Researchers at the New York Genome Center (NYGC) and Columbia University have uncovered a molecular mechanism behind one of biology’s long-standing mysteries: why individuals carrying identical gene mutations for a disease end up having varying severity or symptoms of the disease. In this widely acknowledged but not well-understood phenomenon, called variable penetrance, the severity of the...
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Could vitamin B3 treat acute kidney injury?
Acute kidney injury, an often fatal condition without a specific treatment, affects up to 10 percent of all hospitalized adults in the United States and 30-40 percent in low-income countries. The condition causes a build-up of waste products in the blood and an imbalance of fluids throughout the body. Acute kidney injury can occur from...
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Research team develops predictor for immunotherapy response in melanoma
In a new study, researchers developed a gene expression predictor that can indicate whether melanoma in a specific patient is likely to respond to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, a novel type of immunotherapy. The predictor was developed by Noam Auslander, Ph.D., with other researchers in the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the...
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Low levels of vitamin D3 and periodontitis may trigger the onset of Type 2 diabetes
In a rare study of its kind, new University of Toronto research has identified how vitamin D3 and periodontitis influence Type 2 diabetes. Aleksandra Zuk, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, found increased odds of developing Type 2 diabetes among people with gum disease who are also lacking in vitamin D3. Aleksandra Zuk,...
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Mechanoceuticals to Replace Chemical Drugs by Tugging on Cells
Chemicals, delivered in the form of drugs, are the most common way of influencing the activities of cells in our bodies. While great in many ways, there are a myriad of limitations and side effects for clinicians and patients to grapple with. UCLA bioengineers are investigating whether targeted physical manipulation could serve as an additional...
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Enzymes team up with light-activated catalysts
Catalysts working in pairs can promote more-effective reactions than can the same catalysts used sequentially. The coupling of an enzyme with a light-activated catalyst offers great potential for organic synthesis. Nicholas J. Turner The development of catalytic reactions is a dominant theme in chemistry, especially in industry, where major efforts are underway to develop large-scale...
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New research reveals how the body clock controls inflammation
Researchers at RCSI and Trinity College Dublin have revealed insights into how the body clock controls the inflammatory response, which may open up new therapeutic options to treat excess inflammation in conditions such as asthma, arthritis and cardiovascular disease. By understanding how the body clock controls the inflammatory response, we may be able to target these...
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Powerful molecules provide new findings about Huntington’s disease
LUND UNIVERSITY Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a direct link between the protein aggregation in nerve cells that is typical for neurodegenerative diseases, and the regulation of gene expression in Huntington’s disease. The results pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies for diseases that involve impairment of the basic mechanism...
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Oxygen: bacteria killer
A new technique to kill bacteria by utilizing oxygen is on the horizon. A team of researchers has reported its latest developments in the fight to kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at the 256th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (19-23 Aug, MA, USA). The technique utilizes light to activate oxygen, which can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It...
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First in-depth profile of CAR T-cell signals suggests how to improve immunotherapy
August 21, 2018, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center CAR T-cell therapy, which reprograms immune cells to fight cancer, has shown great promise in people with some blood cancers who have not responded to other treatments. But until now, the underlying biological pathways enabling anti-cancer responses have not been thoroughly examined. CAR-T cells with stronger signaling intensity were less...