Developmental Biology News and Research

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Tiny lab-grown structures that resemble amniotic sac may help in infertility research

The first few weeks after sperm meets egg still hold many mysteries. Among them: what causes the process to fail, leading to many cases of infertility.

8 Aug 2017

Gene editing technology shines light on rare dyskeratosis congenita

Using the gene editing technology CRISPR, scientists have shed light on a rare, sometimes fatal syndrome that causes children to gradually lose the ability to manufacture vital blood cells.

27 Jul 2017

Scientists uncover mechanism that keeps cells in the right places

Scientists have uncovered how cells are kept in the right place as the body develops, which may shed light on what causes invasive cancer cells to migrate.

26 Jul 2017

CU Boulder study sheds new light on mechanism behind radiation-induced bystander effect

More than half of cancer patients undergo radiotherapy, in which high doses of radiation are aimed at diseased tissue to kill cancer cells.

19 Jul 2017

Newly identified biomarker panel could pave way to earlier detection of pancreatic cancer

A newly identified biomarker panel could pave the way to earlier detection and better treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania.

12 Jul 2017

New research offers crucial step towards understanding cause of myopathy

Pioneering research using the tropical zebrafish could provide new insights into the genetic basis of myopathy, a type of human muscle disease.

6 Jul 2017

New study re-writes parts of the rulebook on evolution of mammalian brains

A new study involving The University of Queensland, which might be useful for biomedical research, re-writes parts of the rulebook on how mammalian brains - including our own - could have evolved.

5 Jul 2017

Research provides new insights into how telomeres regulate cellular senescence

Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have further uncovered the secrets of telomeres, the caps that protect the ends of our chromosomes.

30 Jun 2017

Researchers study space-exposed worms to improve understanding of regenerative health

Flatworms that spent five weeks aboard the International Space Station are helping researchers led by Tufts University scientists to study how an absence of normal gravity and geomagnetic fields can have anatomical, behavioral, and bacteriological consequences, according to a paper to be published June 13 in Regeneration.

9 Jun 2017

UIC to open new center dedicated for stem cell and regenerative medicine

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine will launch a new center that will focus on understanding tissue regeneration and pioneering future developments in stem cell biology as a means to repair diseased organs and tissues.

6 Jun 2017

UCSB biologists develop new antimicrobial susceptibility test to transform the way antibiotics are tested

When a patient is prescribed the wrong antibiotic to treat a bacterial infection, it's not necessarily the physician who is at fault. The current antibiotic assay -- standardized in 1961 by the World Health Organization and used worldwide -- is potentially flawed.

2 Jun 2017

Key metabolic enzyme fuels molecular machinery to turn on memory genes after learning

Understanding how memories are made, retrieved, and eventually fade over a lifetime is the stuff of poems and song. To medical researchers, solving the mysteries of memory is even more elusive.

1 Jun 2017

UNC researchers discover cascade of gene activity during journey to maturation in fruit flies

Every animal starts as a clump of cells, which over time multiply and mature into many different types of cells, tissues, and organs.

26 May 2017

U-M research reveals important clues about invasion of polyomaviruses

Every cell in our body runs like a tiny factory that makes specialized products, using the carefully guarded instructions kept in the CEO's office.

24 May 2017

Pitt scientists discover genes responsible for severe congenital heart disease

The first known identification of two genes responsible for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a severe congenital heart defect, has been reported by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

22 May 2017

Researchers show how cancer therapy works in different way to destroy tumor cells

Antibodies to the proteins PD-1 and PD-L1 have been shown to fight cancer by unleashing the body's T cells, a type of immune cell.

18 May 2017

Age-related macular degeneration could be arrested by switching to low-glycemic diet, study finds

A study in mice finds that development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) could be arrested by switching from a high-glycemic diet (starches as are found in white bread) to a low-glycemic (starches found in whole grains).

16 May 2017

Researchers uncover unexpected mechanism of glucose sensing in skeletal muscles

It's obvious that the taste buds on the tongue can detect sugar. And after a meal, beta cells in the pancreas sense rising blood glucose and release the hormone insulin - which helps the sugar enter cells, where it can be used by the body for energy.

5 May 2017

Researchers identify biomarker that could predict disease severity in glaucoma patients

Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, most often is diagnosed during a routine eye exam. Over time, elevated pressure inside the eye damages the optic nerve, leading to vision loss. Unfortunately, there's no way to accurately predict which patients might lose vision most rapidly.

4 May 2017

Lost function of genes impairs development of motor skills in maturing mice

Scientists report in Neuron the lost function of two genes prevents infant laboratory mice from developing motor skills as they mature into adults. Researchers also suggest in their study that people with certain motor development disabilities be tested to see if they have mutant forms of the same genes.

3 May 2017