Developmental Biology News and Research

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EPFL researchers discover protein that kick-starts gene expression in nascent embryos

The formation of a human embryo starts with the fertilization of the oocyte by the sperm cell. This yields the zygote, the primordial cell that carries one copy each of the maternal and paternal genomes.

2 May 2017

Scientists rewire mouse stem cells to fight inflammation caused by arthritis

Using new gene-editing technology, researchers have rewired mouse stem cells to fight inflammation caused by arthritis and other chronic conditions.

28 Apr 2017

New Virtual Microscopy Database helps educators and students zoom into the human body

A medical student in Michigan. A nursing student in Ghana. An anatomy professor in Brazil. A researcher in Australia. All need to learn -- or teach -- about the human body at the most basic level.

18 Apr 2017

Major grant funds research effort that seeks to understand complexity of invasive cancer

A $9.5 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will fund an intensive multidisciplinary research effort that seeks to better understand how cancer cells reach an aggressive state and begin to damage surrounding tissue.

25 Mar 2017

New research reveals surprising culprit involved in self-destruction of axons

In many neurodegenerative conditions — Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and peripheral neuropathy among them — an early defect is the loss of axons, the wiring of the nervous system.

24 Mar 2017

Research findings hold promise to generate blood cell precursors from hPSCs

The Galat laboratory at Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, has developed an elegant system to derive blood cell precursors from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC).

21 Mar 2017

Antibody treats pediatric brain tumors safely and effectively in mice

Five types of pediatric brain cancer were safely and effectively treated in mice by an antibody that causes immune cells to engulf and eat tumors without hurting healthy brain cells, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

15 Mar 2017

Exercise-induced irisin could regulate bone metabolism by autocrine mechanisms

Two weeks of voluntary wheel running induces higher expression of irisin--a fat-burning hormone that is released during exercise--in bone tissue in mice.

3 Mar 2017

Stem cells strictly abide by innate developmental clocks, study shows

The mystery of what controls the range of developmental clocks in mammals — from 22 months for an elephant to 12 days for an opossum — may lie in the strict time-keeping of pluripotent stem cells for each unique species.

28 Feb 2017

NSAIDs could potentially be repurposed as life-saving treatment for sepsis, research suggests

A potentially life-saving treatment for sepsis has been under our noses for decades in the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs most people have in their medicine cabinets, a new University of Colorado Boulder study suggests.

23 Feb 2017

Emory researchers reveal 'matchmaker' role for protein linked to SMA

A puzzling question has lurked behind SMA, the leading genetic cause of death in infants. The disorder leads to reduced levels of the SMN protein, which is thought to be involved in processing RNA, something that occurs in every cell in the body.

14 Feb 2017

LMU study shows crucial role of microRNAs in protecting precursors of neurons

Programmed cell death is an integral part of embryonic development. Exploring the regulation of the process, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich researchers have shown that so-called microRNAs protect the precursors of neurons from 'precocious' elimination.

13 Feb 2017

Uterine glands produce several key factors for embryo growth and pregnancies, study shows

The majority of pregnancy losses occur during the first trimester, when biological communication between the embryo and mother is critical for the establishment of the pregnancy.

7 Feb 2017

Salk scientists show how microenvironment signals encourage growth of pancreatic tumors

Just as an invasive weed might need nutrient-rich soil and water to grow, many cancers rely on the right surroundings in the body to thrive.

20 Jan 2017

New research suggests novel combination approach to fight against gliomas

"Devastating" and "dismal." That's how leading researchers describe the present outlook for malignant brain tumors. The median survival rate for patients with glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, is a mere 14.2 months.

4 Jan 2017

Canadian-Israeli researchers develop new biological pacemaker

Using human embryonic stem cells to create a type of cardiac cells known as sinotrial (SA) node pacemaker cells, a team of scientists from Israel and Canada have developed a biological pacemaker that overcomes many of the limitations of electrical pacemakers.

22 Dec 2016

Novel approach can regenerate dental pulp-like tissues in animal model

When a tooth is damaged, either by severe decay or trauma, the living tissues that comprise the sensitive inner dental pulp become exposed and vulnerable to harmful bacteria.

19 Dec 2016

Scientists develop first functional biological pacemaker from human stem cells

Scientists from the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network, have developed the first functional pacemaker cells from human stem cells, paving the way for alternate, biological pacemaker therapy.

15 Dec 2016

Researchers discover biological pathway that plays vital role in tumor development

An international team led by researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the Technion Integrated Cancer Center has discovered a biological pathway that plays an important role in tumor development.

7 Dec 2016

Scientists synthesize antitumor compound to combat chemoresistant cancer

A team of scientists from N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, N. K. Kol'tsov Institute of Developmental Biology of the RAS, and Immune Pharmaceuticals LLC led by MIPT's Prof. Alexander Kiselyov has synthesized an antitumor compound that could be used to fight chemoresistant cancer.

30 Nov 2016