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Candidate coronavirus vaccines show promising results in early animal testing

A candidate vaccine that could provide protection against the COVID-19 virus and other coronaviruses has shown promising results in early animal testing.

17 Apr 2021

Altering a mosquito's gut genes shows promise to curb malaria

Altering a mosquito's gut genes to make them spread antimalarial genes to the next generation of their species shows promise as an approach to curb malaria, suggests a preliminary study published today in eLife.

13 Apr 2021

Biology of single-celled organisms reveals potential treatment target for COPD

In a series of experiments that began with amoebas -- single-celled organisms that extend podlike appendages to move around -- Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have identified a genetic pathway that could be activated to help sweep out mucus from the lungs of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a widespread lung ailment.

13 Apr 2021

Non-invasive neuromodulation approaches can prevent invasive surgery in Parkinson's patients

From optogenetics to sonogenetics to magnetognetics, scientists around the world are investigating new techniques to treat Parkinson's disease without the need for invasive surgery.

13 Apr 2021

Exercise training may slow breast cancer growth by increasing anti-tumor immune response

Exercise training may slow tumor growth and improve outcomes for females with breast cancer - especially those treated with immunotherapy drugs - by stimulating naturally occurring immune mechanisms, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have found.

12 Apr 2021

Study explains future ethical implications of brain organoid research

Stem cell research has allowed medicine to go places that were once science fiction. Using stem cells, scientists have manufactured heart cells, brain cells and other cell types that they are now transplanting into patients as a form of cell therapy.

9 Apr 2021

New approach to CAR T gene therapy yields efficient and longer-lasting response against HIV

A UCLA research team has shown that using a truncated form of the CD4 molecule as part of a gene therapy to combat HIV yielded superior and longer-lasting results in mouse models than previous similar therapies using the CD4 molecule.

3 Apr 2021

New portable viral screening test can diagnose COVID-19 in minutes and track variants

Clinicians using a new viral screening test can not only diagnose COVID-19 in a matter of minutes with a portable, pocket-sized machine, but can also simultaneously test for other viruses--like influenza--that might be mistaken for the coronavirus.

31 Mar 2021

New molecular pathway helps steer moving cells in specific directions

Working with fruit flies, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have identified a new molecular pathway that helps steer moving cells in specific directions.

30 Mar 2021

New system facilitates real-time imaging of biological, pathological processes

Researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, have developed a novel far-red light-emitting luciferin-luciferase system that is more efficient than those available commercially. An article on the subject is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

30 Mar 2021

First cell-based gene therapy approved by the FDA for treating multiple myeloma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel), a cell-based gene therapy to treat adult patients with multiple myeloma who have not responded to, or whose disease has returned after, at least four prior lines (different types) of therapy.

29 Mar 2021

Moffitt researchers use mathematical modeling to help explain outcomes of CAR T-cell therapy

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR T, is a relatively new type of therapy approved to treat several types of aggressive B cell leukemias and lymphomas.

25 Mar 2021

Wireless neuromodulation technology could improve the lives of patients with brain disorders

Scientists make pivotal discovery of method for wireless modulation of neurons with X-rays that could improve the lives of patients with brain disorders. The X-ray source only requires a machine like that found in a dentist's office.

25 Mar 2021

Scientists identify a new way to increase enzymes’ life span

Like the parts of a car that make it go, enzymes in living cells can eventually wear out or break over time, and researchers at The University of Western Australia have now discovered what determines an enzyme’s working life and what needs to be done to keep it working longer.

24 Mar 2021

Highly sensitive DNA nanosensor can accurately detect lethal superbugs

The persistent overuse of antibiotics has led to the evolution of antibiotic resistant pathogens, or “superbugs,” which can cause severe life-threatening infections that must be diagnosed and treated early on.

23 Mar 2021

Star-shaped brain cells impact the length and depth of sleep in mice

For something we spend one-third of our lives doing, we still understand remarkably little about how sleep works -- for example, why can some people sleep deeply through any disturbance, while others regularly toss and turn for hours each night? And why do we all seem to need a different amount of sleep to feel rested?

22 Mar 2021

Genetic engineering strategy dramatically reduces tau levels in Alzheimer's animal model

Researchers have used a genetic engineering strategy to dramatically reduce levels of tau--a key protein that accumulates and becomes tangled in the brain during the development of Alzheimer's disease--in an animal model of the condition.

21 Mar 2021

Developing a COVID-19 vaccine using inactivated E. coli

A team of researchers inactivated whole-cell E.coli with a reduced genome and utilized this to express coronavirus-specific fusion peptides, demonstrating a potent anamnestic response.

19 Mar 2021

Study explores how CAR T immunotherapy could be used to treat solid tumors

A study recently published in the journal Science looked into how CAR T immunotherapy could be used to treat solid tumors in addition to leukemias. The programming of CAR T cells opens avenues for applying cell therapies to, for example, breast cancer or ovarian cancer in the future.

18 Mar 2021

Novel cancer-fighting gene therapy enters phase I clinical trial

Researchers from the MDC and Charité have developed a new gene therapy based around a special T-cell receptor that helps the immune system effectively recognize and fight cancer cells.

18 Mar 2021