People with type 1 diabetes and many with type 2 have to constantly monitor their blood sugar levels and control them with insulin shots Swiss scientists developed cells that release insulin when they detect caffeine Coffee has also been shown to have protective effects against diabetes The experimental system proved safe in mice If it...
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Chinese scientists test CRISPR on monkeys and find no off-target mutations
With the first UK and US human trials using the potentially revolutionary CRISPR gene editing technique about to commence, several questions still hover over the ultimate safety of this system. A team of Chinese scientists has now conducted the first full assessment of the effects of CRISPR-Cas9 on non-human primates to ascertain whether it results...
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Google’s AI Can Predict When A Patient Will Die
AI knows when you’re going to die. But unlike in sci-fi movies, that information could end up saving lives. A new paper published in Nature suggests that feeding electronic health record data to a deep learning model could substantially improve the accuracy of projected outcomes. In trials using data from two U.S. hospitals, researchers were able to show that these...
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Scientists create continuously emitting microlasers with nanoparticle-coated beads
Berkeley Lab-led team discovers right mix of nanocrystals and light to activate unique laser properties in 5-micron spheres DOE/LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY Researchers have found a way to convert nanoparticle-coated microscopic beads into lasers smaller than red blood cells. These microlasers, which convert infrared light into light at higher frequencies, are among the smallest continuously emitting...
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Finnish scientists analyzed the proteome of T helper 17 cells
UNIVERSITY OF TURKU T helper 17 (Th17) cells belong to a group of T cells with essential functions in autoimmune diseases and inflammation. Regulatory T cells (iTregs) are T cells with a suppressive function to maintain self-tolerance and prevent autoimmune responses. Researchers from Turku Centre for Biotechnology and Aalto University together utilized the advanced technology called label-free...
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Researchers find important new piece in the Huntington’s disease puzzle
UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN THE FACULTY OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES Researchers find important new piece in the Huntington’s disease puzzle In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a hitherto unknown error in the transport of glutamine between astrocytes and neurons in the brain of mice with Huntington’s disease. At the same time, it...
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Absence epilepsy — When the brain is like ‘an orchestra without a conductor’
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE At first, the teacher described her six-year-old student as absentminded, a daydreamer. The boy was having difficulty paying attention in class. As the teacher watched the boy closely, she realized that he was not daydreaming. He often blanked out for a few seconds and wouldn’t respond when she called his name....
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Success of blood test for autism affirmed
First physiological test for autism proves high accuracy in the second trial RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Troy, N.Y. – One year after researchers published their work on a physiological test for autism, a follow-up study confirms its exceptional success in assessing whether a child is on the autism spectrum. A physiological test that supports a clinician’s diagnostic process...
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Planned movements and spontaneous reactions are processed differently in the brain
The runners are lined up at the starting line, patiently awaiting the start signal for the 1000-meter race. In the second turn a runner falls in front of the one next to him. He dodges his falling neighbor and continues to sprint towards the finish line. Whilst awaiting the start signal, the runner had time...
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How a thieving transcription factor dominates the genome
One powerful DNA-binding protein, the transcription factor PU.1, steals away other transcription factors and recruits them for its own purposes, effectively dominating gene regulation in developing immune cells, according to a new Caltech-led study. The research was conducted in the laboratory of Ellen Rothenberg, Albert Billings Ruddock Professor of Biology. A paper describing the work appears in...