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Study provides insight to gene shuffling process

Use of a new technique developed at the Babraham Institute has allowed researchers to take an in-depth look at the gene shuffling process that is responsible for our body's ability to recognise a vast range of foreign agents such as disease-causing microorganisms.

4 Jun 2016

New research pinpoints specific lncRNA that regulates neural development

Compared to other mammals, humans have the largest cerebral cortex. A sheet of brain cells that folds in on itself multiple times in order to fit inside the skull, the cortex is the seat of higher functions. It is what enables us to process everything we see and hear and think.

4 Jun 2016

Mice study provides new insights into links between sensory stimuli and behavior

Many types of sensory information enter the brain at a structure called the primary sensory cortex, where they are processed by different layers of cells in ways that ultimately influence an animal's perception and behavioral response.

4 Jun 2016

UZH scientists identify new class of protein compounds to treat HER2-positive breast cancer

In Switzerland alone, more than 5,700 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and almost 1,400 of those affected die of the disease. In many very invasive forms of breast cancer, the cells have too much of the receptor HER2 on their surface.

3 Jun 2016

New treatment shows promise against hard-to-treat eye cancer

Eye cancer took the life of author and neurologist Oliver Sacks last year, bringing attention to the rare and deadly disease. Scientists have tried to develop precision treatments against cancers like this one, but the mutations that cause them have proven difficult to block with drugs.

3 Jun 2016

Lower quantities of CD74 protein in placentas of preeclamptic women can impact fetal development

Preeclampsia is one of the most common complications to occur during pregnancy, yet its causes are still unknown. A new study involving patients, cell cultures and animal experiments has now shown that those affected by the disease have lower quantities of the placenta's immune protein CD74, and that certain inflammatory factors are higher. These factors disrupt the formation of the placenta and leave the fetus undernourished.

3 Jun 2016

Researchers explore how ALS develops from muscle perspective

In an effort to better understand what happens during Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), researchers at Umea University in Sweden have compared the impact of ALS on the eye and limb muscles.

3 Jun 2016

Accumulation of fat droplets makes cancer cells more aggressive

It has been established that not all cancer cells are equally aggressive - most can be neutralised with radiation and chemotherapy. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now discovered that some cancer cells can accumulate fat droplets, which appear to make them more aggressive and increase their ability to spread.

3 Jun 2016

Mayo study finds mechanism by which Pten safeguards against tumor formation

Pten (short for phosphatase and tensin homolog) is a tumor suppressor that is defective in about 20-25 percent of all patients with cancers. Mayo Clinic researchers now have discovered that Pten safeguards against tumor formation by keeping chromosome numbers intact when a cell splits into two daughter cells.

3 Jun 2016

DRD2 expression plays crucial role in protecting mice against kidney injury, hypertension

Dopamine signaling in the kidneys plays a critical role in blood pressure regulation and is responsible for nearly half of the salt and water excretion that occurs in response to increased dietary salt intake. Notably, genetic deletion of any of the 5 dopamine receptors expressed in the kidney causes hypertension in mice.

3 Jun 2016

Researchers detect vascular matrix stiffening during early stages of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is an abnormal elevation of pressure in the pulmonary circulation that results in stress on the heart and remodeling of blood vessels in the lung.

3 Jun 2016

Tecan releases updated software package for D300e Digital Dispenser

Tecan is making it easier than ever before to set up and miniaturize qPCR reactions. In direct response to customer requests, the company has launched an updated software package for its D300e Digital Dispenser, offering new functionality and extending this innovative device’s flexibility for genomics workflows.

From Tecan 3 Jun 2016

Scientists use new technique to repair fibrotic liver cells within the organ

Advances in stem cell research have made it possible to convert patients' skin cells into heart cells, kidney cells, liver cells and more in the lab dish, giving researchers hope that one day such cells could replace organ transplantation for patients with organ failure.

3 Jun 2016

Stimulating STING pathway to provoke life-extending immune response shows promise in AML

A protein known as STING plays a crucial role in the immune system's ability to "sense" cancer by recognizing and responding to DNA from tumor cells. Injection of compounds that activate the STING pathway directly into solid tumors in mice has been shown in prior studies to result in very potent anti-tumor immune responses.

3 Jun 2016

Fasnall drug appears to inhibit tumor growth by promoting cancer cell death

A promising new compound appears to impede a process that fuels breast cancer in mice, a discovery that could have implications in the treatment of a host of cancers.

3 Jun 2016

Scientists discover master dimmer switches that control activity of immune cells

A person's genetic makeup plays a role in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis that develop when the body is attacked by its own immune system. But little is known about how immune cells are pushed into overdrive.

3 Jun 2016

NMNAT2 enzyme may help protect against debilitating effects of neurodegenerative disorders

A study led by biomedical researchers at Indiana University has found evidence that an enzyme known as NMNAT2 may help protect against the debilitating effects of certain degenerative brain diseases, including Alzheimer's.

3 Jun 2016

Analysing blood metabolites may help monitor effects of novel drugs

Testing for metabolic changes in the blood could indicate whether a cancer drug is working as designed, a new study reports.

3 Jun 2016

New mouse model allows researchers to evaluate CD40-antibody drugs effectively

Cancer immunotherapies--drugs that work by making a patient's immune system better at spotting and destroying tumor cells--are increasingly generating headlines. A number of these drugs are now being used for the treatment of melanoma, lung, and kidney cancers, and are showing promise in clinical trials with other diseases as well.

3 Jun 2016

Fluctuations in tRNA may play vital role in cancer metastasis

At any given moment, the human genome spells out thousands of genetic words telling our cells which proteins to make. Each word is read by a molecule known as a tRNA.

3 Jun 2016

Medical Science News

Study provides insight to gene shuffling process

New research pinpoints specific lncRNA that regulates neural development

Mice study provides new insights into links between sensory stimuli and behavior

UZH scientists identify new class of protein compounds to treat HER2-positive breast cancer

New treatment shows promise against hard-to-treat eye cancer

Lower quantities of CD74 protein in placentas of preeclamptic women can impact fetal development

Researchers explore how ALS develops from muscle perspective

Accumulation of fat droplets makes cancer cells more aggressive

Mayo study finds mechanism by which Pten safeguards against tumor formation

DRD2 expression plays crucial role in protecting mice against kidney injury, hypertension

Researchers detect vascular matrix stiffening during early stages of pulmonary hypertension

Tecan releases updated software package for D300e Digital Dispenser

Scientists use new technique to repair fibrotic liver cells within the organ

Stimulating STING pathway to provoke life-extending immune response shows promise in AML

Fasnall drug appears to inhibit tumor growth by promoting cancer cell death

Scientists discover master dimmer switches that control activity of immune cells

NMNAT2 enzyme may help protect against debilitating effects of neurodegenerative disorders

Analysing blood metabolites may help monitor effects of novel drugs

New mouse model allows researchers to evaluate CD40-antibody drugs effectively

Fluctuations in tRNA may play vital role in cancer metastasis

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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