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Scientists reveal mechanisms that may help preterm infants extend nephron development window

Nephrons are the microscopic blood-filtering units inside our kidneys that convert waste products into urine, regulate our electrolyte levels and our blood pressure.

22 May 2018

Researchers push science one step closer to growing body parts in a lab

Researchers have learned that precursor cells for skeletal muscles actually also give rise to neurons, blood vessels, blood cells and immune cells, pushing science one step closer to generating body parts in a laboratory.

17 May 2018

Research offers clues to how random gene fluctuations may be tamed during earliest stages of life

Scientists exploring how to tame random gene fluctuations as the embryos that become our bodies start to form have identified a control switch in the vertebrate segmentation clock of developing zebrafish.

16 May 2018

Enhancing the effects of vitamin D to curb type 2 diabetes

More than 27 million people in the United States are living with type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the population ages and a growing percentage of people become overweight or obese, that number is expected to increase.

10 May 2018

Depleted metabolic enzymes contribute to tumor growth in renal cancer

Kidney cancer, one of the ten most prevalent malignancies in the world, has increased in incidence over the last decade, likely due to rising obesity rates.

10 May 2018

Advances in Cell Lineage Analysis

Dr. Jan Phillip Junker discusses the applications of CRISPR-Cas9 in cell lineage analysis and the development of tomo-seq; a method to study the spatial organization of cells within whole organisms.

9 May 2018

Moving beyond traditional 'magic bullet' approach for discovering new drugs

It's time to move beyond the traditional 'magic bullet' approach for discovering new drugs and start leveraging the full complexity of Mother Nature, say Vanderbilt Professor of Chemistry Brian Bachmann and Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Jonathan Irish.

3 May 2018

New UCLA study could elucidate certain causes of infertility and miscarriage

A new study in the journal Nature Cell Biology has uncovered information about a key stage that human embryonic cells must pass through just before an embryo implants. The research, led by UCLA biologist Amander Clark, could help explain certain causes of infertility and spontaneous miscarriage.

26 Apr 2018

Researchers discover new gene associated with aortic aneurysms

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has identified a new gene linked to human aortic aneurysms. By combining comprehensive genetic studies in the fruit fly, dataset searches and analysis of diseased human aortic tissue, the researchers shed light on mechanisms not previously known to be associated with this devastating disease.

24 Apr 2018

Genome editing identifies neural circuit behind leptin’s anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects

Revealing surprising answers to a long-standing enigma about the brain target of the anti-obesity hormone leptin, neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine have used CRISPR genome editing to identify a neural circuit in the hypothalamus as the primary mechanism in mediating leptin's anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects and have identified two distinct mechanisms underlying leptin's inhibition of appetite.

19 Apr 2018

Targeting opioid receptor offers relief for chronic itching

A common side effect of opioids is intense itching -- a problem for some patients who need the drugs for pain relief and for others fighting addiction.

17 Apr 2018

Biologists discover surprising, additional function for soluble form of SNARE protein

In 2013, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their contributions to uncovering the mechanisms governing vesicle transport in cells. Their explanations provided both a conceptual and a mechanistic understanding of basic processes at the most fundamental level.

13 Apr 2018

Study reveals unexpected mechanism that induces thirst after alcohol or sugar exposure

Why does drinking alcohol or consuming sugar make us thirsty? An international study of mice in Texas and humans in Europe reveals an unexpected anti-dehydration mechanism.

12 Apr 2018

Researchers discover how 'junk DNA' plays key role in holding the genome together

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have determined how satellite DNA, considered to be "junk DNA," plays a crucial role in holding the genome together.

11 Apr 2018

Study reveals how interneurons emerge and diversify in the brain

Modern neuroscience, for all its complexity, can trace its roots directly to a series of pen-and-paper sketches rendered by Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

31 Mar 2018

Tadpole metamorphosis found to be controlled by fat-sensing hormone

When tadpoles are but tadpoles, they're voracious eaters, chomping down all of the plant matter in their paths.

29 Mar 2018

Study findings establish basis for epigenetic link between aging and Alzheimer's disease

Although certain genetic variants increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), age is the strongest known risk factor. But the way in which molecular processes of aging predispose people to AD, or become impaired in AD remains a mystery.

6 Mar 2018

Scientists show that cutting-edge technique can efficiently sort nano-sized particles

A new cellular messenger discovered by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists may help reveal how cancer cells co-opt the body's intercellular delivery service to spread to new locations in the body.

From Waters | Wyatt Technology 21 Feb 2018

Researchers uncover new details about function of enigmatic protein

In a recent study, a research group at MedUni Vienna has published further details about the function of an enigmatic protein. The biological necessity of this protein, which can chemically alter certain building blocks of the genetic information, has been debated for quite a while.

14 Feb 2018

Running mitigates negative impacts of chronic stress on the brain, study finds

Most people agree that getting a little exercise helps when dealing with stress. A new BYU study discovers exercise -- particularly running -- while under stress also helps protect your memory.