Researchers from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and physicians from Spectrum Health have identified for the first time in a human patient a genetic disorder only previously described in animal models. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The disorder is caused by mutations in a gene known as ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) and is defined...
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Slipping into this ‘skin’ turns any object into a robot
When you think of robots, usually you think of a 3D being that manipulates the world around it. But Yale University researchers took a different tack, turning away from nature to design “robotic skins” that wrap around existing objects and manipulate them from the outside. It’s an out-of-this-world solution intended to help with space-age issues,...
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Diabetes drug may prevent liver cancer
A drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes might help prevent patients from developing liver cancers. Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a study published this month in the journal Cancer Causes & Control, Harvey J. Murff, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that patients taking metformin had a reduced rate of liver cancer compared to...
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UCI researchers identify new cause of brain bleeds
Study reveals evidence that blood deposits in the brain may not require a blood vessel tear UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – IRVINE Irvine, Calif. – September 25, 2018 – A team of researchers including UCI project scientist Rachita Sumbria, PhD and UCI neurologist Mark J. Fisher, MD have provided, for the first time, evidence that blood deposits in...
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New Tourette disorder genes come to light
In the largest DNA sequencing study of Tourette Disorder (TD) to date, UC San Francisco researchers and their collaborators have unearthed new data suggesting a potential role for disruptions in cell polarity in the development of this condition. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The researchers focused on “de novo” mutations, or rare mutations that arise anew...
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Promising novel treatment against Alzheimer disease
New research conducted at the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital reveals that a novel drug reverses memory deficits and stops Alzheimer disease pathology (AD) in an animal model. Importantly, this drug has already proven to be non-toxic for humans in a clinical setting and could, therefore, be brought quickly to trials...
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Could poor protein trafficking be a factor in autism?
A protein whose mutations are found in people with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions helps keep connections between neurons in the brain running smoothly. Newly published research — led by Rockefeller University in New York City, NY — reveals that the protein astrotactin 2 (ASTN2) can traffick receptors away from neurons’ surfaces and prevent them...
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Alzheimer’s ‘world first’ as scientists discover how to destroy toxic particles in the brain that lead to the memory-robbing disorder
Cambridge University scientists along with a team in Sweden led the study They found a way to target the toxic particles that destroy healthy brain cells Decades worth of scientific trials have so far failed to find a cure for Alzheimer’s An Alzheimer’s ‘world first’ breakthrough could target the cause of the disease and lead to a new generation of drugs that could be in...
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Scientists discover what drives inflammation in IBD
Researchers have recently identified a mechanism that regulates gut inflammation in inflammatory bowel disorders. The discovery may lead to better treatment and diagnosis of some conditions, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. IBD can reduce quality of life, so finding new treatments for it is vital. Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys (SBP) Medical Discovery Institute in La...
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People with fibromyalgia have inflammation of the brain
The causes of the difficult-to-treat pain syndrome fibromyalgia are largely unknown. Using PET brain imaging, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Massachusetts General Hospital have now shown that glial cells – the central nervous system’s immune cells – are activated in the brains of patients with fibromyalgia. The finding has been published in the scientific journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and may open the way...