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New method to deliver an immune system 'uncloaking' device directly to cancer cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have designed and successfully tested an experimental, super small package able to deliver molecular signals that tag implanted human cancer cells in mice and make them visible for destruction by the animals' immune systems.

26 Feb 2020

New form of gene editing slows ALS progression in mice

With a new CRISPR gene-editing methodology, scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign inactivated one of the genes responsible for an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - a debilitating and fatal neurological disease for which there is no cure.

26 Feb 2020

HKUST scientists provide leads for guiding research towards COVID-19 vaccine development

A team of scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has recently made an important discovery in identifying a set of potential vaccine targets for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, providing crucial leads for guiding experimental efforts towards the vaccine development against the novel pneumonia (COVID-19) caused by the virus.

26 Feb 2020

King's researchers launch largest ever study into eating disorders

Researchers at King's College London have launched the largest ever study into eating disorders. Partnering with the National Institute for Health Research BioResource and the eating disorder charity Beat, they aim to recruit at least 10,000 people in England who have experienced an eating disorder at some point in their life to a pioneering new study that aims to unlock the secrets of eating disorders.

26 Feb 2020

Study identifies novel anti-aging targets

A recent study published in Nature has reported two conserved epigenetic regulators as novel anti-aging targets.

26 Feb 2020

Gene-editing is more error-prone than thought, new findings suggest

The standard gene-editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, frequently produces a type of DNA mutation that ordinary genetic analysis misses, claims new research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

26 Feb 2020

Genome research collaboration in Finland welcomes Janssen and Maze Therapeutics

FinnGen, a large-scale academic - industry, genome research collaboration in Finland now includes eleven industry partners with the addition of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and Maze Therapeutics.

25 Feb 2020

Assigning patients to five well defined subgroups of psychoses

Psychiatrists led by Nikolaos Koutsouleris from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have used a computer-based approach to assign psychotic patients diagnosed as bipolar or schizophrenic to five different subgroups. The method could lead to better therapies for psychoses.

25 Feb 2020

Cultural transition to agriculture linked with emergence of human-adapted pathogens

Using Salmonella enterica genomes recovered from human skeletons as old as 6,500 years, an international team of researchers illustrates the evolution of a human pathogen and provides the first ancient DNA evidence in support of the hypothesis that the cultural transition from foraging to farming facilitated the emergence of human-adapted pathogens that persist until today.

25 Feb 2020

Ulcerative colitis and a missing microbe in the gut

Ulcerative colitis is a seriously debilitating inflammatory disease of the bowel leading to crippling symptoms that can affect the quality of life severely. Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine have found in a new study that a missing microbe could be linked to this condition. The study was published today in the latest issue of the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

25 Feb 2020

Chronic inflammation in pregnancy associated with neurodevelopmental delays in offspring

In pregnant women, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, depression and anxiety can increase the chances of learning delays, behavior problems and mental health issues in their children's early years.

25 Feb 2020

Effects of obesity mirror those of aging, study shows

Globally, an estimated 1.9 billion adults and 380 million children are overweight or obese. According to the World Health Organization, more people are dying from being overweight than underweight. Researchers at Concordia are urging health authorities to rethink their approach to obesity.

25 Feb 2020

Understanding the arms race between bacteria and viruses

University of Otago researchers have contributed to an international study which helps improve the understanding of bacteria and viruses.

25 Feb 2020

Common challenges facing drug development and reimbursement for rare diseases

Approximately 90% of rare diseases still have no effective treatments, despite regulators implementing expedited approval pathways for these indications.

25 Feb 2020

Researchers uncover how cancer cells override environmental cues to consume energy

Using human lung cancer cells, UT Southwestern researchers have uncovered how cells in general modulate their energy consumption based on their surroundings and, furthermore, how cancer cells override those cues to maximize energy use.

24 Feb 2020

Ancient DNA analysis provides insight into genetic history of Sardinia

A new study of the genetic history of Sardinia, a Mediterranean island off the western coast of Italy, tells how genetic ancestry on the island was relatively stable through the end of the Bronze Age, even as mainland Europe saw new ancestries arrive.

24 Feb 2020

Small molecules may open the door to new therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers identified a group of small molecules that may open the door to developing new therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an as-yet-uncured disease that results in devastating muscle weakening and loss.

24 Feb 2020

Chromosomal imbalance in cancer cells can either promote or inhibit metastasis

Cancer cells are notorious for their genetic disarray. A tumor cell can contain an abundance of DNA mutations and most have the wrong number of chromosomes.

24 Feb 2020

DNA topological problems may cause lymphoma, study shows

Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, Madrid, and the Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Seville, published today a paper in Nature Communications that shows that DNA topological problems may cause endogenous DNA breaks that have a causal relationship with cancer.

24 Feb 2020

Gut bacteria may predict risk of pulmonary hypertension

A team of researchers has found that the microflora of bacteria within the gut of humans could be a contributor to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The study titled, "Altered Gut Microbiome Profile in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension," in the latest issue of the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

24 Feb 2020