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Researchers launch clinical trials to test novel cellular-immunotherapy to treat three types of blood cancer

Cancer immunology is based upon boosting the body's own immune system to vanquish malignancies. It is among the fastest growing areas of oncology research. Researchers at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center have launched three clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of a novel cellular-immunotherapy that uses modified T cells - one of the immune system's primary weapons - to treat three different types of blood cancer that often defy existing therapies.

24 Feb 2016

Ohio State researchers develop new approach to enhance heart function, cardiovascular performance

For the first time, scientists at The Ohio State University have engineered new calcium receptors for the heart to tune the strength of the heartbeat in an animal model. The research is published online by the journal Nature Communications.

24 Feb 2016

Humans accelerate evolutionary process by encouraging disappearance of younger species

New research from UBC shows that when humans speed up the usually slow process of evolution by introducing new species, it can result in a lasting impact on the ecosystem. The phenomenon is known as reverse speciation and researchers witnessed it in Enos Lake on Vancouver Island where two similar species of threespine stickleback fish disappeared within three years.

24 Feb 2016

Immunotherapy emerges as promising strategy for treatment of brain tumors

For decades most cancers have been treated with a core standard of treatments that include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Now, immunotherapy—a type of treatment that harnesses the patient's immune system to combat the disease—represents the future of cancer treatment, with its efficacy being demonstrated in even the most aggressive types of cancer.

24 Feb 2016

Researchers discover new JE virus transmission route

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus causes serious inflammation of the brain in people and fertility problems in pigs. Mosquitoes were previously the only known transmission route. However, the virus can also be spread from pig to pig by direct contact, and this could enable it to circulate in pigs during the mosquito-free winter season.

24 Feb 2016

New research shows copper can destroy MRSA in touch contamination

New research from the University of Southampton shows that copper can destroy MRSA spread by touching and fingertip contamination of surfaces.

24 Feb 2016

Food-based proteins can help address child malnutrition in developing countries

Contrary to popular belief among world relief workers, children in developing countries may not be eating enough protein, which could contribute to stunted growth, a Johns Hopkins-directed study suggests.

24 Feb 2016

Study reveals role of 'Kurly' protein found in cilia

A new study of a protein found in cilia - the hair-like projections on the cell surface - may help explain how genetic defects in cilia play a role in developmental abnormalities, kidney disease and a number of other disorders.

24 Feb 2016

UEA research paves way for new wave of drugs to kill superbugs

Scientists at the University of East Anglia are getting closer to solving the problem of antibiotic resistance.

24 Feb 2016

Ohio State researchers working on new way to treat drug-resistant cancer

Researchers at The Ohio State University are working on a new way to treat drug-resistant cancer that the ancient Greeks would approve of--only it's not a Trojan horse, but DNA that hides the invading force.

24 Feb 2016

Single dose of zoledronic acid can inhibit bone loss in HIV-infected patients

A single dose of the drug zoledronic acid was found to inhibit the bone loss that is common in HIV-infected patients and that is increased during the first two years of treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART).

24 Feb 2016

Caribou Biosciences grants IDT worldwide rights to commercialize CRISPR-Cas9 reagents

Caribou Biosciences, Inc., a developer of CRISPR technologies for precision cell engineering, and Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., a producer of custom synthetic oligonucleotide-based technologies for genomics applications, have entered into a non-exclusive license agreement under which Caribou has granted IDT worldwide rights to commercialize CRISPR-Cas9 reagents under Caribou’s intellectual property.

24 Feb 2016

Cells with higher fat content live longer than lean cells

Cells with higher fat content outlive lean cells, says a new study from Michigan State University.

24 Feb 2016

Inadequate dietary intake of essential amino acids and nutrient choline linked to stunting

Worldwide, an estimated 25 percent of children under age 5 suffer from stunted growth and development. The most visible characteristic is short stature, but the effects of stunting are far more profound: The condition prevents children from reaching their cognitive potential; makes them more susceptible to illness and infection; and shortens their life spans.

24 Feb 2016

New study shows beneficial effects of fish consumption during pregnancy

A new study supports the theory that the detrimental effects of low-level exposure to mercury may be outweighed by the beneficial effects of fish consumption.

24 Feb 2016

SOM0226 (tolcapone) drug could significantly improve pharmacological treatment of ATTR

Researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (IBB-UAB), in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company SOM Biotech, located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), have published, in Nature Communications, the results of a drug repositioning study in which they describe a powerful drug, SOM0226 (tolcapone) that could significantly improve the pharmacological treatment of familial transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR).

24 Feb 2016

New study identifies cell communication mechanism

The cells of an organism interact not only with each other but with the extracellular matrix that surrounds them. Increasing evidence is unveiling the relevance of this structure--which is secreted by the cells themselves-- for the correct function of the organism and also for the development of various diseases.

24 Feb 2016

Influenza virus can able to circumvent the body's immune system

Influenza is able to mask itself, so that the virus is not initially detected by our immune system. This is the result of new research from Aarhus University. The researchers behind the study hope that the discovery can be used to develop better treatment against influenza and chronic inflammation conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

24 Feb 2016

Immune cells may play greater role in Alzheimer's disease than originally thought

Immune cells that normally help us fight off bacterial and viral infections may play a far greater role in Alzheimer's disease than originally thought, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists with the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.

24 Feb 2016

Study: Migraine, tension-type headaches may share genetic links with IBS

Migraine and tension-type headaches may share genetic links with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

24 Feb 2016