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Researchers succeed in restoring mobility and sensation of touch in stroke-afflicted rats

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have succeeded in restoring mobility and sensation of touch in stroke-afflicted rats by reprogramming human skin cells to become nerve cells, which were then transplanted into the rats' brains.

8 Apr 2020

Personalized biohybrid microswimmers for therapeutic cargo delivery

Tiny biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions. The natural environmental sensing tendencies of bacteria mean they can navigate toward certain chemicals or be remotely controlled using magnetic or sound signals.

7 Apr 2020

Pollen-based paper shows promise for a new range of natural components

Scientists at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have created a paper-like material derived from pollen that bends and curls in response to changing levels of environmental humidity.

7 Apr 2020

Inhibiting the iron transport could halt tuberculosis

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis need iron to survive. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now solved the first detailed structure of the transport protein responsible for the iron supply.

1 Apr 2020

Researchers develop chemically modified phage capsid that “stifles” influenza viruses

A new approach brings the hope of new therapeutic options for suppressing seasonal influenza and avian flu: On the basis of an empty - and therefore non-infectious - shell of a phage virus, researchers from Berlin have developed a chemically modified phage capsid that "stifles" influenza viruses.

31 Mar 2020

SLAC structural biologist discovers a strange cavity in key tuberculosis protein

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered a strange new feature of a protein that’s thought to be important in the development of tuberculosis: The protein contains a “huge” interior pocket, the likes of which has never before been seen, that appears capable of passing a wide range of other molecules into the bacterial cell.

27 Mar 2020

Scientists discover tuberculosis bacterium channels vitamins into the cell

A new study published in the journal Nature in March 2020 reports a unique transport protein found within the tubercle bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This huge membrane-spanning vesicular protein is different from other transport proteins and is instrumental in carrying hydrophilic molecules, notably vitamin B12 or cobalamin, across the cell membrane.

24 Mar 2020

Using 'young NK cells' could improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy for cancer patients

Immunotherapy that involves treating cancer with the body's own immune cells, or those of a matched donor, shows promise in clinical trials for some patients, but not all.

22 Mar 2020

Cryo-electron microscopy helps visualize ball-and-chain inactivation of ion channels

Ion channels, which allow potassium and sodium ions to flow in and out of cells, are crucial in neuronal 'firing' in the central nervous system and for brain and heart function.

19 Mar 2020

Bacterial extracellular vesicles could combat antibiotic resistance

Children's National Hospital researchers for the first time have isolated bacterial extracellular vesicles from the blood of healthy donors, a critical step to better understanding the way gut bacteria communicate with the rest of the body via the bloodstream.

18 Mar 2020

Chronic microfiber exposure causes aneurysms, cellular changes in fish

Chronic exposure to microplastic fibers causes aneurysms, erosion of surface layers and other serious damage to fish gills, and increases egg production in female fish, a sign that chemicals in the fibers may be acting as endocrine disruptors, a new study by U.S. and Chinese scientists finds.

16 Mar 2020

BIN1 deficit leads to impaired spatial learning and memory

Bridging integrator 1, known as BIN1, is the second most common risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, according to genome-wide studies of genetic variants. Yet, scientists know little about what this protein does in the brain.

11 Mar 2020

Gene therapy reverses cardiac dysfunction in mice with Barth syndrome

Barth syndrome is a rare metabolic disease in boys caused by mutation of a gene called tafazzin or TAZ. It can cause life-threatening heart failure and also weakens the skeletal muscles, undercuts the immune response, and impairs overall growth.

9 Mar 2020

New findings could shed light on pathologies in brain signaling

Our day-to-day lives can be seen as a series of complex motor sequences: morning routines, work or school tasks, actions we take around mealtimes, the rituals and habits woven through our evenings and weekends.

6 Mar 2020

Biomaterials could soon create tissue like blood vessel structures

A group of researchers led by Professor Alvaro Mata from the University of Nottingham, along with others from Queen Mary University London, has successfully created a biomaterial that could be used for the creation of tissues that could form blood vessels. The study titled, “Disordered protein-graphene oxide co-assembly and supramolecular biofabrication of functional fluidic devices,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Communications.

4 Mar 2020

Researchers elucidate structure and function of enzyme that builds complex sugar trees

Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate for the first time the structure and function of a very small enzyme embedded in cell membranes.

27 Feb 2020

Cryo-electron microscopy reveals how transport protein works very efficiently

The structure of a transport complex used by bacteria to import aspartate has been mapped in unique detail by University of Groningen scientists.

24 Feb 2020

Scientific breakthrough provides insights into basic mechanisms of allergic reactions

An international research team has been able to describe the overall structure of the antibody type IgE, which is the key molecule in allergic diseases.

24 Feb 2020

Vaccine for COVID-19 coronavirus could soon be a reality

A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the National Institutes of Health have managed to make significant progress in the development of a vaccine against the fast-spreading and virulent COVID-19/Novel coronavirus that started in Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December 2019 and is still infecting thousands.

19 Feb 2020

Researchers map key atomic structures in measles, mumps, flu and RSV

Northwestern University researchers have, for the first time, determined the 3D atomic structure of a key complex in paramyxoviruses, a family of viruses that includes measles, mumps, human parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus.

17 Feb 2020