by Gladstone Institutes Alex Marson (left), Nevan Krogan (right), and their team fine-tuned CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to work on human immune cells called monocytes. Credit: Michael Short/Gladstone Institutes In the decade since the advent of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, researchers have used the technology to delete or change genes in a growing number of cell types. Now,...
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS affect millions of adults, but scientists still do not know what causes these diseases, which poses a significant roadblock to developing treatments or preventative measures. Recent research suggests that people with these conditions exhibit changes in the bacterial composition of their digestive tract. However, given the vast diversity of...
KRAS is one of the most common drivers of cancer and is involved in one-third of non-small cell lung cancers. It’s proved an elusive target thanks to its smooth structure and biochemistry. And although new inhibitors are demonstrating some success against one type of KRAS, new paths are needed. A study from University of Michigan...
Imagine if you could get vaccinated for cancer. You would just get a shot or a couple of shots and your immune system would learn how to recognize and kill cancer. This sci-fi-sounding idea is not that far from reality. Especially now that scientists at the University of Waterloo have employed machine learning to identify...
lUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – SAN DIEGO Chemotherapy can induce a painful peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a chronic condition and common adverse effect for cancer patients undergoing treatment. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, have used a mouse model to demonstrate the pivotal role of cholesterol in CIPN, and proposed a novel...
GARVAN INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH IMAGE: CO-SENIOR AUTHOR DR YAN-CHUAN SHI CREDIT: GARVAN INSTITUTE A receptor that helps conserve energy when food is scarce may be the key to a safer approach to treating diet-induced obesity, research led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has revealed. In a study using experimental models and fat tissue biopsies from obese individuals,...
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IMAGE: Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new material that kills bacteria and could potentially prevent infections in wounds – a specially designed hydrogel, that works against all types of bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant ones. The active substance in the new bactericidal material consists of antimicrobial peptides, small...
by Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University Dr. Hedong Li Credit: Chris Thelen Cells called astrocytes normally support our neurons, and now scientists are working to reprogram the star-shaped cells into neurons that help reconnect the brain and body after a spinal cord injury. “We are at the stage of optimization. We know this reprogramming...
by University of Queensland The protein studied, MyD88, is a key signalling molecule in innate immunity pathways. Scientists have visualized and investigated a key molecular pathway that could one day help treat inflammation, diabetes, cancer, infectious diseases and potentially even COVID-19. The international collaboration, featuring University of Queensland researchers, isolated and studied the MyD88 molecule and found the...
by Tiare Dunlap, University of California, Los Angeles Six of the children who received treatment at UCLA through the gene therapy clinical trials. Credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center An experimental form of gene therapy developed by a team of researchers from UCLA and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London has successfully treated 48 of 50 children born with...
