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Researchers discover promising alternative to open fetal surgery for spina bifida repair

Researchers from Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus recently discovered a promising alternative to open fetal surgery for spina bifida repair.

5 Oct 2017

UNLV researchers develop new method for extracting large numbers of stem cells from wisdom teeth

Stem cells. Few research discoveries hold as much promise of single-handedly expanding medical treatment options as they do. Miraculously able to act as transformers - either re-creating or morphing into a variety of cell types found within the organisms they originate from - stem cells offer humanity hope for new, more effective therapies against a number of chronic and terminal diseases. And finding them is surprisingly easy.

4 Oct 2017

CRISPR-Gold corrects gene mutations in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have engineered a new way to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology inside cells and have demonstrated in mice that the technology can repair the mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a severe muscle-wasting disease.

4 Oct 2017

Researchers win $2 million grant to refine and expand use of unique microscope

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Boulder have won a $2 million grant allowing them to refine a unique microscope they have developed while expanding its use to other scientists across the country.

3 Oct 2017

Biomaterial-mediated growth factor delivery can restore perfusion of blood vessels in animal models

Ischemia is a serious medical condition in which the flow of blood and delivery of oxygen to tissues is restricted, thus resulting in pain, weakness, and more seriously, tissue and organ damage. Ischemia in muscle tissue, most commonly as a result of atherosclerosis, leads to life-threatening diseases like coronary artery disease and stroke, but also to chronic peripheral artery disease (PAD).

26 Sep 2017

Indiana University awarded $4 million NSF grant to advance nanoscale medical devices

Only a year after establishing the intelligent systems engineering program in the Indiana University School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, the university has been awarded a five-year, $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to advance nanoscale devices to improve human health, including fighting cancer.

21 Sep 2017

DNA robot sorts molecules without external input

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed an autonomous molecular machine comprising a single strand of DNA that can move around, collect specific molecules and sort them into predefined locations. Furthermore, this nanobot has been designed in such a way that requires no external source of energy or instruction.

15 Sep 2017

NIH awards $15 million to develop 3D microphysiological system platforms that model human disease

More than 60 percent of investigational drugs fail in human clinical trials due to a lack of effectiveness, despite promising pre-clinical studies using cell and animal research models.

13 Sep 2017

Caltech researchers develop miniature device for use in ‘smart pills’ to diagnose and treat diseases

Researchers at Caltech have developed a prototype miniature medical device that could ultimately be used in "smart pills" to diagnose and treat diseases.

12 Sep 2017

Old lab technique helps researchers better understand circular DNA

A 50-year-old lab technique is helping researchers better understand circular DNA, a lesser-known and poorly understood cousin of the linear version commonly associated with life's genetic blueprint.

12 Sep 2017

Research shows new method for rapidly producing antimalarial drug at industrial scale

Compared to smallpox or typhoid, malaria is proving one of the most challenging human diseases to eradicate - and so remains a real and constant danger to nearly half the world's population.

7 Sep 2017

Research provides new insights into secret life of bacteria

Bacterial infections are the number one cause of death in hospital patients in the United States, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise, causing tens of thousands of deaths every year.

6 Sep 2017

Antibiotics may kill bacteria differently in vitro vs in vivo

Understanding exactly how antibiotics work (or don’t work) is crucial for developing alternative treatment strategies, not only to target new “superbugs,” but also to make existing drugs more effective against their targets.

5 Sep 2017

Scientists succeed in teaching robots to perform challenging brain technique

Whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, or whole-cell recording (WCR), is the gold-standard technique for studying the behaviour of brain cells called neurons under different brain states such as stress or learning.

31 Aug 2017

New review explores potential of fetal membranes for regenerative medicine

A new review looks at the potential of fetal membranes, which make up the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus during pregnancy, for regenerative medicine.

30 Aug 2017

Undergraduates earn top prize for developing new tool to detect Alzheimer’s disease

A team of seven University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering undergraduates earned the top prize in this year's National Institutes of Health Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams challenge for their efforts to develop low-cost tools to diagnose Alzheimer's disease before patients show symptoms.

29 Aug 2017

Disease diagnostic tools win top honors in DEBUT challenge

Tools to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and latent tuberculosis are among the winning projects in the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge, a biomedical engineering design prize competition for teams of undergraduate students.

26 Aug 2017

Rare transition metal can simplify design and preparation of antibody therapies

Rice University scientists have developed a method to efficiently modify natural antibodies that can deliver drugs to target cells. Adding a little extra metal is the key.

24 Aug 2017

Wearable robotic exoskeleton could alleviate crouch gait in children with cerebral palsy

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cerebral palsy (CP) - caused by neurological damage before, during or after birth - is the most common movement disorder in children, limiting mobility and independence throughout their lives.