneration have, so far, gone at least six months without the need for continued injections to control a disease that typically requires treatment every four to six weeks.

11 Oct 2019

New study finds genetic link for some forms of SIDS

A genetic link has now been found for some instances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS. The new UW Medicine research study is the first to make an explainable link tracking the mechanism between a genetic anomaly and some forms of the devastating syndrome, which claims the lives of more than 3,000 infants a year.

11 Oct 2019

New tool records and tracks microbiome growth

Over the past years, the human microbiome has gained immense popularity due to its role in shaping one’s health. It is essential for human development, nutrition, and immunity. That’s why many studies have focused on how to improve one’s health by targeting or enhancing the microbiome.

11 Oct 2019

Researchers develop customized drug treatment to bypass patient’s unique mutation

An unprecedented case at Boston Children's Hospital shows that it's possible to do something that's never been done before: identify a patient's unique mutation, design a customized drug to bypass it, manufacture and test the drug, and obtain permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin treating the patient -- all in less than one year.

11 Oct 2019

Human regenerative capacity discovered

Move over, salamanders, we humans can also regrow some of our body tissues. At least, this is what a new study published on October 9, 2019, in the journal Science Advances, reports. Using a mechanism quite similar to that by which amphibians like salamanders, and some zebrafish, grow back lost body parts, human joint cartilage can also regenerate itself.

10 Oct 2019

Structural biology reveals 3D structure of asthma-linked receptor

A new study has laid bare the structure of a protein receptor called the CysLT1 receptor that is implicated in a range of allergic and cardiovascular conditions as well as some types of cancer. Published in Science Advances, the paper shows how the researchers used structural biology techniques to accomplish this feat.

10 Oct 2019

Two new grants to support researchers to better understand, manage metastasis of melanoma

The American Cancer Society and Melanoma Research Alliance have selected two new promising projects in a second round of funding under a partnership between ACS & MRA. The first grants funded through the partnership, in 2018, focused on advancing research to reduce side effects resulting from cancer treatments with immune-checkpoint inhibitors.

10 Oct 2019

Vaccine against gastrin may slow spread of pancreatic cancer

New research suggests a vaccine that blocks a digestive hormone may slow the spread of pancreatic cancer, potentially increasing survival rates. The study, published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, was chosen as an APSselect article for October.

10 Oct 2019

Research may help explain how liquid organelles in cells coexist without merging

New research may help to explain an intriguing phenomenon inside human cells: how wall-less liquid organelles are able to coexist as separate entities instead of just merging together.

10 Oct 2019

‘Sticky’ gene may boost the nerve calming effects of Valium

Between 1999 and 2017, the United States experienced a 10-fold increase in the number of people who died from overdoses of Valium and other benzodiazepines.

10 Oct 2019

New coating to improve performance of neural recording technology

A microelectrode array is an implantable device through which neural signals can be obtained or delivered.

10 Oct 2019

A Lego-like approach to enhance nature's own ability to attack bacteria

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers antibiotic resistance one of the most urgent public health threats, one that affects communities worldwide. The ramifications of bacteria's ability to become resistant to antibiotics can be seen in hospitals, public places, our food supply, and our water.

10 Oct 2019

Study pinpoints a gene that allows chlamydia to pick up DNA from host environment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted bacterial disease in the U.S., totaling 1.7 million cases in 2017. Rates are highest among teenagers and young adults. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause blindness and sterility.

10 Oct 2019

Penn researchers to develop critical tool for imaging the brains of patients with Parkinson's

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will lead a multi-institutional effort in pursuit of developing a critical tool for imaging the brains of patients with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

10 Oct 2019

Scientists show how the immune system reacts to Ebola vaccine

Following the dramatic Ebola epidemic in West Africa from 2013 to 2016, viral infections have spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2018. Since then, more than 2,100 deaths have been reported and the number of victims and new infections increases daily.

10 Oct 2019

Serum neurofilament levels can be used to differentiate between frontotemporal dementia and psychiatric disorders

Early symptoms of frontotemporal dementia are often confused with symptoms occurring in psychiatric disorders.

10 Oct 2019

Scientists uncover details of antibody response to Ebola virus vaccine

In the recurring, deadly Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, today's health workers now have at least some tools to fight the disease: vaccines. Vaccines against Ebola have been administered to over 100,000 people to date, but they are barely out of the experimental stage.

10 Oct 2019

Researchers identify genetic mutation that causes idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Researchers in Japan have identified a genetic mutation that causes a severe lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by killing the cells lining the lung's airways.

10 Oct 2019