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IU researchers secure $4 million for veterans' health research

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have cumulatively been awarded nearly $4 million in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Merit Review Award and Career Development programs to support research on diabetes, skin inflammation, cancer and aging.

23 Aug 2024

Unique strain of probiotic bacteria shows potential in combating inflammatory diseases

23 Aug 2024

Defective ZNRF3 gene causes opposing brain sizes and potential tumor risk

A gene called ZNRF3, known to be involved in cancer, also messes with the mind. The human brain relies on two copies of this gene to build a right-sized brain. If one of the copies is defective, the brain will be either too small or too large - known as mirror effect -, leading to various neurological symptoms.

23 Aug 2024

AmoyDx® Pan Lung Cancer PCR Panel approved in Japan as a companion diagnostic for Haiyitan® tablets (gumarontinib)

Riken Genesis Co., Ltd., Amoy Diagnostics Co., Ltd., and Precision Medicine Asia Co., Ltd. today announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved the AmoyDx® Pan Lung Cancer PCR Panel

From Amoy Diagnostics 23 Aug 2024

Maternal gut bacteria linked to changes in fetal brain metabolism

The impact of Bifidobacterium breve's presence in the maternal gut during pregnancy on fetal brain metabolism.

23 Aug 2024

Multimodal therapy shows promise for cancer treatment

Cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases to treat due to its complexity and tendency to metastasize (spread into or invade, nearby tissues or distant places in the body to form new tumors). Traditional therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation, often face limitations like non-specific targeting and severe side effects. In response, researchers are turning to innovative approaches that combine multiple therapeutic modalities to address these issues. This study explores a cutting-edge solution involving CNHs to create a multimodal cancer phototheranostic platform integrating photothermal therapy (PTT), immunotherapy, and chemotherapy.

23 Aug 2024

New analytical method for identifying cancer cell targets

What are the characteristics of a cancer cell that are recognized by the immune system? Knowledge of the potential target structures for the immune cells is a basic prerequisite for the development of personalized cancer immunotherapies. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the NCT Heidelberg are publishing a highly sensitive method based on mass spectroscopy to identify such tumor-specific "neoepitopes". The analytical method is designed to detect these low-abundance protein fragments and requires minimal amounts of sample material.

23 Aug 2024

Novel screening method for blood-brain barrier penetration

Scientists at Southwest Research Institute have developed a new screening method to identify drug formulations that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), to facilitate treatment of brain diseases and conditions.

23 Aug 2024

Exploring the impact of thyroid hormone on brain function

Thyroid hormone plays a key role in regulating a range of physiologic functions, including metabolism, temperature, heart rate, and growth. It accomplishes this impressive array of activities by interacting with almost every organ system in the body. Yet despite a long history of research on how thyroid hormone influences different organs, its effects on arguably the most crucial organ - the brain - have remained shrouded in mystery.

23 Aug 2024

The impact of stem cells on the epigenetic clock

How old are you, really? Your chronological age is the number of years you have been alive. Your biological age is how old your cells are which scientists believe may better assess one's age-related health and disease risk. People biologically age at different rates, depending on genetic and environmental factors, so that a person's chronological age does not necessarily match their biological age. In recent years, direct-to-consumer biological age tests have become increasingly accessible and popular as interest has increased in this nascent science.

23 Aug 2024

Probiotic offers protection against intestinal damage

There is a critical unmet need to help tighten and maintain a healthy intestinal barrier and treat a leaky gut. Researchers have now found that a unique strain of probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium bifidum BB1, enhances intestinal barrier function and protects against penetration of bacteria and various harmful agents in the intestine. The findings, detailed in an article in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, can help advance the development of novel, targeted, naturally occurring probiotic therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases, such as fatty liver disease or alcoholic liver disease, that are associated with a leaky or disordered intestinal barrier.

23 Aug 2024

Immune cells' two-pronged approach to maintaining acetyl-CoA reserves

Immune cells use two different routes to produce acetyl-CoA, an essential metabolite required to fight infection and cancer, reports a study led by Van Andel Institute scientists.

23 Aug 2024

Experts release revised lung cancer testing guidelines

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), and the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) announced today the open comment period for the revised 2018 evidence-based guideline, "Updated Molecular Testing Guideline for the Selection of Lung Cancer Patients for Treatment With Targeted Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors."

23 Aug 2024

SCARB2 deficiency disrupts bile acid metabolism and gut microbiome

The study details the connection between SCARB2 deficiency and gastrointestinal dysfunction, revealing that the loss of SCARB2 leads to alterations in bile acid metabolism and dysbiosis in the gut microbiome. This disruption affects the signaling pathway involving FXR, which normally regulates bile acid synthesis and intestinal lipid absorption. The hyperactive FXR in Scarb2-deficient mice leads to a decrease in epithelial cell turnover and lipid malabsorption, particularly impacting the absorption of vitamin E, which is crucial for maintaining neurological health. The researchers further explored the impact of these changes on the gut-liver axis and found alterations in the expression of genes related to bile acid synthesis.

23 Aug 2024

Kynurenine pathway blockade shows promise for restoring brain metabolism in Alzheimer's

Among the many ways neuroscientists think Alzheimer's disease may strip away brain function is by disrupting the glucose metabolism needed to fuel the healthy brain.

22 Aug 2024

Study sheds light on the dual nature of cellular senescence

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have revealed a new secret regarding senescence, a cellular state similar to sleep that is more likely to affect aged cells.

22 Aug 2024

New $400 million donation reinforces Columbia's leadership in biomedical science

Columbia University announced today a new $400 million gift from Roy and Diana Vagelos, which will secure Columbia's leadership in biomedical science research and education and produce a vast array of compelling opportunities for improving society's health and wellbeing.

22 Aug 2024

New insights into macrophages' role in MASH and liver fibrosis

Formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is an inflammatory disease characterized by liver scarring or fibrosis that progressively impairs liver function.

22 Aug 2024

Novel drug-carrying molecule slips past the lung's natural defenses to cure disease

A drug-carrying molecule designed to cure disease by slipping past the lung's natural defenses offers new hope for people with chronic or deadly respiratory diseases, say its creators, researchers in assistant professor Liheng Cai's Soft Biomatter Lab at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science.

22 Aug 2024