PENN STATE Antibody injections are a highly desirable treatment for people with chronic diseases such as cancer, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and arthritis. And recently, antibodies have been in the news as a promising treatment for severe cases of COVID-19. But the costly, time-consuming manufacturing process to produce antibodies prevents these treatments from being accessible to...
Month: <span>March 2021</span>
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Detonating fuse for breast cancer discovered
by Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Immunofluorescence image of the post-partum mouse mammary gland showing membrane bound B-catenin (white) and nuclei (blue). Credit: Birchmeier Lab, MDC Breast cancer is the most common type of tumor found in women. Each year in Germany alone, 69,000 new cases are diagnosed. Around 80 percent of tumors originate in...
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White button mushroom extract suppresses prostate cancer growth in mice
By Nick Lavars March 21, 2021 White button mushrooms could one day prove a powerful tool in suppressing prostate cancer, new research suggests Scientists continue to search for increasingly powerful drugs to take on cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth, and nature continues to provide them with a rich source of inspiration. The latest example...
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Researchers identify two drugs that delay bone marrow cancer development
by Boston University School of Medicine Hematopoietic precursor cells: promyelocyte in the center, two metamyelocytes next to it and band cells from a bone marrow aspirate. Credit: Bobjgalindo/Wikipedia Primary myelofibrosis (PMF), a relatively rare but painful type of bone marrow cancer, disrupts the body’s normal production of blood cells by causing extensive scarring in the bone...
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Innovative blood test based on infrared light
by Max Planck Society Blood panels are as individual as fingerprints. Researchers from the attoworld team at LMU and MPQ have now investigated how stable this so-called molecular fingerprint of the blood is over time. Credit: Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics The molecular composition of the blood provides information regarding one’s state of health, and...
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Age-Associated B Cells in Immunosenescence
The immune system becomes disordered and dysfunctional with age in numerous different ways. The B cell component accumulates inflammatory and problematic cells that are known as age-associated B cells. Here, researchers show that these errant B cells produce antibodies that provoke autoimmunity. B cell aging is a problem with a solution demonstrated in animal models: just destroy all B cells. Mammals can get by without B...
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New method targets disease-causing proteins for destruction
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a way to use a cell’s own recycling machinery to destroy disease-causing proteins, a technology that could produce entirely new kinds of drugs. Some cancers, for instance, are associated with abnormal proteins or an excess of normally harmless proteins. By eliminating them, researchers believe they can treat the underlying...
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Ultrasound may have potential for treating pain after chemotherapy
Therapeutic ultrasound was a tool in Janice Yurick’s treatment arsenal for 15 years. Yurick, a now-retired physical therapist and former manager of supportive care services at the Cross Cancer Institute, had more than two decades of experience in oncology rehabilitation. She used the technology with patients and saw results, despite no actual studies to prove...
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Can changes in driving habits predict cognitive decline in older adults?
Every day in the U.S. in 2018, motor vehicle crashes killed more than 20 people over age 65 and injured almost 700. Older adults are the most responsible drivers of any age group — they tend to obey speed limits and avoid driving at night and in bad weather, for example — but the physical...
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Bioengineers learn the secrets to precisely turning on and off genes
In a recent study led by the University of Bristol, scientists have shown how to simultaneously harness multiple forms of regulation in living cells to strictly control gene expression and open new avenues for improved biotechnologies. Engineered microbes are increasingly being used to enable the sustainable and clean production of chemicals, medicines and much more....