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NTU Singapore scientists harness dead bacteria to destroy colon tumours cells effectively

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University have successfully used dead bacteria to kill colorectal cancer cells. Harvesting the Clostridium sporogenes bacteria found commonly in soil, the NTU team was able to harness the bacteria in its dead form, and its secretions, to destroy colon tumours cells effectively.

9 Nov 2015

Mucus plays important role in defending invaders

By licking a wound it heals faster - this is not simply popular belief, but scientifically proven. Our saliva consists of water and mucus, among other things, and the mucus plays an important role. It stimulates white blood cells to build a good defence against invaders, according to a group of researchers at Lund University in Sweden together with colleagues from Copenhagen and Odense in Denmark.

6 Nov 2015

Seven researchers win 2015 Early Career Researcher UK Awards

The UK is a world-leader in breakthrough scientific discoveries, and seven of the early career researchers leading this field have been recognised for their contributions to areas including malaria elimination, securing water supplies for future generations and empowering patients in the management of their own health care.

6 Nov 2015

Stem-cell scientists discover new view of how human blood is made

Stem-cell scientists led by Dr. John Dick have discovered a completely new view of how human blood is made, upending conventional dogma from the 1960s.

6 Nov 2015

Two genetic variants interact to alter the brain responses to high-calorie foods

For the first time, researchers have identified two genetic variants that interact to alter the brain responses to high-calorie foods, a tie that could aid in the development of targeted treatments for obesity and overweight. Researchers at Imperial College London led by Tony Goldstone, MD, PhD, of Consultant Endocrinologist, found that two gene variants - FTO and DRD2 - influenced activity in the brain reward system when looking at pictures of high-calorie foods.

6 Nov 2015

Utah chemists devise new way to detect DNA damage

University of Utah chemists devised a new way to detect chemical damage to DNA that sometimes leads to genetic mutations responsible for many diseases, including various cancers and neurological disorders.

6 Nov 2015

Researchers identify seven genetic risk loci involved in atopic march

There's a typical "career" for some allergic people, and it starts very early on the skin: babies develop atopic dermatitis, food allergies may follow, then comes asthma and later on hay fever. A group of scientists led by Ingo Marenholz and Young-Ae Lee at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, working with colleagues from several institutions, has now identified seven genetic risk loci for this course of disease.

6 Nov 2015

Scientists discover small molecule that can block growth of BRCA-deficient cancer cells

Cancer cells with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which serve a vital role in preserving the integrity of the genetic code, are key targets for cancer therapeutics. Yet, few agents can selectively eliminate cells deficient in BRCA, and none can do so without the risk of inducing drug resistance.

6 Nov 2015

Sleep loss reduces insulin sensitivity, increases diabetes risk

A new study by the University of Colorado shows that the longer people are awake during the time their biological clock is telling them to sleep the worse their sensitivity to insulin, which is a precursor to diabetes.

6 Nov 2015

New tool could help identify patients most likely to benefit from chemoprevention

A team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, report that a genetic biomarker called loss of heterozygosity or LOH is able to predict which patients with premalignant mouth lesions are at highest risk of developing oral cancer.

6 Nov 2015

Age-related differences in brain health vary with fitness level in older adults

A new study shows that age-related differences in brain health - specifically the strength of connections between different regions of the brain - vary with fitness level in older adults. The findings suggest that greater cardiorespiratory fitness - a measure of aerobic endurance - relates to stronger brain connections and likely improves long-term brain function in aging populations.

6 Nov 2015

Loyola presents Scientist of the Year awards

Susan Baker, PhD, a leading researcher of a class of viruses that includes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), has been named Senior Scientist of the Year at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Wei Qiu, PhD, who is researching the molecular mechanisms of liver cancer, has been named Junior Scientist of the Year.

6 Nov 2015

Genetic reduction of AMPK enzyme can prevent or delay hearing loss

A mitochondrial defect is responsible for a type of human hereditary deafness that worsens over time and can lead to profound hearing loss.

6 Nov 2015

UCSF scientists identify eye drop chemical that may reverse cataracts

A chemical that could potentially be used in eye drops to reverse cataracts, the leading cause of blindness, has been identified by a team of scientists from UC San Francisco (UCSF), the University of Michigan (U-M), and Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL).

6 Nov 2015

New treatment may help patients with chronic renovascular disease

A new treatment may help patients with a chronic kidney condition that can also lead to heart problems and premature death, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

6 Nov 2015

Circulating protein predicts risk of chronic kidney disease

Make room, cholesterol. A new disease marker is entering the medical lexicon: suPAR, or soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.

6 Nov 2015

Researchers identify potential brain-based biomarker for depressive symptoms

Approximately half of individuals who experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience depression within a year.

6 Nov 2015

Specific gut bacteria can improve cancer immunotherapy, show studies

By introducing a particular strain of bacteria into the digestive tracts of mice with melanoma, researchers at the University of Chicago were able to boost the ability of the animal's immune systems to attack tumor cells. T

6 Nov 2015

MD Anderson Cancer Center, CytomX to study probody-enabled CAR-NK cell therapies

CytomX Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing investigational Probody™ therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today entered into a collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to research Probody-enabled chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapies, to be known as ProCAR-NK cell therapies.

6 Nov 2015

Researchers identify new regulatory pathway that may play vital role in basal-like breast cancer

Researchers have identified a new regulatory pathway that may play an important role in basal-like breast cancer (BLBC), a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer often referred to as "triple negative." This pathway may serve as a target for the development of an effective therapeutic.

5 Nov 2015