HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH A key protein in the communication channels between cells can allow a stress response in one liver cell to spread to neighboring liver cells in mice, causing otherwise healthy cells to become dysfunctional, according to new research co-led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Sheba...
Month: <span>December 2020</span>
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Study in mice shows genes may be altered through drug repurposing
by University of Illinois at Chicago A representative eye of a PAX6 deficient mouse after treatment (right) showing a better-developed eye and clear cornea compared to a control treated PAX6 deficient mouse eye (left) showing a smaller eye with scarring and blood vessel growth. Credit: University of Illinois Chicago Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have...
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Oxford vaccine stimulates broad antibody and T cell functions
by University of Oxford Local (top) and systemic (bottom) solicited reactions following prime and boost vaccinations at different dose regimens. Day 0, day of vaccination; P, post-vaccination observation period in the clinic. Fever was classified as mild (38.0 °C to <38.5 °C), moderate (38.5 °C to <39.0 °C) and severe (≥39.0 °C). Feverish was defined as a self-reported feeling of feverishness....
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New drug molecules hold promise for treating rare inherited terminal childhood disease
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER Scientists at the University of Exeter have identified a way to “rescue” cells that have genetically mutated, paving the way to a possible new treatment for rare terminal childhood illness such as mitochondrial disease. The research, funded by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation in the USA, was led by Professors Matt Whiteman...
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Researchers identify bacteria that promote metabolic and mental health
by University College Cork B. longum APC1472 increases Bifidobacterium abundance without impacting the overall composition of the gut microbiota in humans. The gut microbiota was assesed at the beginning (pre) and end of the study (12 weeks, past). Alpha (A-C) and beta diversity (D) were investigated, as wel as the bacterial genera present (E-F). Microbial taxa...
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Machine intelligence accelerates research into mapping brains
by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (Left) MRI scanners, like the one pictured at RIKEN Center for Brain Science, can be used to non-invasively map the brain by analyzing the diffusion of water molecules. (Right) The diffusion MRI measures the direction that the water molecules diffuse at each point in the brain, as illustrated by...
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AI-supported test predicts eye disease three years before symptoms
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON IMAGE: DARC IMAGE (ABOVE) AND CORRESPONDING OCT IMAGE SLICE (BELOW) CREDIT: NOVAI/UCL/WESTERN EYE HOSPITAL A pioneering new eye test, developed by scientists at UCL in collaboration with the Western Eye Hospital, London, may predict wet AMD, a leading cause of severe sight loss, three years before symptoms develop. Researchers hope their test...
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Seizure risk forecasted days in advance with brain implant data
by University of California, San Francisco Seizure forecasting. Credit: Melanie Proix Patterns of brain activity can be used to forecast seizure risk in epilepsy patients several days in advance, according to a new analysis of data obtained from clinically approved brain implants by neuroscientists at UC San Francisco, the University of Bern, and the University of...
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Cell atlas of tropical disease parasite may hold key to new treatments
WELLCOME TRUST SANGER INSTITUTE The first cell atlas of an important life stage of Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic worm that poses a risk to hundreds of millions of people each year, has been developed by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators. The study, published today (18 December 2020) in Nature Communications, identified 13 distinct cell...
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Gene biomarkers indicate liver toxicity quickly and accurately
by Marianne Stein, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Credit: CC0 Public Domain When agrochemical and pharmaceutical companies develop new products, they must test extensively for potential toxicity before obtaining regulatory approval. This testing usually involves lengthy and expensive animal studies. A research team at University of Illinois has developed a gene biomarker identification technique that cuts...