Fibroblast News and Research

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Fibroblasts are connective tissue cells which secrete an extracellular matrix rich in collagen and other macromolecules.

Drugs can help prevent progression of cardiac hypertrophy in hemodialysis patients

Patients with chronic kidney dysfunction frequently develop thickening of the heart muscle, so-called left ventricular hypertrophy. This is particularly pronounced in patients who are in the late stage of renal dysfunction, that is to say those requiring renal replacement therapy such as hemodialysis.

22 Apr 2021

Researchers discover a gene family strongly implicated in the development of liver cancer

In a comprehensive analysis of human gene activation data, researchers from the Centenary Institute have discovered that the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) gene family is strongly implicated in the development of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer.

7 Apr 2021

'Brain glue' may aid in functional neural repair after severe TBI

At a cost of $38 billion a year, an estimated 5.3 million people are living with a permanent disability related to traumatic brain injury in the United States today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

6 Apr 2021

Soft X-ray microscopy shows how viral pathogens penetrate human cells

How do viral pathogens succeed in penetrating human cells? Which cellular mechanisms do they use to multiply efficiently and, in doing so, how do they change the structure of their host cell? These questions are the focus of a pan-European research project called "Compact Cell-Imaging Device" (CoCID), in which Heidelberg scientists are playing a major role.

31 Mar 2021

A modified protein mediates development of lung fibrosis after cadmium/carbon black exposure

The triggers and causes of a severe scarring disease of the lungs -- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF -- remain unclear.

18 Mar 2021

Lab-created heart valves implanted in young lambs can grow with the animal

A groundbreaking new study led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers from both the College of Science and Engineering and the Medical School shows for the first time that lab-created heart valves implanted in young lambs for a year were capable of growth within the recipient.

17 Mar 2021

Cellular maps capture COVID-19 pathogenesis in detail

Researchers in the United States and Finland have used tissues from people who died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to generate detailed cellular maps of the pathogenetic processes that occur within affected organs during severe disease.

1 Mar 2021

COVID-19 may alter host proteins to cause autoimmunity

To better understand the transient and chronic autoimmune symptoms caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Guizhou Medical University, and biotech company Curandis embarked on an endeavor to establish a comprehensive autoantigenome for COVID19.

23 Feb 2021

Stem cell breakthrough offers hope for critically endangered wildlife species

A paper recently published in the scientific journal Stem Cells and Development shares an important advancement in conservation -- one that may make the difference between survival and extinction for wildlife species that have been reduced to very small population sizes.

23 Feb 2021

COVID-19 and lung cancer have a common pathway, say researchers

A new preprint on the bioRxiv* server describes the common features COVID-19 shares with lung cancer.

19 Feb 2021

Biodegradable microcapsules loaded with nerve growth factor can guide neuronal development

Researchers from Skoltech and their colleagues have demonstrated that nanoengineered biodegradable microcapsules can guide the development of hippocampal neurons in an in vitro experiment.

16 Feb 2021

Study: Fibroblast hormone promotes movement of hematopoietic stem cells

Discovery expected to contribute towards more effective methods of harvesting stem cells from bone marrow donors.

17 Jan 2021

MVA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows strong immunogenicity in preclinical trials

A new study reports the preclinical testing of a recombinant MVA (rMVA) candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the agent that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic.

14 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2-induced innate immune responses may vary with disease severity, finds study

Scientists from Germany and China recently conducted a large meta-analysis using transcriptome data of SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate the routes of viral entry and the characteristics of innate immune responses induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

11 Jan 2021

BU researchers awarded $2.4 million NIH grant to study idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious chronic disease that affects the tissue surrounding the air sacs in the lungs.

17 Dec 2020

Good cholesterol helps SARS-CoV-2 enter cells

The researchers explained that the SARS-CoV-2 can infect human host cells after its viral spike protein (SARS-2-S) binds to a cellular surface receptor called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

30 Nov 2020

Antimicrobial found in soaps worsens fatty liver disease in mice

University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers found evidence that triclosan -- an antimicrobial found in many soaps and other household items -- worsens fatty liver disease in mice fed a high-fat diet.

23 Nov 2020

Brain protein plays a major role in the development and growth of pancreatic cancer

Researchers have discovered that a protein thought to only be involved in the development of neurons in the brain also plays a major role in the development and growth of pancreatic cancer.

18 Nov 2020

Endothelial cells resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of scientists from Imperial College London has conducted a series of in vitro studies to investigate the susceptibility of endothelial cells to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

10 Nov 2020

Researchers develop new, improved human-skin equivalent

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) have developed an improved human-skin equivalent that reproduces traction-force balance in the lateral direction, a property that controls the structure and physiological function of skin.

30 Oct 2020