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New rapid algorithm could help trace hospital-derived SARS-CoV-2 infections

A new study reports a rapid method that uses two different routes to swiftly trace the onset of infection to a putative hospital source. This could be immensely helpful for preventing and controlling infection, once validated.

17 Nov 2020

Scientists reveal how genetically modified organisms can help mitigate climate change

Fighting the imminent climate change crisis has now become a global priority. In this regard, scientists in the US have discussed how gene editing technology can modify plants and organisms to reduce atmospheric CO2 and slow down climate change.

17 Nov 2020

Next generation animal-free proteins could revolutionize rapidly developing plant-based food industry

World Vegan month is celebrating this dietary trend, which has shown no signs of slowing this year - with the global retail consumption of meat substitutes having grown by 8% in 2020.

17 Nov 2020

Discovery of 'Achilles heel' in protein crucial to HIV virulence could lead to new class of drugs

The discovery of a potential "Achilles heel" in Nef, the protein that is crucial to HIV virulence and its capacity to trigger AIDS, paves the way for the development of a new class of drugs against the virus.

17 Nov 2020

New mechanism controlling brain size discovered

Under the leadership of Professor Lars Allan Larsen and Professor Søren Tvorup Christensen at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, an international research team has taken an important step forward in understanding the complex mechanisms that control development of the so-called cerebral cortex, which is the part of the brain that play a key role in attention, perception, awareness, thought, memory, language, and consciousness.

16 Nov 2020

Metabolic biomarkers could predict COVID-19 severity

A new study suggests that metabolic biomarkers could possibly predict the severity of COVID-19 in patients.

16 Nov 2020

Goblet cells are prime target for SARS-CoV-2, study finds

A recent study reports that in the airway of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a type of airway epithelial cell – called a goblet cell – presents a prime target for the virus and plays a vital role in promoting viral replication in this tissue.

16 Nov 2020

UCLA Health collaborates with Regeneron Genetics Center to bring genomic medicine to patients

UCLA Health has entered into a collaborative research agreement with the Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC) to provide whole exome sequencing for 150,000 UCLA Health patients.

16 Nov 2020

Individuals with high BMI and LDL cholesterol are at increased risk of COVID-19

A new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London uses a novel approach to investigate the effects of cardiovascular risk factors on the risk of COVID-19 infection.

16 Nov 2020

Researchers explain why COVID-19 infects older people and spares younger children

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and their colleagues have determined a key factor as to why COVID-19 appears to infect and sicken adults and older people preferentially while seeming to spare younger children.

16 Nov 2020

New drug reduces LDL cholesterol in patients with severe hypercholesterolemia

The investigational drug evinacumab reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol--the so-called "bad" cholesterol--by 50 percent in patients with severe hypercholesterolemia whose condition is resistant to standard treatments, a phase 2 study from the Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai and other global academic sites has found.

16 Nov 2020

New data highlights safety concerns on rAAV vectors used in gene therapy

New data highlight safety concerns for the replication of recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors commonly used in gene therapy.

16 Nov 2020

MTT procedure improves gastrointestinal, behavioral symptoms in ASD children

According to the Centers for Disease Research, 1 in 54 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) each year, and the number has been rising.

15 Nov 2020

Study looks at SARS-CoV-2 RNA contamination in COVID-19 isolation ward of a hospital

To try and shed more light on SARS-CoV-2’s transmission, a research group based in Italy examined a COVID-19 isolation ward in a Milan hospital to evaluate the level of contamination present in the air and on surfaces with SARS-CoV-2 RNA (the virus’s genetic material).

15 Nov 2020

Promising new compounds to potentially treat novel coronaviruses identified

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy have discovered new drug compounds to potentially treat the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

15 Nov 2020

Novel mutations in SARS-CoV-2 may explain high pathogenicity of COVID-19

Researchers in Korea and the United States have identified novel genetic variants that demonstrate the active mutational progression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Nov 2020

Study reveals a previously undetected repertoire of cancer driver genes

A new study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, has deepened the understanding of epigenetic mechanisms in tumorigenesis and revealed a previously undetected repertoire of cancer driver genes.

12 Nov 2020

Neuroscientists identify astrocytes as master 'conductors' of the brain

In the orchestra of the brain, the firing of each neuron is controlled by two notes--excitatory and inhibitory-- that come from two distinct forms of a cellular structure called synapses.

12 Nov 2020

New model can predict the risk of adverse side effects of cancer treatment

The risk of serious adverse effects on the blood status and bone marrow of patients during chemotherapy can be predicted by a model developed at Linköping University, Sweden.

12 Nov 2020

Mink farms potential viral reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2

A new study published in the journal Science in November 2020 describes the probable transmission of the virus between farmed minks and humans working on the mink farm, even with biosecurity measures in place and the culling of infected farms as soon as an infection is reported.

12 Nov 2020