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ACE2/TMPRSS2 not expressed in pancreatic islet endocrine cells

A new study by researchers at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 reports that both key enzymes that are required for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entry into the human host cell are lacking in the beta cells of the pancreatic islet. This rules out the direct injury hypothesis for impaired glucose control in patients with COVID-19 disease.

1 Sep 2020

High ACE2 Expression on pancreatic islet cells during inflammation could explain new-onset diabetes in COVID-19

A new study suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 infection may be linked to the onset of diabetes, via the infection of pancreatic islet beta cells, which produce insulin.

27 Jul 2020

Olfactory cell types are most vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, shows study

Temporary loss of smell, or anosmia, is the main neurological symptom and one of the earliest and most commonly reported indicators of COVID-19.

25 Jul 2020

Study reveals how APOE4 triggers leaks in the blood-brain barrier

New USC research reveals how APOE4, a genetic culprit for Alzheimer's disease, triggers leaks in the brain's plumbing system, allowing toxic substances to seep into the brain areas responsible for memory encoding and other cognitive functions.

29 Apr 2020

Study advances the understanding of capillary regression

Many diseases arise from abnormalities in our capillaries, tiny exquisitely branching blood vessel networks that play a critical role in tissue health.

29 Jan 2020

Researchers show existence of particular type of sphincter in the brain's blood supply

Allegedly, they should not exist in the brain, the so-called precapillary sphincters - a kind of squeezing 'muscle clamp' between the larger and smaller vessels of the bloodstream.

21 Jan 2020

Liposomes cross blood brain barrier, could get healing drugs to stroke-affected brain

A new study from University of Manchester researchers, published in ACS Neuro, shows a high possibility of treating stroke patients using very small cell sacs called liposomes to bypass the blood brain barrier and carry lifesaving drugs to the brain to prevent damage following a stroke.

7 Nov 2019

New finding could become glioblastoma’s Achilles heel

Glioblastoma is the most frequent and aggressive brain cancer due to its ability to escape the immune system. However, the way in which this tumor manages to induce this immune tolerance was not known in detail.

23 Sep 2019

New study identifies potential enzyme target for diabetic retinopathy

A new study shows that diabetic retinopathy (DR), or retinal disease caused by the high blood glucose levels in diabetes mellitus, is due to the death of retinal cells because of the high levels of a pro-enzyme called lysyl oxidase propeptide (LOX-PP). This could help researchers develop specific treatments by targeting this molecule.

22 Sep 2019

Researchers discover potential approach to treating diabetic retinopathy

Boston University researchers have identified an enzymatic precursor that is toxic to retinal cells and could be used in new treatments for diabetic retinopathy.

20 Sep 2019

Study reveals how breast cancer uses exosomes to metastasize to the brain

Metastasizing breast cancers typically seek out the bones, lung, and brain. Brain metastases are especially dangerous; many women survive for less than a year after diagnosis. How is the cancer able to get past the blood brain barrier? And can it be blocked?

13 Sep 2019

Virginia Tech scientist receives American Heart Association award to study stroke recovery

When someone has an ischemic stroke, doctors work swiftly to remove the arterial blockage and restore blood flow to the brain. But sometimes even once the blockage is removed, there's lasting - sometimes fatal - damage.

12 Sep 2019

Study provides new insight into how obesity, insulin resistance can affect cognition

Obesity can break down our protective blood brain barrier resulting in problems with learning and memory, scientists report.

22 Apr 2019

Researchers discover ingredient vital for blood vessel formation

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered an ingredient vital for proper blood vessel formation that explains why numerous promising treatments have failed.

14 Mar 2019

Johns Hopkins study describes cells that may help speed bone repair

Research led by Johns Hopkins investigators has uncovered the roles of two types of cells found in the vessel walls of fat tissue and described how these cells may help speed bone repair.

21 Feb 2019

Wyss researchers create model of the BBB-brain interface using microfluidically linked Organ Chips

The human brain, with its 100 billion neurons that control every thought, word, and action, is the most complex and delicate organ in the body. Because it needs extra protection from toxins and other harmful substances, the blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygen and nutrients are highly selective about which molecules can cross from the blood into the brain and vice versa.

22 Aug 2018

Gene regulator associated with protein pileup in exfoliation glaucoma

In exfoliation glaucoma, a protein dandruff clogs the outflow pathway for the fluid in our eyes.

19 Jul 2018

Discovery may be key to directly reprogram non-neuronal cells into neurons

It was already in 2012 that a team of scientists headed by Professor Benedikt Berninger first succeeded in reprogramming connective tissue cells present in the brain into neurons.

2 Jul 2018

Researchers detail molecular atlas of cells that form brain's blood vessels

Even though diseases of the brain vasculature are some of the most common causes of death in the West, knowledge of these blood vessels is limited.

15 Feb 2018

Researchers describe human blood-nerve barrier transcriptome for the first time

Human peripheral nerves -- all the nerves outside of the central nervous system -- are protected by the blood-nerve barrier. This is a tight covering of endothelial cells that maintains the microenvironment within the nerves by restricting the amounts or types of water, ions, solutes and nutrients that can reach the axons, or electric cables within the nerves, from the blood circulation system.

8 Feb 2018