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New CRISPR tool enhances RNA editing

CRISPR-based tools helped revolutionize the ability to target genetic mutations linked to disease development. Such tools focus on using the enzymes Cas9 and Cas12 to target DNA, and Cas13 to target RNA. Now, scientists used a new CRISPR platform that expands the capabilities of RNA editing.

29 Jul 2019

Resveratrol shows promise for anxiety and depression

A new study has shown that the compound resveratrol found in red wine demonstrates stress relieving effects in anxiety and depression. This could be due to resveratrol’s ability to control an enzyme in the brain that is liked to stress say the researchers from the University at Buffalo in collaboration with Xuzhou Medical University in China.

29 Jul 2019

New gene-editing study finds protective genes against Zika virus

Tel Aviv scientists have discovered certain genes that protect the host organism against attack by Zika virus, raising hopes of an eventual vaccine or cure for this dreaded viral disease.

28 Jul 2019

Plant compound found in red wine displays anti-stress effects

Like to unwind with a glass of red wine after a stressful day? Don't give alcohol all the credit.

26 Jul 2019

UC Davis researchers identify how diabetes increases risk of vascular diseases

A team of UC Davis Health scientists and physicians has identified a cellular connection between diabetes and one of its major complications - blood vessel narrowing that increases risks of several serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke.

25 Jul 2019

Novel therapeutic strategy for treating Lafora Disease shows promise in preclinical study

A team of scientists have designed and tested in mice a novel and promising therapeutic strategy for treating Lafora Disease, a fatal form of childhood epilepsy.

25 Jul 2019

Defective immune signals could underlie some types of fatal heart disease

Researchers have come up with exciting evidence that confirms the role of abnormal immune signaling in myocarditis.

25 Jul 2019

Scientists find surprising insight into Legionnaires’ disease

The incidence of Legionnaires' disease has increased in the past two decades. The natural habitat of Legionella is freshwater biotopes, where they mainly reproduce in amoebae.

24 Jul 2019

Novel sensor could accelerate diagnosis of sepsis

A novel sensor designed by MIT researchers could dramatically accelerate the process of diagnosing sepsis, a leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals that kills nearly 250,000 patients annually.

24 Jul 2019

Scientists identify new way to target bottleneck for cancer cell growth

The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase is a bottleneck for cancer cell growth. Scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a way of targeting ribonucleotide reductase that may avoid the toxicity of previous approaches, informing focused drug discovery efforts.

23 Jul 2019

Chemists discover a whole new class of microbial recipes

Microbes are master chefs of the biomolecular world; collectively, they harbor the ability to produce a vast array of unknown substances, some of which may have therapeutic or other useful properties.

22 Jul 2019

Study shows how high glucose damages the vascular system

Diabetes, which is marked by increased glucose levels in the body, eventually leads to certain complications, including cardiovascular disease. Now, a new study shows a cellular connection between diabetes and blood vessel narrowing that boosts one’s risk of chronic and potentially fatal health conditions, including stroke and heart disease.

22 Jul 2019

Disruption of immune cell behavior may spur heart disease, heart failure

On an ice hockey team, the players all start off with identical uniforms, skates and a stick. But if you take one of them, add padding, a glove, and a mask; and switch the stick to one with a larger blade, then you get a goalie.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 19 Jul 2019

Researchers develop a more precise version of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system

A gene defect in humans causes progressive hearing loss in humans, resulting in deafness by their mid-20s. The same genetic mutation causes deafness in the Beethoven-mouse model.

18 Jul 2019

Researchers explain why fascioliasis patients have increased risk for neurological diseases

Fascioliasis is a parasitic disease caused by two species that are present in the liver: Hepatic Fasciola, which is present worldwide, and Fasciola gigantica, which is in Asia and Africa.

18 Jul 2019

Common medications can masquerade as dementia in seniors

By all accounts the woman, in her late 60s, appeared to have severe dementia. She was largely incoherent. Her short-term memory was terrible. She couldn't focus on questions that medical professionals asked her.

18 Jul 2019

Cancer stem cells elude the body's immune cells by deactivating danger detector

Acute myeloid leukemia stem cells elude the body's immune cells by deactivating a danger detector. The underlying mechanisms and the potential new therapeutic approaches that this gives rise to have been detailed in the journal Nature by researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel in collaboration with colleagues in Germany.

18 Jul 2019