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University of Illinois at Chicago awarded $4.6 million NIH grant for chronic pain research

The University of Illinois at Chicago has been awarded a $4.6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study the molecular neurobiology of chronic pain in patients with sickle cell disease and to develop potential new drug treatments.

26 Feb 2018

Researchers discover potential new antimalarial treatment targets

Researchers have discovered crucial new processes that allow malaria parasites to escape red blood cells and infect other cells, offering potential new treatment targets.

20 Feb 2018

Scientists discover adult endothelial stem cells capable of generating fully functional blood vessels

The proper function of blood vessels is essential to life: blood vessels are responsible for transporting oxygen-rich red blood cells, nutrients, and immune cells throughout the body, to name just a few functions. Defects in blood vessels can correspondingly lead to a variety of life-threatening diseases.

15 Feb 2018

Study: Most children with sickle cell anemia not getting daily antibiotics to reduce the risk

One of the greatest health threats to children with sickle cell anemia is getting a dangerous bacterial infection - but most are not receiving a key medication to reduce the risk, a new study suggests.

13 Feb 2018

Researchers shine new light on hookworm-malaria co-infections

A study released today from an international team of researchers shines new light on "co-infections," infectious diseases that attack the immune system simultaneously.

9 Feb 2018

Study finds low muscle strength as early risk factor for ALS

Low muscle strength during the later teen years has been identified as a risk factor for much later onset of the neurological disease known as ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A study at Sahlgrenska Academy published in the Journal of Neurology also links low blood counts at a young age to ALS.

2 Feb 2018

Study identifies new potential target for treatment of blood disorders

UCLA researchers, in collaboration with the University of Iowa, discovered the contribution of a specific gene in the proper development of blood cells that give rise to hematopoietic stem cells.

1 Feb 2018

Super-resolution microscopy provides insights into cells' amazing flexibility

One of today's sharpest imaging tools, super-resolution microscopy, produces sparkling images of what until now has been the blurry interior of cells, detailing not only the cell's internal organs and skeleton, but also providing insights into cells' amazing flexibility.

31 Jan 2018

SUTD-NCL team completes phenotypic screening of MMV Malaria Box against pathogenic parasites

A Singapore-India collaborative research project between the Singapore University of Technology & Design and CSIR-National Chemical Laboratories completed phenotypic screening of a large collection of potent chemical inhibitors (known as MMV Malaria Box), against pathogenic parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum, causative agents of human toxoplasmosis and malaria.

27 Jan 2018

UTA researcher wins NIH grant to build new technology for quicker diagnosis of heart failure

A UTA researcher will use a National Institutes of Health grant to build new imaging technology that will study blood vessel function in patients with heart failure that could lead to quicker diagnosis and life-saving treatment.

23 Jan 2018

New discovery sheds light on iron-restricted anemia that causes fatigue in millions

A new discovery from the University of Virginia School of Medicine has revealed an unknown clockwork mechanism within the body that controls the creation of oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

22 Jan 2018

Toothpaste ingredient could be employed as anti-malarial drug against drug-resistant parasites

An ingredient commonly found in toothpaste could be employed as an anti-malarial drug against strains of malaria parasite that have grown resistant to one of the currently-used drugs.

19 Jan 2018

FDA grants approval for first drug to treat inherited breast cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved use of Lynparza (olaparib tablets) to include the treatment of patients with certain types of breast cancer that have spread (metastasized) and whose tumors have a specific inherited (germline) genetic mutation, making it the first drug in its class (PARP inhibitor) approved to treat breast cancer, and it is the first time any drug has been approved to treat certain patients with metastatic breast cancer who have a "BRCA" gene mutation.

15 Jan 2018

Sickle cell patients, families and doctors face a ‘fight for everything’

The day before his 30th birthday, Marqus Valentine was in a panic. "I was so scared for midnight to come rolling around because subconsciously I was like, 'This is it. Tomorrow’s my last day on Earth,'" he said.

27 Dec 2017

Chagas disease presents real public health problem to Canadians

Believe it or not, a tropical blood parasite native to Latin America could be harmful to Canadians. Infectious diseases like malaria or Zika may have dominated recent headlines but Chagas - the "Kissing Bug" disease - is in the spotlight following the publication of a new case study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

13 Dec 2017

Study identifies potassium as key to circadian rhythms in red blood cells

An innovative new study from the University of Surrey and Cambridge's MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, has uncovered the secrets of the circadian rhythms in red blood cells and identified potassium as the key to unraveling the mystery.

12 Dec 2017

Malaria parasite employs active strategy to deceive the immune system

Global efforts to eradicate malaria are crucially dependent on scientists' ability to outsmart the malaria parasite. And Plasmodium falciparum is notoriously clever: It is quick to develop resistance against medications and has such a complex life cycle that blocking it effectively with a vaccine has thus far proved elusive.

7 Dec 2017

FDA grants approval to first biosimilar for treatment of patients with breast, stomach cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ogivri (trastuzumab-dkst) as a biosimilar to Herceptin (trastuzumab) for the treatment of patients with breast or metastatic stomach cancer (gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma) whose tumors overexpress the HER2 gene (HER2+).

4 Dec 2017

New optical ultrasound needle could help visualize heart tissue during keyhole procedures

Heart tissue can be imaged in real-time during keyhole procedures using a new optical ultrasound needle developed by researchers at UCL and Queen Mary University of London.

1 Dec 2017

Researchers find link between negative emotions and higher opioid use in people with sickle cell disease

In a small study using data from daily electronic patient diaries, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have found a link between negative emotions, such as sadness and anxiety, and higher opioid use in people with sickle cell disease whose pain levels were self-reported as relatively low.

27 Nov 2017