Diseases such as multiple sclerosis are characterized by damage to the myelin sheath, a protective covering wrapped around nerve cells akin to insulation around an electrical wire. Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered how the body initiates repair mechanisms to limit the extent of any damage to this sheath. Their findings, which provide...
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Scientists have reversed memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease
By focusing on the epigenetic changes that influence gene expression, scientists at the University of Buffalo have managed to reduce memory loss and improve cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Sebastian Kaulitzki | Shutterstock For the study, the team studied mice with gene mutations for familial Alzheimer’s and analyzed post-mortem brain tissues...
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From microfluidics to metastasis
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) — an intermediate form of cancer cell between a primary and metastatic tumor cell — carry a treasure trove of information that is critical to treating cancer. Numerous engineering advancements over the years have made it possible to extract cells via liquid biopsy and analyze them to monitor an individual patient’s...
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Researchers cure drug-resistant infections without antibiotics
Biochemists, microbiologists, drug discovery experts and infectious disease doctors have teamed up in a new study that shows antibiotics are not always necessary to cure sepsis in mice. Instead of killing causative bacteria with antibiotics, researchers treated infected mice with molecules that block toxin formation in bacteria. Every treated mouse survived. The breakthrough study, published...
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Protein engineering extends the language of immune cells
Small infections can be fatal: Millions of people die each year from sepsis, an overreaction of the immune system. A new immune signaling molecule, designed by a research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), now provides the basis for potential new approaches in sepsis therapy. IMAGE: THIS THE MODIFIED HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-27-ALPHA. INSPIRED BY...
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Researchers discover an RNA sequence interaction that could be Hepatitis C virus therapy
Researchers Ángel Cantero and José Gallego, from the Structural and Computational Biochemistry laboratory of Valencia’s Catholic University (UCV) have jointly published a research article in Nucleic Acids Research on their progress in the fight against the hepatitis C virus. Credit: Asociación RUVID In the article, Cantero and Gallego describe a new distal interaction mechanism among...
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Innovative diagnostic test could revolutionise cervical cancer screening
Coinciding with Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, researchers at St George’s are working on a field study to fine-tune an exciting new method of human papilloma virus testing that could revolutionise care for women in low and middle income countries. Credit: St. George’s University of London The research team have partnered with molecular diagnostics firm QuantuMDx...
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A muscle protein promotes nerve healing
Injuries or diseases of nerves in the central nervous system result in lifelong disabilities, such as paraplegia caused by a damage to the spinal cord or blindness following the injury of the optic nerve. “Nerve regeneration therapies for clinical applications are not available yet,” points out Dietmar Fischer. This is because nerve fibres – so-called...
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New CRISPR enzyme (Cas12b) makes for more precise gene-editing
The CRISPR gene-editing tool may be one of the most important medical breakthroughs in decades, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Although Cas9 has been the go-to enzyme for gene-editing, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best option. Now a team of scientists, including the co-creator of CRISPR, has engineered a more precise...
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Oolong tea extract may stave off breast cancer
New research finds that oolong tea can damage breast cancer cells and that people who consume large amounts of this tea have a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Oolong tea may have secret cancer-fighting properties, a new study suggests. Despite recent advances in screening procedures and treatment, breast cancerremains both the most common form...