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Scientists identify distinct sub-types of angiosarcomas to allow for targeted treatment

A new study led by clinician-scientists from the National Cancer Centre Singapore, with collaborators from research institutions worldwide, has found that angiosarcomas have unique genomic and immune profiles which allow them to be classified into three different subtypes.

28 Dec 2020

Phase 3 trial of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidate begins enrolling volunteers

The Phase 3 trial of another investigational coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine has begun enrolling adult volunteers.

28 Dec 2020

The evolving role of platelet-rich plasma in cosmetic procedures

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment, which involves injecting a small amount of a patient's own blood to release various growth factors from platelets, continues to increase in popularity.

28 Dec 2020

Popular glucose-lowering drug may cause rare diabetes complication in COVID-19 patients

Diabetes is a known risk factor for morbidity and mortality related to COVID-19. In diabetes patients, rare but severe complications, like the potentially lethal condition diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), can arise when illness or certain conditions prevent cells from receiving enough glucose to fuel their functioning.

28 Dec 2020

Study clarifies the effect of aging on hematopoietic stem cells

By transferring mouse aged hematopoietic stem cells (aged HSCs) to the environment of young mice (bone marrow niche), it was demonstrated that the pattern of stem cell gene expression was rejuvenated to that of young hematopoietic stem cells.

24 Dec 2020

Severity of COVID-19 correlates with the ratio of antibodies targeting crucial viral protein

COVID-19 antibodies preferentially target a different part of the virus in mild cases of COVID-19 than they do in severe cases, and wane significantly within several months of infection, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford Medicine.

24 Dec 2020

Could engineered red blood cells be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

In a new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers explores the antiviral potential of red blood cells against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of COVID-19.

24 Dec 2020

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 NTD-directed antibodies are protective against lethal infection

As the world struggles to contain the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for over 1.6 million deaths and 76 million infections globally, researchers are trying to pin down the determinants of lethality, of infectivity and of protection. Such data would help contain its spread and develop preventive and therapeutic antivirals and vaccines. A new preprint that appeared recently on the bioRxiv* server describes the high degree of protection afforded by antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the virus.

24 Dec 2020

Higher BMI linked to increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, USA, revealed that the spike-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies in obese people are negatively associated with body mass index (BMI) and serum levels of proinflammatory and metabolic markers of pulmonary inflammation.

24 Dec 2020

Kobe University and Sysmex conduct joint research on ELISPOT method for identifying COVID-19

Kobe University and Sysmex Corporation have been engaged in joint research on the ELISPOT method, a new blood test for identifying the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

24 Dec 2020

Researchers review future directions of nanomedicine development

Announcing a new publication for BIO Integration journal. In this commentary the authors Phei Er Saw and Sangyong Jon from Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea, consider how the entry mechanism of nanoparticles into tumors determines the future direction of nanomedicine development.

24 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection increases risk of severe COVID-19 in pregnant women, newborns

Recent analyses indicate that pregnant women and newborns may face elevated risks of developing more severe cases of COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

24 Dec 2020

Thymus gland works to prevent miscarriage, diabetes in pregnant women

An international research team led by the University of British Columbia (UBC) has uncovered for the first time the importance of a small gland tucked behind the sternum that works to prevent miscarriage and diabetes in pregnant women.

24 Dec 2020

FDA authorizes first device to treat patients with walled-off pancreatic necrosis

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized marketing of the EndoRotor System to resect (cut out) and remove necrotic (dead) tissue for patients with walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN), a potentially deadly condition which can occur several weeks after an episode of severe acute pancreatitis, often requiring tissue removal.

23 Dec 2020

Study uncovers a new paradigm for the role of the thymus in pregnancy

How the immune system adapts to pregnancy has puzzled researchers for decades. An international team of researchers, including scientists from IMBA – Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences – has now discovered that important changes in the thymus occur in order to prevent miscarriages and gestational diabetes.

23 Dec 2020