More than half of cancer survivors suffer from cognitive impairment from chemotherapy that lingers for months or years after the cancer is gone. In a new study explaining the cellular mechanisms behind this condition, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have demonstrated that a widely used chemotherapy drug, methotrexate, causes a complex set...
Year: <span>2018</span>
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Newly identified T cells could play a role in cancer and other diseases
FINDINGS Researchers from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have identified a new type of T cell called a phospholipid-reactive T cell that is able to recognize phospholipids, the molecules that help form cells’ outer membranes. IMAGE: THIS IS UCLA CANCER RESEARCHER DR. RAM RAJ SINGH. CREDIT: COURTESY OF...
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UC San Diego researchers develop sensors to detect and measure cancer’s ability to spread
The spread of invasive cancer cells from a tumor’s original site to distant parts of the body is known as metastasis. It is the leading cause of death in people with cancer. In a paper published online in iScience, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers reported engineering sensors that can detect and...
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Using graphene to detect ALS, other neurodegenerative diseases
The wonders of graphene are numerous — it can enable flexible electronic components, enhance solar cell capacity, filter the finest subatomic particles and revolutionize batteries. Now, the “supermaterial” may one day be used to test for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS — a progressive, neurodegenerative disease which is diagnosed mostly by ruling out other disorders,...
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Type 2 diabetes: A therapeutic avenue is emerging
Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are high over a prolonged period (hyperglycemia). In the case of type 2 diabetes, this phenomenon which is caused by a disruption of the glucose metabolism develops progressively and insidiously. In France, the prevalence of diabetes is estimated at over 5 % of the 2015 population,...
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DNA damage leads to genetic diseases and cancer
Scientists revealed how DNA damage influences mutations. Turned out that its contribution to mutagenesis was underestimated and many of the inheritance mutations are caused not by errors in DNA doubling, but by damage to this fragile molecule. The study was conducted by an international research group and published in Nature Genetics. Unfortunately, the reasons for...
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Major breakthrough in quest for cancer vaccine
The idea of a cancer vaccine is something researchers have been working on for over 50 years, but until recently they were never able to prove exactly how such a vaccine would work. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Now, a team of researchers at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at Université de...
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Primordial protein translation
Ribosomes can function with iron or manganese ions in place of magnesium, recent results show, providing an insight into the evolutionary history of protein transcription. A recent study that set out to investigate the early development of ribosomes – highly conserved complexes present in all life – and their interactions with different ions at the...
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Researchers find biomarkers for identifying Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment in saliva samples
The discovery of three biomarkers that detect mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s has the potential to lead to the development of a saliva test to diagnose the chronic neurodegenerative disease. Roger Dixon (left) and Liang Li are working together to develop a saliva test for Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: John Ulan University of Alberta scientists Liang...
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New PET tracer identified for imaging tau in Alzheimer’s disease patients
Checkerboard plot showing 18F-RO-948-positivity results (black cells: bilaterally positive; gray cells: unilaterally positive) of anterior and posterior Braak regions (19), and estimated Braak stages (right column) (20). esV = extrastriatal …more In the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and the search for effective treatments, tau tangles in the brain have joined amyloid build-up as markers of...