Researchers at UMass Medical School have developed a genome-editing strategy to correct disease-causing DNA mutations in mouse models of human genetic diseases, according to research published in the Aug. 18 edition of Nature Biotechnology. Credit: CC0 Public Domain First author Dan Wang, Ph.D., instructor in microbiology & physiological systems, together with co-corresponding authors Guangping Gao, Ph.D., the Penelope Booth...
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Scientists Create New Pill That Prevents You From Gaining Weight
Scientists may have just discovered the miracle pill to quash all miracle pills — one that could allow a person to eat whatever they want but never gain weight in the process. Scientists from Yale University have found a way to reshape the portals in the gut that process fat absorption into the body, flattening...
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Can Stem Cell Fillings Replace a Root Canal Procedure?
Those who live in fear of the infamous root canal – maligned worldwide for its painful nature and disliked for the fact that it kills the tooth – will find relief in the news that researchers have found a promising alternative in the form of stem cell fillings. This approach relies on treating root causes and conditions...
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Protein droplets keep neurons at the ready and immune system in balance
HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE Inside cells, where DNA is packed tightly in the nucleus and rigid proteins keep intricate transport systems on track, some molecules have a simpler way of establishing order. They can self-organize, find one another in crowded spaces, and quickly coalesce into droplets – like oil in water. IMAGE: IN THIS 3-D RECONSTRUCTION,...
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A molecular switch may serve as new target point for cancer and diabetes therapies
FORSCHUNGSVERBUND BERLIN If certain signaling cascades are misregulated, diseases like cancer, obesity, and diabetes may occur. A mechanism recently discovered by scientists at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin and at the University of Geneva has a crucial influence on such signaling cascades and may be an important key for the future development...
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Compound discovered that targets cancer cells lacking the protective p53 ‘guardian gene’
Developed and tested at the University of Huddersfield, the compound, containing ruthenium, is attracted to the vulnerable cancer cells, whilst leaving healthy cells untouched UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD A NEW chemical compound with the potential to destroy hard-to-treat cancer cells has been developed and tested by scientists at the University of Huddersfield. Also, the compound causes...
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NUS study: RUNX proteins act as regulators in DNA repair
Findings open opportunities to target RUNX-deficient cancers such as breast cancer and leukemia NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE A study by researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore has revealed that RUNX proteins are integral to efficient DNA repair via the Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway. IMAGE: A RESEARCH TEAM FROM THE CANCER...
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Doctors may be able to enlist a mysterious enzyme to stop internal bleeding
SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE Blood platelets are like the sand bags of the body. Got a cut? Platelets pile in to clog the hole and stop the bleeding. But genetic mutations, infections and even radiation from cancer treatments can slash platelet numbers, leading to a condition called thrombocytopenia and putting people at risk for internal bleeding. Now scientists...
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Magnetic gene in fish may someday help those with epilepsy, Parkinson’s
EAST LANSING, Mich. — An aquarium fish that senses the Earth’s magnetic field as it swims could help unlock how the human brain works and how diseases such as Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders function. Michigan State University scientists are the first to discover a navigational gene in glass catfish called the electromagnetic-perceptive gene, or...
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This matrix delivers healing stem cells to injured elderly muscles
A car accident leaves an aging patient with severe muscle injuries that won’t heal. Treatment with muscle stem cells from a donor might restore damaged tissue, but doctors are unable to deliver them effectively. A new method may help change this. Hydrogel delivered stem cells called muscle satellite cells integrate in new muscle strands, green,...