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B cell count tells how certain cancers will respond to immunotherapy

Some melanomas, sarcomas and renal cell carcinomas, but not all, have been found to respond dramatically to new drugs called immune checkpoint blockers, which exploit the body’s known capability to mount an immune response against the foreign antigen-bearing tumor cells.

15 Jan 2020

Parkinson’s disease could be prevented by gut microbes

One common gut organism that helps us digest food better could also be a powerful instrument in preventing or reversing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a recent study. The changes are due to the ability of this bacterium to delay the build-up of a toxic protein involved in this in the disease condition, or even to eliminate the toxin altogether.

14 Jan 2020

InDepth Pharmaceuticals to commercialize novel technique to predict kidney transplant success

InDepth Pharmaceuticals, founded by Deepak Nihalani, Ph.D., the SmartState Endowed Chair in Renal Disease Biomarkers at the Medical University of South Carolina, has taken a vital step toward commercializing an innovative diagnostic technique that could better predict kidney transplant success in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a kidney disease that often leads to end-stage renal failure.

14 Jan 2020

Bath scientists identify promising route to develop new treatments for skin cancer

A promising route to develop new treatments for skin cancer has been identified by University of Bath scientists, who have found a molecule that suppresses melanoma tumor growth.

14 Jan 2020

Study shows how cancer-causing genes promote metastasis

Cancer-promoting genes MYC and TWIST1 co-opt immune system cells to enable cancer cells to spread, but blocking a key step in this process can help prevent the disease from developing.

14 Jan 2020

Probiotic drink could offer novel way to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A probiotic drink could become a promising new weapon in the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, after a team of Birmingham scientists engineered and patented a key genetic element that can tackle the genetic basis of resistance.

14 Jan 2020

CHOP-led study reveals how genetic variations can influence variety of common diseases

While subtle differences in the number of genes copied from one individual and passed down to the next can be found in many healthy people, their role in disease may be much greater than previously thought.

14 Jan 2020

Horizon Discovery to offer novel base editing technology for clinical research

Horizon Discovery today announced that it will provide access to a novel base editing technology licensed from Rutgers for exclusive use in therapeutic, diagnostic and services applications.

From Revvity 14 Jan 2020

NUS researchers discover new personalized tool for cancer diagnosis

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has discovered a new personalized tool to detect cancer, predict patient survivability and how well a cancer patient would respond to immunotherapy.

14 Jan 2020

NAU scientists in search of a powerful combination of melanoma-fighting drugs

Melanoma is the most lethal type of skin cancer and unusually common in Arizona, where residents are exposed to higher-than-average amounts of ultraviolet radiation.

13 Jan 2020

The circadian clock is key to reducing radiation‐induced cardiotoxicity

Treatment for breast cancer commonly includes radiation therapy, which offers good chances of success but comes with a serious long-term side effect: toxicity due to radiation that reaches the heart, causing DNA damage in healthy heart cells. Over time, this can lead to heart disease and eventually heart failure.

13 Jan 2020

New study sheds light on storage and retrieval of hardwired long-term memory

Storing and retrieving memories is among the most important tasks our intricate brains must perform, yet how that happens at a molecular level remains incompletely understood.

13 Jan 2020

Blocking AHR receptor can reverse obesity, study finds

Obesity, a global epidemic, is a known contributor to several cancers, including breast, colon, and pancreatic. Stopping the obesity epidemic could be a critical aid in preventing and treating numerous cancers. Researchers with the laboratory of Craig Tomlinson, PhD, at Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center have found a critical target in this cause.

13 Jan 2020

Leukemic cells are addicted to vitamin B6, research shows

Scientists have discovered that Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) grows by taking advantage of the B6 vitamin to accelerate cell division.

13 Jan 2020

Researchers provide first robust cell culture model for hepatitis E virus

Even though hepatitis E causes over three million infections and about 70,000 deaths each year, the virus has been little studied as yet.

13 Jan 2020

The International Consortium Claims Medical Breakthrough in Malaria Research

An international consortium led by researchers in Sweden and Switzerland has conducted a genome-wide study that the team is calling a “medical breakthrough” in malaria research.

13 Jan 2020

Genes determining the browning of white fat finds study

The fat cells of the body play an essential role in the storage of energy and its release when necessary. Research has shown that apart from energy storage, these adipocytes or fat cells also play a role in hormonal balance and metabolism-regulating hunger. A new study titled, “Systems-genetics-based inference of a core regulatory network underlying white fat browning”, was published in the latest issue of the journal Cell Report.

13 Jan 2020

Mice study offers new insight on irritable bowel syndrome

Sometimes the end of an intestinal infection is just the beginning of more misery. Of those who contract traveler's diarrhea, for example, an unlucky few go on to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract.

12 Jan 2020

Poor diet among infants' mothers linked to rise in Congenital Zika Syndrome cases

Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS) refers to a collection of developmental malformations associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) congenital infection.

12 Jan 2020

Siah2 Gene Control could Help Treat Melanomas More Effectively

To develop improved cancer immunotherapies, it is essential to understand how cancers shut down the natural immune response to foreign antigens. This current study demonstrates how mice lacking the Siah2 gene, fail to develop BRAF-mutation carrying melanoma from the corresponding cells, completely rejecting them. This could help in boosting the anticancer effect of existing specific immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1 drugs.

10 Jan 2020