Growth Factor News and Research

RSS

Aberrant immune features in healthy elderly and male subjects with severe COVID-19 may predate infection

A new study shows that the immunological features of severe COVID-19 are already present in healthy older adults and in men, before they are infected, indicating a possible explanation for this differential susceptibility towards the virus.

6 May 2021

Could stem cells improve the outcome of ARDS in severe COVID-19?

A recent study, published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, explores the safety and efficacy of stem cells, which have been touted as the panacea for a wide range of illnesses, ranging from chronic degenerative conditions to cancer.

6 May 2021

Host protein mimicry of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding motif

In a new study, structural bioinformatics approaches are employed to investigate the potential mimicry of the receptor-binding motif (RBM) of these three coronaviruses, finding that several proteins from both human and non-human sources were similar to each, with implications regarding the mechanism of infection and tropism of SARS-CoV-2.

29 Apr 2021

Repairing faulty drains could be key to unlocking the potential of Alzheimer's therapies

Experimental Alzheimer's drugs have shown little success in slowing declines in memory and thinking, leaving scientists searching for explanations.

29 Apr 2021

Topical therapy can help safely reduce side effect of cancer treatment

Patients with advanced colorectal cancer may be spared from a toxic side effect caused by a type of targeted therapy used to treat the cancer with the help of another drug normally used to treat melanoma, according to a study led by researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

28 Apr 2021

Study offers insight into how damage to airways of the lung develops into pre-cancer lesions

Lung carcinomas are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and worldwide. Lung squamous cell carcinomas (non-small cell lung cancers that arise in the bronchi of the lungs and make up approximately 30 percent of all lung cancers) are poorly understood, particularly with respect to the cell type and signals that contribute to disease onset.

26 Apr 2021

Drugs can help prevent progression of cardiac hypertrophy in hemodialysis patients

Patients with chronic kidney dysfunction frequently develop thickening of the heart muscle, so-called left ventricular hypertrophy. This is particularly pronounced in patients who are in the late stage of renal dysfunction, that is to say those requiring renal replacement therapy such as hemodialysis.

22 Apr 2021

Researchers develop new biomaterial that regrows blood vessels and bone

Scientists have developed a new biomaterial that regrows blood vessels and bone, potentially providing a single-stage approach when repairing large bone defects.

20 Apr 2021

Researchers identify new targets to control angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is a process of new vessel formation that is activated both in physiological (tissue repair, reproduction, etc.) and pathological (myocardial infarction, diabetic retinopathy, cancer, etc.) conditions.

16 Apr 2021

Researchers uncover a new source of energy expending brown fat cells

A new source of energy expending brown fat cells has been uncovered by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center, which they say points towards potential new therapeutic options for obesity.

12 Apr 2021

Mutations to autism-associated gene cause a cascade of problems in developing mouse brains

Damage to the autism-associated gene Dyrk1a, sets off a cascade of problems in developing mouse brains, resulting in abnormal growth-factor signaling, undergrowth of neurons, smaller-than-average brain size, and, eventually, autism-like behaviors, a new study from Scripps Research, Florida, finds.

8 Apr 2021

'Brain glue' may aid in functional neural repair after severe TBI

At a cost of $38 billion a year, an estimated 5.3 million people are living with a permanent disability related to traumatic brain injury in the United States today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

6 Apr 2021

Corticotropin-releasing stress hormone may be linked to increased allergic reactions

Increased allergic reactions may be tied to the corticotropin-releasing stress hormone (CRH), suggests a study published this month in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

25 Mar 2021

New therapeutic vaccine uses patient's own tumor cells to aid in cancer destruction

Immunotherapy, which recruits the body's own immune system to attack cancer, has given many cancer patients a new avenue to treat the disease.

24 Mar 2021

Genetic study identifies sex-dependent differences in major psychiatric disorders

An analysis of sex differences in the genetics of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorders indicates that while there is substantial genetic overlap between males and females, there are noticeable sex-dependent differences in how genes related to the central nervous system, immune system, and blood vessels affect people with these disorders.

23 Mar 2021

Researchers use layered double hydroxide to increase neuronal growth in mice with spinal cord injuries

Researchers from the Department of Orthopedics of Tongji Hospital at Tongji University in Shanghai have successfully used a nanobiomaterial called layered double hydroxide (LDH) to inhibit the inflammatory environment surrounding spinal cord injuries in mice, accelerating regeneration of neurons and reconstruction of the neural circuit in the spine.

23 Mar 2021

YAP inhibitors could facilitate targeted treatment of basal-like breast cancer

Targeted treatment of basal-like breast cancer could be facilitated by YAP inhibitors in the future. As reported by an MDC team headed by Walter Birchmeier in the scientific journal Cancer Research, this type of cancer requires the support of the YAP protein to stimulate the growth of cancer stem cells.

22 Mar 2021