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Diabetes-related complications increase with elevated levels of heart failure marker

Healthy people - especially women - with elevated levels of the heart failure marker NT-proBNP have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

18 Aug 2020

Cashew shell compound may help repair damaged nerves

In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

17 Aug 2020

Targeting SARS-CoV-2 with off-the-shelf CAR-NK cells

The current COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread and cause disease and death in many countries even today. At present, there is no effective treatment. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 reports the potential of a new class of drugs called CAR NK cells, which could be used off-the-shelf to treat this disease.

17 Aug 2020

De novo designed SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccine

In light of the continuing threat to public health, social functioning, and economic activity posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are working urgently to bring out a vaccine that is both safe and effective, and capable of mass production. A new paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 shows that such a vaccine may be produced by using arrays of one severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protein on a nanoparticle platform.

14 Aug 2020

Reelin inhibition may be effective for treating multiple sclerosis

In an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), decreasing the amount of a protein made in the liver significantly protected against development of the disease's characteristic symptoms and promoted recovery in symptomatic animals, UTSW scientists report.

12 Aug 2020

Study sheds new light on mechanisms of cohesin function involved in cancer and cardiac development

Ana Losada, from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), is the scientist who identified cohesin in vertebrates, a protein that is essential in cell division.

12 Aug 2020

Mouse study shows potential new way to unlock the power of immunotherapy for cancer patients

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by stimulating the patient's own immune system to attack cancer cells, yielding remarkably quick and complete remission in some cases. But such drugs work for less than a quarter of patients because tumors are notoriously adept at evading immune assault.

11 Aug 2020

Study may help develop treatment for age-related pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a potentially lethal disease for which there is currently no cure and that is associated with certain mutations or advanced age.

11 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission possible in North American deer mice

The current COVID-19 pandemic began as a zoonosis in China, at the end of 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel betacoronavirus with significant similarity to an earlier virus of the same family.

11 Aug 2020

Bioluminescent molecule in fireflies shines light on mitochondrial activity

The mitochondria provide energy for our cells, yet their role in many diseases is still poorly understood. Thanks to a bioluminescent molecule, scientists at EPFL can observe them at work in living mammals.

10 Aug 2020

AI-enhanced precision medicine approach lays groundwork for identification of autism subtype

A novel precision medicine approach enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) has laid the groundwork for what could be the first biomedical screening and intervention tool for a subtype of autism, reports a new study from Northwestern University, Ben Gurion University, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

10 Aug 2020

Specific gene impairment may also protect people with Down syndrome

Scientists from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago discovered that a set of genes with decreased expression in individuals with Down syndrome may lead to clinical abnormalities in this population, such as poor muscle development and heart valve problems.

6 Aug 2020

Discovery of enzyme could provide new route for treating Huntington's disease

Scientists at EPFL's Brain Mind Institute have identified an enzyme that can play a central role in developing a new route of treatment for Huntington's Disease.

5 Aug 2020

GADL1 enzyme may be linked to athletic performances, shows study

Carnosine and its precursor beta-alanine increases muscle strength, and have recently become extremely popular as dietary supplements in competitive sports.

5 Aug 2020

New computational model can help determine drug viability

About 50% of people who take the drug infliximab for inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease, end up becoming resistant or unresponsive to it.

5 Aug 2020

Regeneron antibody cocktail shows promise as potential COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in the U.S. have shown both preventive and treatment effects of an antibody cocktail in animal models of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

4 Aug 2020

Yale researchers develop new mouse model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine have developed a new mouse model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease and to accelerate testing of novel treatments and vaccines against the novel coronavirus.

4 Aug 2020

Estrogen modestly protective against COVID-19?

Almost from the beginning, scientists have been struck by the disproportionately higher numbers of men and older adults who have developed severe COVID-19 disease compared to younger individuals and women. Prior research has shown that in 37 of the 38 countries from which sex-stratified data was available, males were at a higher risk of death. Also, post-menopausal women are at increased risk of severe COVID-19. However, the biological underpinnings of this have been less visible.

4 Aug 2020

Researchers develop new therapeutic approach to treat CLN3 Batten disease

Researchers led by a team at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science have devised a new therapeutic approach to treating a rare but deadly neurodegenerative genetic disease in children.

31 Jul 2020

Exciting cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate using Newcastle disease

Experts warn that the world may see repeated waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, scientists around the world are working hard to create a protective vaccine or antiviral, which could help to reduce the number of deaths and cases the next time around.

29 Jul 2020