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Novel platform uses modified virus to combat pancreatic cancer

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and Zhengzhou University have developed a powerful therapeutic platform that uses a modified virus for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

26 Jan 2021

Sodium fluorescein may improve the safety and outcomes of vestibular schwannoma surgery

Removing a vestibular schwannoma - a slow-growing, benign tumor that develops in the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain - is a delicate procedure. Surgeons must differentiate the tumor from nearby nerves, arteries, and other intracranial structures.

26 Jan 2021

Genetic interactions may shed light on NGLY1 deficiency

In 2012, four-year-old Bertrand Might became the first-ever patient diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called N-glycanase (NGLY1) deficiency. The discovery of this condition and Bertrand's diagnosis allowed doctors to look for other children with the same genetic defect. Since then, more than 60 additional patients have been found.

26 Jan 2021

New NIH grant supports research on Alzheimer's disease caused by gene mutations

A new grant from the National Institute On Aging at the National Institutes of Health will support ongoing research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to address Alzheimer's disease caused by gene mutations.

26 Jan 2021

Neonatal antibiotic exposure linked to reduced weight and height in boys

Exposure to antibiotics in the first days of life is thought to affect various physiological aspects of neonatal development.

26 Jan 2021

Why even presidential pressure might not get more vaccine to market faster

Americans are dying of covid-19 by the thousands, but efforts to ramp up production of potentially lifesaving vaccines are hitting a brick wall.

26 Jan 2021

Researchers develop method for presymptomatic COVID-19 detection

An encouraging new study by researchers at University College London, UK, reports the potential of a form of COVID-19 testing which can detect presymptomatic cases.

26 Jan 2021

Probiotics as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients

In a recent review published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, Luigi Santacroce and Francesco Inchingolo et al. address the many factors such as dysbiosis (imbalance in the microbiota) that could influence the SARS-CoV-2 infection course.

25 Jan 2021

Stem cell based cell culture model to recapitulate important aspects of NAFLD

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a widespread condition in the Western World. Around 30% of the population have lipid droplets stored in their liver which diminish its function in the long term.

25 Jan 2021

Missing surface protein allows small cell lung cancer cells to hide from immune defenses

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells are missing a surface protein that triggers an immune response, allowing them to hide from one of the body's key cancer defenses, a new study led by UT Southwestern researchers suggests.

25 Jan 2021

Lifestyle management with focus on innovations is key to preventing non-communicable diseases

The key factor in preventing non-communicable diseases is lifestyle management at the individual level with a focus on such innovations, which can help increase the awareness of risk factors management in society, claim an international team of researchers, among them - scientists from Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania in a recent study.

25 Jan 2021

Transcriptional regulator BRD2 as a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19

A team of international scientists has demonstrated that therapeutic inhibition of a transcriptional regulator BRD2, required for the endogenous expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), can potentially suppress severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

24 Jan 2021

New project to investigate a promising drug target for treatment of schizophrenia

A partnership between the University of Oxford, Earlham Institute (EI), and global pharmaceutical companies Biogen Inc and Boehringer Ingelheim will investigate a promising new drug target for the treatment of schizophrenia.

22 Jan 2021

Pancreatic β cell-derived exosomal miR-29s manipulate glucose homeostasis

In a new study published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University, School of Life Sciences, and Antonio Vidal-Puig's group at University of Cambridge report that pancreatic β cells secrete miR-29 family members (miR-29s) via exosomes in response to high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs).

22 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2’s nonstructural proteins dysregulate immune responses, study finds

Researchers provide an overview of SARS-CoV-2 and its life cycle pathways, addressing the functional changes in the viral proteins, providing important strategic clues to help that may help in the ongoing development of therapies against COVID-19.

22 Jan 2021

Sloan Kettering Institute researchers offer a new answer to 100-year-old cancer mystery

The year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of a fundamental discovery that's taught in every biochemistry textbook. In 1921, German physician Otto Warburg observed that cancer cells harvest energy from glucose sugar in a strangely inefficient manner: rather than "burn" it using oxygen, cancer cells do what yeast do -- they ferment it.

22 Jan 2021

Mitochondrial mutation linked to elevated diabetes risk in Japanese men

A new study of Type 2 diabetes in Japanese populations has uncovered a previously uncharacterized genetic variant that puts male carriers at greater risk for the disease, as well as the mechanism by which it does so.

21 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants appear to arise independently of local transmission

Researchers at the University of Michigan in the United States have cautioned against only using within-host minor genetic variations to resolve the genomic epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21 Jan 2021

Dynamic, customized treatment approaches for gastroesophageal cancers may improve survival rates

A phase 2 clinical trial providing personalized treatments based on the genetic profile of metastatic tumors in gastroesophageal cancers has found that using customized treatment approaches, and adapting them over time as tumors become resistant, led to higher rates of survival compared to historical controls.

21 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses host innate immunity

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, blocks the processes of innate immune activation that normally direct the production and/or signaling of type I interferon (IFN-I) by the infected cell and tissues.

21 Jan 2021