How does the epigenetic clock work? And is it possible to change the ticking rate? Ageing in humans (and animals) can be seen as either an inevitable process of wear and tear or as an inherent biological programme by which the lifespan of each species is more or less predetermined. Recent research has shown that...
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Bionic thymus: Artificial organ for pumping T cells for Cancer Treatment
Researchers have successfully used an artificial thymus to turn blood stem cells into T cells. The UCLA researchers have created an artificial organoid as a useful tool in reducing the time and cost of T cell immunotherapy for patients with a low count of WBC’s. Thymus– the organ located near the heart makes T cells...
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Retina cells could be integral to how our internal body clock works – and a cure for jet lag may be just around the corner
Cells in the eye are key to regulating humans’ circadian rhythm, according to a scientific study. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that a group of cells in the retina communicate directly with the region of the brain that deals with the body’s internal clock. All life forms respond to the daily light-dark changes...
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Clinical trials of a new cancer vaccine
A brand new personalized cancer vaccine has been designed to target 20 mutated proteins unique to each patient’s tumors. The vaccine seems to have prevented early relapses in 12 patients with skin cancer, making them cancer free for more than 2 years A therapy for each patient: There are many different forms of Cancer and...
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microRNA may reduce stroke risk
The molecule microRNA-210 stabilises deposits in the carotid artery and can prevent them from tearing. Thus, it may prevent dangerous blood clots from forming. This is what scientists headed by Prof. Lars Mägdefessel, Professor of Vascular Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and head of a junior scientist group in the German Centre...
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Scientists find evidence that ALS and SMA could be treated with a common drug
SMN protein (red) is necessary for the survival of spinal cord neurons (motor neurons) responsible for breathing and all movement. Harvard researchers have found a compound that stabilized this protein in mouse and human motor neurons. This …more Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have identified a compound that helps protect the cells destroyed by...
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Fibrosis reversed when ‘don’t eat me’ signal blocked, study finds
A chest radiograph of a patient with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Credit: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0 Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a pathway that, when mutated, drives fibrosis in many organs of the body. The pathway underlies what have been considered somewhat disparate conditions, including scleroderma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, kidney...
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A potential cure for Metastatic prostate cancer
All forms of metastatic prostate cancer have been considered incurable in the past. However, in the recent years, FDA has approved 6 drugs for men with metastatic disease, all of these can increase survival. In a study published in Urology, researchers demonstrate for the 1st time that a combination of systemic therapy (Drug therapy) +...
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Pioneering research into benefit of computer games to treat Parkinson’s Disease
Neuroscientists are researching the potential benefits of brain stimulating computer games in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. They are studying the effects of touch screen spatial reasoning games on the part of the brain used to control movements in Parkinson’s patients. Early research suggests that computer games that require users to perform tasks like using...
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RUNX1 may play role in proliferative diabetic retinopathy
(HealthDay)—The Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) gene may play a role in human proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and upregulation may be a marker of aberrant retinal angiogenesis, according to a study published online April 11 in Diabetes. Noting that PDR affects those with type 1 and 2 diabetes, and is a common cause of blindness in...