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Scientists devise new way to control single neurons using optogenetics

Researchers at MIT and Paris Descartes University have developed a new optogenetic technique that sculpts light to target individual cells bearing engineered light-sensitive molecules, so that individual neurons can be precisely stimulated.

13 Nov 2017

Absence of VEGF-A in cancer-killing T cells accelerates tumor development

Contrary to what was previously believed, the immune system's cancer-killing T cells are more effective in a tumour's anoxic environment when they have access to growth factor VEGF-A.

13 Nov 2017

Epigenetic editing in healthy breast cells can set off chain reaction for tumor initiation

Changing the epigenetic code of a single gene is enough to cause a healthy breast cell to begin a chain reaction and become abnormal, according to research by Queen Mary University of London.

13 Nov 2017

Researchers find efficient way to produce neurons from pluripotent stem cells

Since their discovery in 2006, induced pluripotent stem cells are a glimmer of hope for many diseases. But further research of the complex regulation of pluripotent stem cell identity revealed unexpected difficulties.

13 Nov 2017

Scientists improve resolution of optical microscope using mirrored coverslip and computer algorithms

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Chicago improved the speed, resolution, and light efficiency of an optical microscope by switching from a conventional glass coverslip to a reflective, mirrored coverslip and applying new computer algorithms to process the resulting data.

13 Nov 2017

Dengue immunity can provide protection from subsequent Zika infection

Manifestations of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection differ drastically. Sometimes they are catastrophic, most notably when they cause microcephaly in some babies born to infected mothers.

13 Nov 2017

KAUST researchers provide solution for killing E. coli using sunlight

Increasingly virulent strains of Escherichia coli are circulating in wastewater around the world, and the race is on to find novel treatment processes that could help reduce the spread of these pathogens.

13 Nov 2017

Advances in genetic and stem cell techniques help identify therapeutic targets for neurological disorders

Research released today highlights advances in the use of CRISPR-Cas9 and human induced pluripotent stem cell technologies to identify novel therapeutic targets for neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and addiction.

13 Nov 2017

Study identifies novel mechanism by which tumors can resist cancer immunotherapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study led by Benoit Van den Eynde, Director of Ludwig Brussels, has identified a novel mechanism by which tumors of the aggressive skin cancer melanoma can resist cancer immunotherapy.

10 Nov 2017

Corneal donor tissue can be safely stored for longer period, study finds

Results from a large, national clinical trial show that corneal donor tissue can be safely stored for 11 days without negatively impacting the success of transplantation surgery to restore vision in people with diseases of the cornea.

10 Nov 2017

Study identifies promising treatment to reduce brain injury in babies

Research-clinicians at Children's National Health System led the first study to identify a promising treatment to reduce or prevent brain injury in newborns who have suffered hypoxia-ischemia, a serious complication in which restricted blood flow deprives the brain of oxygen.

10 Nov 2017

Researchers show how rhythm of DNA replication can be manipulated to kill cancer cells

Human cells divide and create new cells throughout life. In this process, a steady – even rhythmic – supply of DNA building blocks is needed to create new DNA. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen are the first to show exactly how human cells regulate this process so it does not fail and cause illness.

10 Nov 2017

Russian scientists uncover previously unknown effect of leukemia drug

Researchers from RUDN University and Institute of Biomedical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences have identified an alternative mechanism for the effective antitumor drug -- an enzyme called L-asparaginase.

10 Nov 2017

Study reveals how caloric diet may reverse type 2 diabetes

A new study conducted on animal models at Yale University, revealed how type 2 diabetes could be rapidly reversed by use of a very low-calorie diet.

10 Nov 2017

UCR researchers elucidate how blood clots shrink

Blood clotting is the "Jekyll and Hyde" of biological processes. It's a lifesaver when you're bleeding, but gone awry, it causes heart attacks, strokes and other serious medical problems.

10 Nov 2017

Gene technology can be potential game-changer for agriculture

Consumers will soon be eating gene-edited foods that have added nutrients, potatoes that do not turn brown, and mushrooms with a longer shelf life, scientists at The University of Queensland predict.

10 Nov 2017

Malaria parasites’ decision making influenced by fatty molecule in human blood

Depletion of a fatty molecule in human blood propels malaria parasites to stop replicating and causing illness in people and instead to jump ship to mosquitoes to continue the transmission cycle, according to a new study by an international research team.

9 Nov 2017

Increasing hydroxyurea dose linked to reduction in hospitalization for young sickle cell anemia patients

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have shown that using the drug hydroxyurea to boost average fetal hemoglobin levels above 20 percent in children and teenagers with sickle cell anemia was associated with at least a two-fold reduction in hospitalization for any reason.

9 Nov 2017

KU Leuven researchers unravel how cell division timer works

Human cells use a timer to divide: each cell gets at least 30 minutes to divide its genetic material between the nuclei of two daughter cells.

9 Nov 2017

Scientists characterize infection mechanism of Rift Valley fever virus

Rift Valley fever virus, transmitted by mosquitoes, is responsible for outbreaks in livestock in Africa and can also be fatal in humans. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS, working with the University of Göttingen, have characterized the mechanism used by the virus to insert one of its envelope proteins into the host cell membrane, thereby enabling it to infect the cell.

9 Nov 2017