NIH-funded trial offers hope for disease with limited treatment options NIH/NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE Results from a clinical trial of more than 250 participants with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) revealed that ibudilast was better than a placebo in slowing down brain shrinkage. The study also showed that the main side effects of...
Post
Bone Mineral Density at Forefront in Genetic Fracture Risk Meta-Analysis
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – A new genome-wide association meta-analysis supports the notion that bone mineral density is a crucial factor in fracture risk. As they reported online yesterday in the British Medical Journal, researchers from 23andMe, the Genetic Factors for Osteoporosis (GEFOS) consortium, and the Genomos consortium brought together genotyping data for 37,857 bone fracture cases and 227,116 unaffected controls...
Post
Stem cells show promise as drug delivery tool for childhood brain cancer
The latest in a series of laboratory breakthroughs could lead to a more effective way to treat the most common brain cancer in children. Scientists from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the UNC School of Medicine reported results from early studies that demonstrate how cancer-hunting...
Post
Random fraction of specialized immune cells leads the charge in battling invaders
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a rare type of immune cells that secrete large quantities of type 1 interferon (I-IFN), a key driver of immunity to infectious invaders and cancer. However, the mechanisms that control the I-IFN secretion are still poorly understood. Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology and Radboud University Nijmegen have developed a groundbreaking, high-throughput...
Post
Diagnostic device can prevent strokes and heart attacks
A team of engineers and biochemists at ANU has invented and trialled a bio-optics diagnostic device that can reveal the formation of blood clots and help doctors to identify patients at imminent risk of having a stroke or heart attack. Image: Ph.D. scholar Sherry He, from the ANU ResearchSchool of Engineering, and Dr. Samantha Montague, from the...
Post
Purdue researchers developing novel biomedical imaging system
System combines optical, ultrasound technology PURDUE UNIVERSITY WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University researchers are developing a novel biomedical imaging system that combines optical and ultrasound technology to improve diagnosis of life-threatening diseases. IMAGE: PURDUE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS ARE DEVELOPING A NOVEL BIOMEDICAL IMAGING SYSTEM THAT COMBINES OPTICAL AND ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS OF LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES. THE RESEARCHERS HAVE CREATED A MOTORIZED...
Post
New cancer treatment uses enzymes to boost immune system and fight back
UT Austin Engineers develop new way to treat cancer using enzyme therapy UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a new approach to treating cancer using enzyme therapy. The enzyme, PEG-KYNase, does not directly kill cancer cells but instead empowers the immune system to...
Post
Scientists develop alternative treatment for peripheral artery disease
Louisiana State University researchers team up to fight ailment affecting 8 million Americans LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY Cristina Sabliov, LSU Biological and Agricultural Engineering professor, and Tammy Dugas, professor in the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, have joined forces to fight peripheral artery disease, or PAD, an ailment affecting 8 million...
Post
Researchers identify new potential biotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers at the University of Florida have discovered that a modified version of an important immune cell protein could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which will be published August 29 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that soluble versions of a protein called TLR5 can reduce the buildup of amyloid plaques in the...
Post
Discovery could lead to higher immunotherapy response rates for bladder cancer patients
THE MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL / MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE (New York, NY – August 29, 2018) — Mount Sinai researchers have discovered that a particular type of cell present in bladder cancer may be the reason why so many patients do not respond to the groundbreaking class of drugs known as PD-1 and PD-L1 immune checkpoint...