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Mouse study uncovers key molecular player in heart enlargement

The heart is a dynamic muscle that grows and shrinks in response to stressors such as exercise and disease. The secret to its malleability lies in individual cells, which get bigger or smaller depending on the heart's needs.

27 Jun 2017

Kopchicks' $10.5 million gift to fund student fellowships at MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School

Just as he has changed the lives of people suffering from a devastating genetic disease, molecular endocrinologist John J. Kopchick, Ph.D., and his wife, Charlene, of Athens, Ohio, are paving the way for future scientists to do the same with a transformative $10.5 million gift to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

23 Jun 2017

Scientists reveal 12-hour autonomous biological clock that coordinates bodily functions

Some bodily activities, sleeping, for instance, mostly occur once every 24 hours; they follow a circadian rhythm. Other bodily functions, such as body temperature, cognitive performance and blood pressure, present an additional 12-hour cycle, but little is known about the biological basis of their rhythm.

6 Jun 2017

Scientists identify key gene in 22q11.2 that contributes to genitourinary birth defects

The 22q11.2 region of human chromosome 22 is a hotspot for a variety of birth defects. Scientists learned about this region because it is deleted in about 1 in 4,000 births, causing the loss or duplication of up to 40 genes.

25 May 2017

IDIBELL researchers reveal role of endoplasmic reticulum in cell death process due to starvation

Researchers from the Cell death group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, led by Dr. Cristina Muñoz-Pinedo, have characterized the cell death process due to starvation, in which the endoplasmic reticulum plays a leading role.

3 May 2017

Powerful pain medicine may help reduce vision damage of glaucoma

The tip of our optic nerve is typically the first place injured by glaucoma. Now researchers want to know if the powerful pain medicine (+)-pentazocine can help avoid the damage.

2 May 2017

New technique can test effectiveness of treatments for breast cancer metastases in bone

A new laboratory technique developed by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions can rapidly test the effectiveness of treatments for life-threatening breast cancer metastases in bone. The study appears in Nature Communications.

21 Apr 2017

Cell cultures in petri dishes open new doors to brain research

The most complex organ in humans is the brain. Due to its complexity and, of course, for ethical reasons, it is extremely difficult to do scientific experiments on it - ones that could help us to understand neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, for example.

13 Apr 2017

New method to identify, sort stem cells may help restore vision to people with damaged corneas

Researchers working as part of the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center have developed a new way to identify and sort stem cells that may one day allow clinicians to restore vision to people with damaged corneas using the patient's own eye tissue.

3 Mar 2017

Study describes method to engineer brown adipose tissue from white fat-derived stem cells

Researchers have demonstrated the potential to engineer brown adipose tissue, which has therapeutic promise to treat metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, from white adipose-derived stem cells.

3 Mar 2017

Researchers reveal how the brain retrieves memories linked to fearful experiences

Understanding how the brain remembers can one day shed light on what went wrong when memory fails, such as it occurs in Alzheimer's disease.

21 Feb 2017

Researchers reveal central role of new key players in meiosis

Where would we be without meiosis and recombination? For a start, none of us sexually reproducing organisms would be here, because that's how sperm and eggs are made. And when meiosis doesn't work properly, it can lead to infertility, miscarriage, birth defects and developmental disorders.

24 Jan 2017

Researchers discover how bacterial enzyme can blunt the body's key immune defenses

Scientists have discovered how a unique bacterial enzyme can blunt the body's key weapons in its fight against infection.

20 Jan 2017

Roswell Park study provides new insights into gene mutations that can lead to cancer

Predisposition to cancer and cancer progression can result from gene mutations that cause elevated rates of genetic damage.

11 Jan 2017

Powerful version of anti-inflammatory molecule may help protect vision in diabetic retinopathy

A more powerful version of an anti-inflammatory molecule already circulating in our blood may help protect our vision in the face of diabetes.

3 Jan 2017

Physical inactivity in obese mice linked to dopamine signaling defects

Starting a regular program at the gym is a common New Year's resolution, but it's one that most people are unable to stick with for very long.

30 Dec 2016

Making muscles burn more fat and less glucose could cause diabetes, say researchers

Making muscles burn more fat and less glucose can increase exercise endurance, but could simultaneously cause diabetes, says a team of scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions.

22 Dec 2016

UNC scientists develop new tool to study G-protein signaling

Scientists from the UNC School of Medicine have developed a new tool for studying a key process in cells called G-protein signaling, which plays a central role in the normal functioning of cells and can go awry to cause severe disease, including cancers.

22 Dec 2016

Review highlights link between intestinal microbiota and colorectal cancer development

Recent evidence from animal models suggests a role for specific types of intestinal bacteria in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC).

9 Dec 2016

Scientists discover how motors maneuver cells' intricate roadway system

Much like motors power our cars, they also ensure that proteins get to the right place in our cells, and a wide variety of diseases - from cancer to heart problems - can result when they don't.

7 Dec 2016