Animal Model News and Research

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Researchers uncover first spontaneous animal model of human hypophosphatasia

A research group led by Professor Hannes Lohi at the University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center has uncovered a new skeletal disease in dogs.

30 Jan 2019

New study elucidates role of signaling molecule in development of myocarditis

Researchers of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have shown that a protein called midkine, a member of the class of signaling molecules known as cytokines, is a key driver of inflammation in the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure in patients with myocarditis.

29 Jan 2019

Researcher identifies putative mechanism that leads to degeneration of axons in multiple sclerosis

The permanent neurological deficits of multiple sclerosis patients largely depend on the extent of degeneration of long nerve fibers. The latter is initiated by ruptures in the cell membrane and the resulting influx of calcium ions.

25 Jan 2019

Maternal shift work can result in reduced fetal growth and longer pregnancies

New research published in The Journal of Physiology indicates shift work exposure in mothers can result in reduced fetal growth and longer pregnancies, even when the shift work is only carried out early in pregnancy.

23 Jan 2019

Scientists have reversed memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Using a new epigenetics-based approach, scientists have managed to reduce memory loss and improve cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

22 Jan 2019

Scientists aim to find genetic causes of developmental abnormalities in the vagina and uterus

A percentage of females are born with a missing or underdeveloped vagina and uterus, and scientists are working to analyze the genes of hundreds of them to get a better idea about causes, improve genetic counseling and ideally treatment.

22 Jan 2019

Researchers identify how concussions may contribute to seizures

Researchers have identified a cellular response to repeated concussions that may contribute to seizures in mice like those observed following traumatic brain injury in humans.

From Society for Neuroscience 21 Jan 2019

FDA-approved drug hampers cancer metastasis in animal model, shows study

For cancer to spread, it needs a hospitable environment in distant organs. This fertile "soil" can provide a home to circulating malignant cells.

16 Jan 2019

New skin patch provides long-acting contraceptive protection

Researchers have developed a new skin patch that uses microneedle technology to deliver a long-acting contraceptive hormone.

14 Jan 2019

Study finds specific function of HIV protein that slows viral spread in early stages of infection

A study from a Massachusetts General Hospital research team has identified the specific function of a protein found in HIV and related viruses that appears to slow down viral spread in the earliest stages of infection.

11 Jan 2019

USC research could lay foundation for a vaccine against tick-borne virus

Two groundbreaking discoveries by USC researchers could lead to medications and a vaccine to treat or prevent a hemorrhagic fever transmitted by a new tick species before it spreads across the United States.

7 Jan 2019

Researchers demonstrate key to success of nerve transfer technique in bionic reconstruction

Modern prostheses offer patients who have had a hand amputated much greater capability in everyday life than was possible with previous prosthetic reconstructive techniques. Redundant nerves from the amputated extremity can be surgically transferred to provide a much better connection between the patient's body and the prosthesis.

7 Jan 2019

Scavenging molecule offers long-lasting protection against toxic nerve agents in rodents

For the first time, scientists have created a scavenging molecule that provides long-lasting preventative protection against toxic nerve agents in rodents.

3 Jan 2019

Salk scientists show how brain cells filter information in groups

When we perceive the world around us, certain objects appear to be more noticeable than others, depending on what we do. For example, when we view a forest-covered mountain from a distance, the forest looks like a large green carpet. But as we get closer, we start noticing the individual trees, and the forest fades to the background.

2 Jan 2019

Himalayan marmot genome offers clues to high-altitude adaptation

Himalayan marmots can survive at altitudes up to 5,000 meters in the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, and Pakistan and on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China, where many of them face extreme cold, little oxygen, and few other resources.

27 Dec 2018

Scientists suggest need for new approach to confront side effects of common anti-cancer therapy

Results of a new study by neuroscientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Toronto suggest that a new treatment approach is needed - and how this may be possible - to address adverse effects of aromatase inhibitors, drugs commonly prescribed to both men and women to prevent recurrence of estrogen-positive breast cancer.

27 Dec 2018

New bacteria-based drug delivery system could radically expand cancer treatment options

An interdisciplinary team of three Virginia Tech faculty members affiliated with the Macromolecules Innovation Institute has created a drug delivery system that could radically expand cancer treatment options.

21 Dec 2018

Study shows how a novel regulatory mechanism serves as key biomarker for diabetes

A recent study led by researchers in Texas A&M University's department of nutrition and food science shows how a novel regulatory mechanism serves as an important biomarker for the development of diabetes, as well as a potential therapeutic target for its prevention.

20 Dec 2018

Viral hepatitis: Liver failure caused by defects in the vascular system

In severe cases, a viral hepatitis infection can result in liver failure. A team from the Technical University of Munich has now discovered how this occurs: by immune cells attacking cells in the vascular system, which disrupts the organ's blood and nutrient supply.

19 Dec 2018

DNA “webs” shown to promote metastasis in ovarian cancer

Researchers have found that neutrophils cast DNA “webs” that aid the spread of ovarian cancer cells to new tissues (a process known as metastasis).