Researchers at the Université libre de Bruxelles, ULB define for the first time the changes in the stem cell dynamics that contribute to wound healing. One of the key questions in biology is to identify how tissues are repaired after trauma and understand how stem cells migrate, proliferate, and differentiate to repair tissue damage. In a study...
Post
From Alzheimer’s to autism, nuclear neurology could launch revolution in diagnosing and treating brain diseases
Image of glucose metabolism PET overlaid on CT in an Alzheimer’s patient with mild dementia. Green arrow points to regional hypometabolism in the medial parietal lobe, (which processes biographical information and memory),a proposed biomarker for Alzheimer’s. UB researcher with database of 16,000 brain scans proposes that powerful imaging can transform neurology as it did cardiology...
Post
Discovery could help doctors to spot cardiovascular disease at an earlier stage
Screening methods for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes could be improved by measuring different biological signposts to those currently being tested, a new study led by researchers from King’s College London suggests. Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study could allow doctors to better predict the development of...
Post
Scientists spot signs that predict worsening multiple sclerosis
(HealthDay)—Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more likely to progress to advanced disease among patients who suffer from fatigue and limited use of their legs, new research suggests. “Better understanding who is at high risk of getting worse may eventually allow us to tailor more specific treatments to these people,” said study author Dr. Bianca Weinstock-Guttman. She...
Post
Highly prevalent gene variants in minority populations cause kidney disease
Preclinical study is first proof-of-concept to pave way for development of new therapeutics Representative images of kidney tissue from APOL1-G1 and APOL1-G2 mice, showing severe scarring of the kidney filter. African Americans have a heightened risk of developing chronic and end-stage kidney disease. This association has been attributed to two common genetic variants — named...
Post
Anti-aging gene identified as a promising therapeutic target for older melanoma patients
Pharmacologic activation of anti-aging gene with anti-diabetic drug could be used as adjuvant therapy for older melanoma patients who have developed resistance to targeted therapy PHILADELPHIA — (Feb. 23, 2017) — Scientists at The Wistar Institute have shown that an anti-diabetic drug can inhibit the growth of melanoma in older patients by activating an anti-aging...
Post
Why is pancreatic cancer so hard to treat? Stroma provides new clues
In the dense stromal tissue that envelops pancreatic tumors, Tuveson and colleagues have discovered two varieties of a cell type called fibroblasts which help create the stroma. One of these varieties is seen in left image: fibroblasts (red) close to proliferating cancer cells (green) that express high levels of a protein called aSMA. In the...
Post
Tumor protein could hold key to pancreatic cancer survival
But research led by the University of Melbourne reported in the International Journal of Cancer, could eventually improve treatments with the identification of a protein that appears to help tumour cells become more aggressive. In Australia this year, some 3,200 new cases of Pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed, and 2,900 patients will die of the disease....
Post
A Novel DNA Vaccine Design Improves Chances of Inducing Anti-Tumor Immunity
PHILADELPHIA — (Feb. 24, 2017) — Scientists at The Wistar Institute and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have devised a novel DNA vaccine approach through molecular design to improve the immune responses elicited against one of the most important cancer antigen targets. Study results were published in the journal Molecular Therapy. Cancer immunotherapy approaches, designed to harness the body’s...
Post
Nasal swab could help diagnose lung cancer
In the case of patients with low risk of lung cancer, the current diagnostic procedure can sometimes be invasive and unnecessary. However, new research may have uncovered a less invasive, less costly way to screen these patients. New research suggests that a simple nasal swab could accurately determine whether a patient has lung cancer. A...