Petri Dish News and Research

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Disease-carrying mosquitoes fly free as health departments focus on coronavirus

The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources necessary to confront the worst health crisis in a century. Read the investigation from KHN and The Associated Press.

16 Jul 2020

Scientists explore how scorpion toxin may help treat heart attacks

Scientists are discovering potential life-saving medicines from an unlikely source: the venom of creatures like snakes, spiders and scorpions.

15 Jul 2020

New approach could illuminate a critical stage in the life cycle of P. vivax malaria parasite

A new approach could illuminate a critical stage in the life cycle of one of the most common malaria parasites.

3 Jul 2020

New approach holds incredible potential for developing new therapeutics

Nearly every drug that is, or has ever been, used was derived from nature -- harnessing compounds created by organisms over eons to fight diseases. But decades ago, biochemists postulated that it might be possible to design a new drug from scratch by linking up amino acids in precise ways.

30 Jun 2020

Innovative technology permits faster, cheaper toxicological screening of drug candidates

Ramot at Tel Aviv University has signed a collaboration agreement with Bayer to develop and validate a platform for in vitro cardiotoxicity screening, using human heart tissues 3D-printed in Prof. Tal Dvir's Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at Tel Aviv University.

29 Jun 2020

Researchers use cellular nanosponges to soak up SARS-CoV-2

Scientists are working overtime to find an effective treatment for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

17 Jun 2020

Study uncovers link between psoriasis and joint disease

A team led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers has made two major discoveries involving psoriasis, a chronic and debilitating skin disease with no known cure.

8 Jun 2020

Study shows Sofosbuvir alleviates COVID-19-related neurological symptoms

A group of researchers has studied the effects of an antiviral drug Sofosbuvir on human brain organoids infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

2 Jun 2020

Study provides groundwork for restoring nerve-muscle connection in ALS

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, lose muscle control as nerve cells or neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer send signals to muscles.

28 May 2020

Improving IVF Treatments by Imaging Sperm Cells

News-Medical spoke to Professor Natan Shaked about his new sperm cell imaging technique that could be used to help improve the outcomes of IVF treatments.

22 May 2020

Scientists identify compounds in noxious weed that reduce virulence of Staphylococcus bacteria

Scientists have identified specific compounds from the Brazilian Peppertree -- a weedy, invasive shrub in Florida -- that reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria.

22 May 2020

New antibiotic fights drug-resistant bacteria without notable toxic side-effects

Through serendipity, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health considerably reduced the toxicity of a potential antibiotic against the most feared drug-resistant bacteria, while also improving its stability in fighting infections.

4 May 2020

Long-lasting, low toxicity antimicrobial peptide fights 'superbug' lung infections

Researchers considerably reduced the toxicity of a potential antibiotic against the most feared drug-resistant bacteria.

1 May 2020

UTSW researchers show how vulnerable cells armor themselves against infection

Cells in some of the body's most vulnerable entry routes to bacterial infection buffer themselves when the immune system detects danger by reorganizing the cholesterol on their surfaces, a new study led by UTSW scientists suggests.

13 Apr 2020

Infectious diseases from animals likely to cause further pandemics

As humans move to cities to settle, there is a sharp decline in biodiversity leading to several disturbances in the balance and relationship between humans and wild animals. A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis' One Health Institute, shows that this has led to the spread of zoonotic viruses from animals to humans, such as COVID-19, which has caused a global pandemic involving over 184 countries and territories. The study was published in the latest issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

8 Apr 2020

New technology enables on-demand production of nutrients during space missions

On March 9, 2020, a Dragon cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station carrying dozens of scientific experiments as a part of SpaceX's 20th cargo resupply mission. Now, Dragon heads home. On April 7, it is scheduled to undock from station, bringing samples, hardware and data from completed investigations back to Earth on its return trip.

8 Apr 2020

New anti-COVID-19 system could potentially fight other viruses

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked many research projects to meet the challenge of the virus and come up with measures to fight its activity. A new study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe in April 2020 describes a novel system to help scientists understand the virus, including mutations, diagnose infections, and also to develop and evaluate vaccines more quickly.

8 Apr 2020

Scientists model human CMV-induced microcephaly using brain organoids

A City of Hope scientist is one step closer to discovering what weakens a pathogen that appears to cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads.

30 Mar 2020

Drebrin autoantibodies trigger epilepsy

Certain forms of epilepsy are accompanied by inflammation of important brain regions. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now identified a mechanism that explains this link.

24 Mar 2020

New bacteria-killing light-activated coating

A new antimicrobial coating that can be activated by light has been reported by researchers in the journal Nature Communications, in March 2020. The coating can be used to prevent transmission from computer and phone screens and keyboards, the inside of catheters, and breathing tubes. All these are significant routes of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).

5 Mar 2020