While the DNA sequence remains the same throughout a person’s life, the expression of the encoded genes may change with time and contribute to disease development in genetically predisposed individuals. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now discovered a new mechanism of a major risk gene for multiple sclerosis (MS) that triggers disease through so-called epigenetic...
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HKBU scholars invent medical device for safe growth of neural stem cells
A research team of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has invented a medical device with a specific nanotechnology layer for the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro. Compared with traditional methods, the team’s novel matrix can reduce the risk of carcinogenesis or inflammation in stem cell therapy—a treatment that offers hope of a...
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‘Kiss of death’ cancer: How computational geeks may have uncovered a therapy for a deadly disease
It’s called the ‘kiss of death’. Triple-negative breast cancer has no targeted drug therapy and, as such, the only hope for these patients is chemotherapy. Triple-negative breast cancer is aggressive and deadly. Patients are currently treated by chemotherapy but there is no guarantee of success—and unfortunately, for those that chemotherapy does not work, the survival...
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Research provides insights into why older people respond poorly to cancer treatment
It’s called the Silver Tsunami—the increased incidence of cancer with ageing, combined with the rapidly ageing population means that the Australian health system needs to prepare for an onslaught of cancer diagnoses. Monash BDI’s Professor Nicole La Gruta and Dr Kylie Quinn. Credit: Monash UniversityA new study out of Monash University, published today in the...
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Scientists discover new clues about fat cell formation
In new research published in Nature, researchers say they’ve captured a detailed snapshot of how the body’s fat cells form. MATURE HUMAN FAT CELLS ON THE LEFT, MOUSE FAT ON THE RIGHT. THE NEWLY DISCOVERED CELLS THAT CAN SUPPRESS MATURE FAT CELL FORMATION ARE HIGHLIGHTED BY ARROWS. (BART DEPLANCKE / EPFL) In models of type 2 diabetes, the body sometimes...
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Human immune ‘trigger’ map paves way for better treatments
A discovery about how human cells are ‘triggered’ to undergo an inflammatory type of cell death could have implications for treating cancer, stroke and tissue injury, and immune disorders. IMAGE: A DISCOVERY ABOUT HOW HUMAN CELLS ARE 'TRIGGERED' TO UNDERGO AN INFLAMMATORY TYPE OF CELL DEATH COULD HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR TREATING CANCER, STROKE AND TISSUE INJURY,...
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Novel therapy makes oxidative stress deadly to cancer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (June 21, 2018) – Oxidative stress can help tumors thrive, but one-way novel cancer treatments work is by pushing levels to the point where it instead helps them die, scientists, report. IMAGE: OXIDATIVE STRESS CAN HELP TUMORS THRIVE, BUT ONE WAY NOVEL CANCER TREATMENTS WORK IS BY PUSHING LEVELS TO THE POINT WHERE IT...
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DNA enzyme shuffles cell membranes a thousand times faster than its natural counterpart
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new synthetic enzyme, crafted from DNA rather than protein, flips lipid molecules within the cell membrane, triggering a signal pathway that could be harnessed to induce cell death in cancer cells. IMAGE: A SYNTHETIC DNA ENZYME INSERTS INTO A CELL MEMBRANE, CAUSING LIPIDS TO SHUFFLE BETWEEN THE...
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Alzheimer’s breakthrough: Brain metals that may drive disease progression revealed
In brains affected by Alzheimer’s, researchers identify chemically reduced iron species, with mineral forms including a magnetic iron oxide UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK Breakthrough in description of metals in brain which may drive the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, made by international research collaboration, including University of Warwick In brains affected by Alzheimer’s, researchers identify chemically reduced iron species, with mineral forms...
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Scientists discover new gene expression mechanism with possible role in human disease
UNC School of Medicine researchers, led by Brian Strahl, PhD, found surprising role for a protein called Spt6, which is crucial to the maintenance of proper messenger RNA levels in cells, a discovery that opens new research avenues and suggests a target UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH CARE CHAPEL HILL, NC – When cells grow and divide to...