It is not every day that scientists come across a phenomenon so fundamental that it is observed across fruit flies, rodents and humans. In a paper published today in Aging Cell, neuroscientists from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences discovered that a single protein — a glutamate transporter on the membrane of vesicles...
Month: <span>May 2021</span>
Post
Weird viral DNA spills secrets to biologists
Ewen Callaway Bacteriophage viruses — seen attacking an E. coli cell in this computer illustration — can have exotic chemistries in their DNA.Credit: Maurizio De Angelis/Science Photo Library ‘Alien’ genomes can be found on Earth. Some viruses that infect bacteria use an alternative genetic alphabet that’s distinct from the code used by nearly all other organisms —...
Post
The Development of DNA Vaccines
By Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc. The concept of a DNA vaccine was first proposed in 1990. Since then, DNA vaccines have been widely studied for their ability to induce both cellular and humoral immune responses against certain infectious agents. An overview of vaccinations Vaccines are considered to be one of the...
Post
Scientists Discover How the Body Fights Viruses That Try to Evade the Immune System Response
Scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that counteracts the ability of some viruses to evade the immune response – raising hope of improving the body’s ability to fight off viral infections, such as COVID-19, and cancers, which also develop strategies to evade immune recognition. The study, published in Nature Immunology by researchers at Rutgers Robert...
Post
A milestone in muscular dystrophy therapy
MAX DELBRÜCK CENTER FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE IN THE HELMHOLTZ ASSOCIATION IMAGE: THE CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE IMAGE SHOWS THE PATIENT’S PRIMARY MUSCLE STEM CELLS, WHICH HAVE CONTINUED TO PROLIFERATE AFTER REPAIR OF THE MUTATION USING “BASE EDITING “. CREDIT: SPULER LAB, ECRC Muscle stem cells enable our muscle to build up and regenerate over a lifetime through...
Post
Holographic histopathology enables fast, precise diagnostics
SPIE–INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICS AND PHOTONICS IMAGE: SCHEMATIC OF THE IMAGING OF PATHOLOGICAL TISSUE 3D STRUCTURE BY COMBINING OPTICAL DIFFRACTION TOMOGRAPHY AND AUTOMATED STITCHING. IMAGE CREDIT: HUGONNET ET AL. CREDIT: HUGONNET ET AL. Histology is the study of biological tissues at a microscopic level. Also called microscopic anatomy, histology is widely used to provide diagnosis...
Post
Traffic-related pollution linked to early markers for cardiovascular disease in children
by Leigh Hopper, University of Southern California Daily exposure to traffic-related air pollution during childhood may set the stage for cardiovascular disease in later life. Credit: Photo/Simone Ramella Daily exposure to auto emissions during childhood may set the stage for cardiovascular disease in later life, according to a USC Children’s Health Study that followed 70 children...
Post
Important factor in the development of dendritic cells identified
by Medical University of Vienna Artistic rendering of the surface of a human dendritic cell illustrating sheet-like processes that fold back onto the membrane surface. Credit: National Institutes of Health (NIH) The human immune system comprises functionally specialized cellular defense mechanisms that protect the body against disease. These include the dendritic cells. Their main function is...
Post
Diversifying therapeutic antibodies: From one, come many with potential different uses
by Alice McCarthy, Children’s Hospital Boston Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new method for producing antibodies against disease could result in a wider variety of drugs for infectious diseases, immune disease, and even cancer. The immune system naturally produces enormous varieties of antibodies to fight diseases. Therapeutic antibodies—antibodies created against specific therapeutic targets—have been used for decades to either rev...
Post
Researchers examine how fibrosis affects heart’s natural pacemaker
by Amy Colgan, The Ohio State University Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have new insights into how the heart’s sinoatrial node (SAN), the body’s natural pacemaker, and its electrical signals are affected during heart failure. The SAN sends electrical signals through the heart, causing it to contract and pump...