Vasculature News and Research

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Immunoglobulin M ACE2 autoantibodies associated with severe COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses with little prospect of immediate relief, a recent study by Johns Hopkins University researchers published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 discusses the association of Immunoglobulin M (IgM) autoantibodies against the host receptor that binds severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with severe disease via vascular endothelial damage. This could help develop better therapies and prognostic criteria.

19 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein triggers cell signaling pathways in lung vascular cells

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 shows that vascular cells in the lung tissue begin to secrete signaling growth factors when exposed to just the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), without the rest of the viral components.

14 Oct 2020

Scientists explain why some COVID-19 patients develop neurological symptoms

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv sheds light on the mechanism behind brain involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of researchers at the Krembil Research Institute and the University of Toronto in Canada aimed to understand further the potential mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 tropism for brain vasculature to see how infection occurs in the brain.

13 Oct 2020

Study shows how cancer cells gain access to nerve signal to enter the bloodstream

Tumors come in many shapes and forms--curable or deadly, solid or liquid, lodged inside the brain, bone, or other tissues. One thing they all have in common, however, is a knack for molecular deceit.

1 Oct 2020

Marrowquant can quantify multiple bone components in histological images

The bone marrow is the soft tissue inside our bones. Its main role is to produce stem cells that will go on to become various cells of the blood, including white blood cells that fight infections, red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body, and platelets that control bleeding.

28 Sep 2020

Phase 2 clinical trial to examine the effects of razuprotafib on COVID-19 patients

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and UC Health will host a Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04511650) to examine the effects of a drug that targets blood vessel inflammation and injury in patients with COVID-19.

22 Sep 2020

COVID-19 can affect the retina

Now, a new study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine shows that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), targets the retina.

22 Sep 2020

World’s smallest optical ultrasound detector developed

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed the world's smallest ultrasound detector. It is based on miniaturized photonic circuits on top of a silicon chip.

16 Sep 2020

International trial of blood thinners for COVID-19 treatment begins

These trials, known as ACTIV-4 Antithrombotics, are part of the three planned adaptive trials in this area of clinical research, included in the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) initiative. They are expected to yield new data on the safety and efficacy of these drugs in the treatment of active and convalescent COVID-19 treatment.

13 Sep 2020

Researchers aim to improve digital thermal imaging as a tool for monitoring cancer

Thermal imaging has been available for decades to detect temperature differences on the skin that could signal breast cancer without exposing patients to radiation, although the method is not as reliable as mammography.

8 Sep 2020

Cancer cells reshape, destroy or integrate into blood vessels to spread

In laboratory studies, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins University researchers observed a key step in how cancer cells may spread from a primary tumor to a distant site within the body, a process known as metastasis.

1 Sep 2020

Scientists combine 3D bioprinting and computer modeling to study cancer metastasis in blood vessels

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have paired 3D-printed, living human brain vasculature with advanced computational flow simulations to better understand tumor cell attachment to blood vessels, the first step in secondary tumor formation during cancer metastasis.

26 Aug 2020

Large animals with ailing livers can grow new organ in lymph nodes from their own hepatocytes

Hepatocytes -- the chief functional cells of the liver -- are natural regenerators, and the lymph nodes serve as a nurturing place where they can multiply.

24 Aug 2020

Researchers develop 3D imaging technique to visualize damaged lung tissue after severe COVID-19

Physicists at the University of Göttingen, together with pathologists and lung specialists at the Medical University of Hannover, have developed a three-dimensional imaging technique that enables high resolution and three-dimensional representation of damaged lung tissue following severe Covid-19.

21 Aug 2020

COVID-19 causes significant dilation of lung blood vessels, indicates study

A new pilot study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai suggests that COVID-19 is causing significant dilation of the blood vessels of the lung, specifically the capillaries.

21 Aug 2020

Immunothrombotic dysregulation is key marker of disease severity in COVID-19

In severe cases of COVID-19, the infection can lead to obstruction of the blood vessels in the lung, heart and kidneys. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers have now shown that activated immune cells and blood platelets play a major role in these pathologies.

7 Aug 2020

Neutrolis announces development of first-in-class therapy to target NETs in COVID-19 patients

Neutrolis, a biotechnology company developing therapeutics that target neutrophils, the most abundant immune cells in the body, today announced the development of NTR-441, a first-in-class DNASE1L3 enzyme analog that has the potential to rapidly and systemically clear neutrophil extracellular traps for severe cases of COVID-19.

5 Aug 2020

Two-step targeting strategy can increase clinical translation of nanoparticle-based therapies

Therapy-loaded nanoparticles may be directed to the brain by functionalization with ligands targeting BBB-associated proteins.

27 Jul 2020

Common hypertension drugs do not increase risk of severe, fatal COVID-19 infection

A new Northwestern Medicine study in mice found a widely used class of drugs to treat patients with hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetic kidney disease - many of whom are elderly -- does not increase the risk of developing a severe and potentially fatal COVID-19 infection, as previously feared.

22 Jul 2020

Obesity and metabolic syndrome increase risk for severe influenza, COVID-19

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of severe disease from viral infection, according to a review of the literature performed by a team of researchers from St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, both in Memphis.

15 Jul 2020