Bee venom could be the key to delivering drugs across the blood brain barrier Getting medication to the brain can be tricky because of the blood brain barrier, which acts like a semipermeable wall between the circulatory system and the fluid surrounding the brain to restrict access to the all-important organ. Certain peptides in...
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New appetite-suppressing mechanism discovered – in your bones
A recent discovery by researchers from the Columbia University Medical Centre revealed a previously unknown appetite-regulating mechanism that is secreted by bone cells There has been plenty of recent research focusing on how your gut bacteria can send messages to your brain controlling appetite and feelings of satiation, but a recent discovery by researchers from the Columbia...
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Could new drug make a difference for kids with autism?
Fifteen-year-old Marshall Scarpulla is one of three children in his family with autism. His mother, Alissa Scarpulla, said she noticed some of the signs when he was 3 years old. “He was having a speech delay and the school brought it to my attention, too,” she told CBS News. According to the Centers for Disease Control...
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3D printed casts
Plaster Casts On A Broken Limb In 2017? Please Print Out Mine! Almost everyone has broken a bone at some point. We all know what it is like living with a plaster cast for weeks. The skin under the plaster itches all the time, the cast is heavy and taking a simple shower without damaging...
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Potential of manipulating gut microbiome to boost efficacy of cancer Immunotherapies
PHILADELPHIA -The composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract may hold clues to help predict which cancer patients are most apt to benefit from the personalized cellular therapies that have shown unprecedented promise in the fight against hard-to-treat cancers, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Reporting...
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Researchers find new trigger for onset of colon cancer, which may lead to better therapies
Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. The APC protein has long been known for its critical role in preventing colorectal cancer. When APC is inactivated, the development of colorectal cancer is triggered. Inactivation of APC is responsible for the vast majority (80%) of all colorectal cancers. Researchers from the laboratory...
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‘Molecular scissors’ could be key to cutting off diseases including HIV infection Newly discovered pathway could be drug target, researchers say
COLUMBUS, Ohio – One way to fight diseases including HIV infection and autoimmune disorders could involve changing how a naturally occurring enzyme called SAMHD1 works to influence the immune system, new research suggests. The study, led by researchers from The Ohio State University, details how the enzyme influences proteins that stimulate the immune response. SAMHD1...
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Perineuronal Nets: A Mechanism to Control Brain Plasticity
In 1898, Camillo Golgi, an eminent Italian physician and pathologist, published a landmark paper on the structure of “nervous cells.” In addition to the organelle that still bears his name, the Golgi apparatus, he described “a delicate covering” surrounding neurons’ cell bodies and extending along their dendrites. That same year, another Italian researcher, Arturo Donaggio,...
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Need to make a molecule? Ask this AI for instructions
Artificial-intelligence tool that has digested nearly every reaction ever performed could transform chemistry. Chemists have a new lab assistant: artificial intelligence. Researchers have developed a ‘deep learning’ computer program that produces blueprints for the sequences of reactions needed to create small organic molecules, such as drug compounds. The pathways that the tool suggests look...
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Profusa’s Tiny Implantable Sensors Keep Working in Patients Even After Four Years
Tiny, flexible, and biocompatible implantable sensors that are smaller than a grain of rice have been successfully worn for over four years now by human subjects, as was reported by Profusa, a South San Francisco firm, at the just concluded American Chemical Society’s 254th National Meeting. The wireless and battery-free implants are designed to measure different metabolites,...