Life Science News

RSS

TraMA offers breakthrough in measuring biological age

A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 6, on June 13, 2025, titled "Development of a novel transcriptomic measure of aging: Transcriptomic Mortality-risk Age (TraMA)."

28 Jul 2025

Marbling of fat inside muscles found to block healing and weaken strength

Consider the delicate web of fat in a Wagyu steak. The "marbling" that makes carnivore connoisseurs swoon is a visual heuristic for quality flavor.

28 Jul 2025

Advancing precision medicine in colorectal cancer with multi-omics approaches

Colorectal cancer is among the most prevalent and lethal malignancies worldwide, with liver metastases occurring in nearly one-third of patients and accounting for a major share of cancer-related deaths.

28 Jul 2025

Largest genetic study confirms biological basis of stuttering

The largest genetic analysis of stuttering has demonstrated a clear genetic basis for the speech disorder, highlighting neurological pathways of risk.

28 Jul 2025

Australian scientists uncover new way to halt aggressive cancer growth

Australian researchers have discovered a promising new strategy to suppress the growth of aggressive and hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a specialized molecular process known as 'minor splicing'.

28 Jul 2025

Researchers map atomic structure of protein complex driving cilia movement

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has uncovered the atomic structure of a protein complex pivotal to the function of motile cilia, the hair-like structures extending from the surfaces of many cell types that generate their movement.

28 Jul 2025

Decoding DNA packing: Understanding nucleosomes' role in cellular efficiency

Each cell in our bodies carries about two meters of DNA in its nucleus, packed into a tiny volume of just a few hundred cubic micrometers-about a millionth of a milliliter. The cell manages this by winding the strings of DNA around protein spools. The protein-DNA complexes are called nucleosomes, and they ensure that DNA is safely stored.

28 Jul 2025

New research identifies critical gene for ALS treatment

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - which you may know as the disease that affected Stephen Hawking - is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive muscle weakness. A research team at Tohoku University and Keio University has uncovered a unifying mechanism in ALS revolving around the expression of UNC13A (a gene crucial for neuronal communication) that represents a common target for developing effective treatment strategies that could improve the lives of patients with ALS.

26 Jul 2025

New model predicts mRNA protein production, accelerating drug and vaccine discovery

A new artificial intelligence model can improve the process of drug and vaccine discovery by predicting how efficiently specific mRNA sequences will produce proteins, both generally and in various cell types. The new advance, developed through an academic-industrial partnership between The University of Texas at Austin and Sanofi, helps predict how much protein cells will produce, which can minimize the need for trial-and-error experimentation, accelerating the next generation of mRNA therapeutics.

26 Jul 2025

Researchers discover new trigger for mitophagy

Autophagy is essentially the 'rubbish collection' of our cells. If there are problems in this process, which is so important for our health, diseases such as Parkinson's can result. In their latest study, leading cell biologists at the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna investigated mitophagy - a form of autophagy - and came to a remarkable conclusion: the researchers have described a new trigger for mitophagy.

26 Jul 2025

Researchers pinpoint PRMT5 as a promising target for cancer drugs

A potential target for experimental drugs that block PRMT5 - a naturally occurring enzyme some tumors rely more on for survival - has been identified by researchers with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C.

26 Jul 2025

VCU Massey pioneers clinical trial of novel GGT-1 inhibitor PTX-100

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is the first site in the United States to be activated in a global Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating PTX-100 (AKA GGTI-2418), a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of geranylgeranyl transferase-1 (GGT-1), for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare and often treatment-resistant T-cell lymphoma.

26 Jul 2025

Discovery of TAF1's role could revolutionize cancer treatment

A new study led by Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, shows how a key molecule regulates the generation of new blood cells, a process called hematopoiesis that goes awry in cancer. The findings have the potential to lead to new therapeutic strategies targeting the molecule, a regulator of gene activity called TAF1.

26 Jul 2025

Gene-edited mosquitoes slash malaria spread 93% using self-propagating shield

Scientists engineered a naturally occurring genetic variant (Q224) in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, making them highly resistant to malaria parasites without affecting fitness. A novel gene-drive system rapidly spread this protective trait through lab mosquito populations, offering a potential breakthrough for malaria control.

24 Jul 2025

Hemp seeds: The surprisingly complete protein hiding in plain sight

Researchers reviewed the nutritional and functional potential of industrial hemp seeds, highlighting their complete protein, healthy fat, and fiber content. The review outlines how processing innovations and market forces could make hemp a leading ingredient in plant-based and functional foods.

24 Jul 2025

Scientists open new atlas of genetic diversity with advanced sequencing

A global team mapped over 100,000 structural variants in human genomes by applying Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing and a novel graph-based analytical approach to samples from 26 populations. The study reveals the extraordinary complexity and diversity of human DNA, providing an open-access atlas that will accelerate discoveries in genetic disease and human evolution.

24 Jul 2025

Blocking nutrient scavenging weakens pancreatic tumor defenses

Cancer cells and tumors do not exist in a vacuum. Far from the isolation and self-sufficiency of the fictional Wakanda, tumors develop in and alter the nearby milieu of immune cells, connective tissue, blood vessels and a sea of proteins and carbohydrates that provide structure and other supportive functions.

24 Jul 2025

IRF-5 identified as key to preventing immune cell exhaustion

In fighting chronic infections or certain cancers, CD8+ T cells-the immune system's frontline soldiers-eventually become exhausted. They lose effectiveness and respond less efficiently to threats.

24 Jul 2025

High-resolution whole-cortex imaging reveals neurovascular dynamics in awake mice

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow in response to neural activity. Specifically, when neurons become active, nearby blood vessels dilate to increase blood supply, thereby meeting the heightened energy demands associated with neural activity.

24 Jul 2025