Scientists digging into the makeup of lab-grown kidney models turned up a surprising finding: The organoids also contained heart and muscle cells. Here’s what study author Dr. Ben Humphreys of Washington University in St. Louis told me about the finding, published in Cell Stem Cell. A CLOSE-UP LOOK AT A KIDNEY ORGANOID. (HUMPHREYS LAB) What...
Category: <span>biological sciences</span>
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New way to look at cell membranes could change the way we study disease
Researchers have developed a new technique to analyse cell membrane proteins in situ which could revolutionise the way in which we study diseases, such as cancer, metabolic and heart diseases. IMAGE: A NEW TECHNIQUE TO ANALYSE CELL MEMBRANE PROTEINS IN SITU WHICH COULD REVOLUTIONISE THE WAY IN WHICH WE STUDY DISEASES, SUCH AS CANCER, METABOLIC AND...
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UMN researchers discover important connection between cells in the liver
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- November 15, 2018 – University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have made a discovery which could lead to a new way of thinking about how disease pathogenesis in the liver is regulated, which is important for understanding the condition nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is incredibly common and growing. It is apparent...
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Investigational urate elevation does not appear to raise hypertension risk
Both phase 2 clinical trial results and animal model studies find no association between urate manipulation and blood pressure MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL A study from a group of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators may reduce the concern that elevated levels of urate, an approach being investigated to treat several neurodegenerative disorders, could increase the risk...
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Probiotics, Fecal Transplant Promising in Ulcerative Colitis
PHILADELPHIA — The probiotic VSL#3 and fecal microbiota transplantation could help induce remission in patients with ulcerative colitis, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. There is “abundant evidence” that the intestinal microbiome plays an integral role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis, said Mina Fransawy Alkomos, MD, from New York...
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Calcifications in the eye increase risk for progression to advanced AMD by more than six times
Calcified nodules in the retina are associated with progression to late stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Experts from Queen’s University Belfast, working in partnership with the University of Alabama of Birmingham and in collaboration with UK material scientists and US clinical ophthalmology practices, made the ground-breaking discovery that the calcified nodules in the retina...
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Blue light can reduce blood pressure
Exposure to blue light decreases blood pressure, reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a new study from the University of Surrey and Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf in collaboration with Philips reports. Credit: CC0 Public Domain During this study, published in the prestigious European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, participants were exposed to 30 minutes of...
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No safe suntan, but research suggests there may be a way to reduce ‘old leathery’ look
Getting a tan may not depend on how much sun people get, but rather when they get it. This is the finding from a new international research project. The study, published in Molecular Cell, found that sun exposure every other day was more effective for tanning and caused less DNA damage than daily exposure. Credit:...
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New study offers hope for patients suffering from a rare form of blindness
A new form of therapy may halt or even reverse a form of progressive vision loss that, until now, has inevitably led to blindness. This hyper-targeted approach offers hope to individuals living with spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) and validates a new form of therapy with the potential to treat neurogenetic diseases effectively and with...
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Salmonella loves hydrogen peroxide – and helps your body make more of it
Salmonella is a nasty little bacterium. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that it sickens one in six Americans each year, with illnesses ranging from mild to fatal. Part of the reason that Salmonella is so effective in making us sick is that it is able to turn the body‘s defense mechanism to its advantage. Now, new...