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Revolutionary drug combination shows potential for treatment of fatal childhood cancer

Every year around 20 Australian children die from the incurable brain tumor, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). The average age of diagnosis for DIPG is just seven years.

13 Feb 2021

Major antioxidant in green tea may increase levels of natural anti-cancer protein

An antioxidant found in green tea may increase levels of p53, a natural anti-cancer protein, known as the "guardian of the genome" for its ability to repair DNA damage or destroy cancerous cells.

13 Feb 2021

Lund researchers discover how E. coli bacteria target and degrade MYC oncogene

Scientists at Lund University have discovered how E. coli bacteria target and degrade the well-known oncogene MYC, which is involved in many forms of cancer.

13 Feb 2021

New technology can help develop diagnostic tests for multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease in young adults, affecting more than 2 million individuals worldwide, with about 1500 cases in Estonia. About 20% of MS patients experience optic neuritis (ON) as the presenting symptom, but not all ON patients develop MS.

12 Feb 2021

Bad experience with food could impact future eating habits

A negative experience with food usually leaves us unable to stomach the thought of eating that particular dish again.

12 Feb 2021

Scientists conduct interdisciplinary study on using nanoparticles to fight leukemia

Scientists from Scientific and Educational Center & Smart Materials and Biomedical Applications under the leadership of Kateryna Levada together with colleagues from Center for Immunology and Cellular Biotechnology of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University conducted a joint interdisciplinary study on the development of a new method for treating leukemia using nanomaterials.

11 Feb 2021

Manufacturers of fragrance products are using new way to source ingredients

In the face of a changing climate and crop diseases, manufacturers of products containing natural flavors and fragrances are pivoting to a new way to source ingredients.

11 Feb 2021

Creating a 'library' of genetic information for future yam breeders

Yams are a staple food in West Africa, which produces over 90% of the world's yams each year. Yams play a key role in the food security, economic income, and traditional culture for the region.

11 Feb 2021

Study could help develop drugs for pregnancy maintenance, treat autoimmune diseases

A team of scientists from Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University with their colleagues from the Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Perm) studied the effect of trophoblastic β1-glycoprotein in the blood of pregnant women on pro-inflammatory immune cells.

10 Feb 2021

Researchers identify top-performing COVID-19 POC tests

After screening more than 1,100 independently assessed, point-of-care COVID-19 tests, researchers at NSF International and Novateur Ventures have identified 5 direct (antigen/RNA) tests for detection of acute infection and 6 indirect (antibody) tests for detection of prior infection that meet the recently published World Health Organization (WHO) "desirable" Target Product Profile (TPP) criteria.

10 Feb 2021

New discovery revises the ‘text book view’ of cell migration

Research groups at University of Helsinki and Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, discovered a new molecular mechanism that promotes cell migration.

9 Feb 2021

Simple blood test can detect a wide range of diseases

In diagnostic medicine, biopsies, where a sample of tissue is extracted for analysis, is a common tool for the detection of many conditions. But this approach has several drawbacks - it can be painful, doesn't always extract the diseased tissue, and can only be used in a sufficiently advanced disease stage, making it, in some cases, too late for intervention.

9 Feb 2021

Pancreatic β cells secrete miR-29 in response to high levels of free fatty acids

In a new study published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Chen-Yu Zhang's group and Antonio Vidal-Puig's group at University of Cambridge report that pancreatic β cells secrete miR-29 family members (miR-29a, miR-29b and miR-29c) in response to high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs). These β cell-derived miR-29s are delivered to the liver, promoting insulin resistance and enhancing hepatic glucose output.

9 Feb 2021

CRISPR genomic editing to obtain more productive and nutritive plant varieties

New study by the IBMCP of the UPV university facilitates the use of the CRISPR genomic editing technique on plants.

8 Feb 2021

Scientists obtain microalgae biomass with carotenoid pigments for food industry

In the framework of the Chlorella microalgae cultivation process, the researchers from Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University obtained microalgae biomass with a high content of carotenoid pigments, which is suitable for the food industry.

6 Feb 2021

Ancestral components of human gut microbiota are fundamental to health

Neanderthals' gut microbiota already included some beneficial micro-organisms that are also found in our own intestine.

5 Feb 2021

Gene panel test enables highly accurate diagnosis of liposarcomas

Researchers have leveraged the latest advances in RNA technology and machine learning methods to develop a gene panel test that allows for highly accurate diagnosis of the most common types of liposarcoma.

5 Feb 2021

Pharmacologist lays out a plan to improve the equity of drug development

In a new perspective piece published in the Feb. 5 issue of Science, pharmacologist Namandje Bumpus, Ph.D. -- who recently became the first African American woman to head a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine department, and is the only African American woman leading a pharmacology department in the country -- outlines the molecular origins for differences in how well certain drugs work among distinct populations.

4 Feb 2021

Novel quantum sensor offers a new route to early diagnosis, preventive treatment

Oxygen is essential for human life, but within the body, certain biological environmental conditions can transform oxygen into aggressively reactive molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage DNA, RNA, and proteins.

4 Feb 2021