Developmental Biology News and Research

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$1.5 million award helps U-M researchers to gain new window into the inner workings of cells

The precise shapes of proteins at work inside our cells offer essential clues about the processes that drive health and disease. Structural biologists determine the forms of molecular machines, in atomic detail, to better understand how they function or what happens when they malfunction.

15 Dec 2021

"Supermere" discovery may offer clues to earlier diagnoses and treatment of several diseases

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered a nanoparticle released from cells, called a "supermere," which contains enzymes, proteins and RNA associated with multiple cancers, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and even COVID-19.

14 Dec 2021

UTSW study points to a new way to fight parasitic nematode diseases

Combining two agents to block a parasitic worm's life cycle boosted survival from a potentially deadly tropical disease to 85% in animal models, far better than either treatment alone, according to a proof-of-concept study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center pharmacologists.

11 Dec 2021

Study shows how senescent cells can be an underlying cause of kidney damage

A study in mice by researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that stress and tissue damage initiated by angiotensin II, a molecule that is known to increase blood pressure and stiffening in the linings of blood vessels, leads to cellular senescence, a process by which a cell ages and permanently stops dividing but does not die.

8 Dec 2021

Penn researchers illuminate key molecular details of T-cell exhaustion process

Specially engineered immune cells called CAR T cells have proven themselves to be a powerful weapon against blood cancers, but against solid tumors they are much less effective, due in part to a process called T-cell exhaustion.

2 Dec 2021

Error rate of bacterial DNA polymerase is consistently higher under microgravity, study shows

On 22 May 2019, scientists from Queen's University boarded a modified Falcon 20 aircraft at Ottawa airport. Scheduled was a 'vomit comet' flight, where the plane repeatedly climbs to 8km in a steep parabola, alternating with a descent in freefall.

29 Nov 2021

Researchers shed light on an important stage of early human embryogenesis for the first time

Scientists have shed light on an important stage of early embryonic development that has never been fully mapped out in humans before.

29 Nov 2021

Weill Cornell Medicine receives $1.27 million DoD grant to develop treatment for rare eye condition

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a $1.27 million grant from the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to develop treatment for a rare but devastating eye condition largely affecting military personnel who suffer traumatic eye injuries in combat.

20 Nov 2021

Study discovers new role of Hox genes in adulthood

Among their many extraordinary feats, some planarian flatworms reproduce by tearing off pieces of themselves to regenerate new worms.

18 Nov 2021

Researchers provide a clearer picture of healthy development of the lungs

Researchers have compiled the most comprehensive road map of the protein composition of human lungs, providing a clearer picture of the healthy development of this essential organ that made terrestrial life possible.

18 Nov 2021

New mechanism involving the protein Scribble helps maintain cell polarity

A previously unknown mechanism involving the protein Scribble helps maintain polarity in cells, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

12 Nov 2021

Study links noise-induced inner ear nerve damage to endolymphatic hydrops

Exposure to loud noise, such as a firecracker or an ear-splitting concert, is the most common preventable cause of hearing loss. Research suggests that 12% or more of the world population is at risk for noise-induced loss of hearing.

11 Nov 2021

New study offers genetic insight into why we look the way we do

Which genes control the defining features that make us look as we do? And how do they make it happen?

11 Nov 2021

Scientists discover gene responsible for doubling the risk of respiratory failure from COVID-19

Scientists at Oxford University have identified the gene responsible for doubling the risk of respiratory failure from COVID-19.

9 Nov 2021

Scientists uncover key genetic networks governing human embryonic stem cell behavior

At the earliest stages of human embryonic development, a small collection of cells known as human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) orchestrates growth and differentiation, eventually giving rise to highly specialized human tissues.

28 Oct 2021

New discovery could help better understand how cells migrate during early development

Cells can control their ability to move through the body by using a protein called fascin to control the stiffness of neighboring cells, suggests a study published today in eLife.

26 Oct 2021

U-M researchers target a protein channel in the cell’s lysosome to selectively kill cancer cells

Cancer treatments necessarily target unchecked cell growth, and selectively kill cancer cells while sparing normal cells and avoiding general toxicity in the human body.

20 Oct 2021

NIH awards more than $8 million to support seven high-risk, high-reward projects at Penn Medicine

The National Institutes of Health has awarded grants to researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to support "highly innovative and broadly impactful" biomedical science through the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. The seven awards total approximately $8.2 million over five years,

8 Oct 2021

Study illuminates how BRD4 protein directs the spatial organization of DNA within cell nucleus

New research is advancing understanding of certain cancers and complex congenital disorders by illuminating how BRD4, a protein that scientists have studied for years, directs the spatial organization of DNA within the nucleus of the cell, a function critical for stem cell differentiation into muscle cells.

7 Oct 2021

Researchers discover unique self-destructive process in aging nematode worms

As worm mothers age, they secrete a milk-like fluid through their vulva that is consumed by their offspring and supports their growth, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

6 Oct 2021