How CRISPR can help fight against neurodegenerative diseases SECHENOV UNIVERSITY Researchers of Sechenov University and University of Pittsburgh described the most promising strategies in applying genetic engineering for studying and treating Parkinson’s disease. This method can help evaluate the role of various cellular processes in pathology progression, develop new drugs and therapies, and estimate their...
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New bacterial strain linked to scarlet fever, sore throat and sepsis
by Imperial College London A team of scientists led by Imperial College London have discovered a new strain of group A streptococcus bacteria. Group A streptococcus (or Strep A) is known to cause scarlet fever, throat infections and—in very rare cases—invasive disease, where the bacterium enters the bloodstream or tissue and can trigger sepsis and toxic shock. The research team,...
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Two commonly used uveitis drugs perform similarly in NIH-funded clinical trial
Posted Today Methotrexate and the more expensive mycophenolate mofetil performed similarly in a head-to-head clinical trial that compared the two drugs for treating noninfectious uveitis, an eye disease that accounts for up to 15% of blindness in the U. S. In cases of more severe disease, posterior uveitis and panuveitis, the international trial showed that...
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A curiosity-driven genetic discovery that should impact cancer treatments
by Trinity College Dublin A team of geneticists with a desire to understand the inner workings of genes implicated in cellular identity has discovered new biological targets that may help devise alternative therapies for cancers that are becoming resistant to existing drugs. First discovered in fruit flies, Polycomb genes were initially studied due to their...
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Art, science and the paradoxes of perception
by Robert Pepperell, The Conversation Perception is utterly baffling. We can precisely describe the biological structure of eyes and brains. We can measure the electrochemical impulses and electrical fields generated by neurons. But reason fails us when we attempt to explain how these physical processes cause all the vivid colours, textures and objects that appear in...
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Research discovers inhibitor to reverse toxic DUX4 effects
by University of Minnesota About one in 8,000 people have facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, according to a 2014 study, which is relatively common in the world of genetic diseases. New University of Minnesota Medical School research identifies an inhibitor that protects cells from toxic effects associated with this disease in cells and mice. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy...
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Research reveals potential treatments for deadly tropical disease
by Wayne Lewis, University of California, Los Angeles Melioidosis is a tropical disease that claims an estimated 90,000 lives worldwide each year. There is no vaccine, and current treatments are hampered by the ability of the bacterium that causes the disease to resist even the strongest antibiotics. Hardy and lethal, that bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, is...
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Solving long-sought protein structure opens new avenues for treating disease
by Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified the long-sought structure of an essential blood protein: vitronectin. Knowing the protein’s structure—an advance that enables rational drug design—could lead to medicines that kill multi-drug-resistant bacteria, halt cancer metastasis, treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and more. The study was published in...
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Infant with deadly leukemia saved by drug for adult liver cancer
by University of California, San Francisco UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals have successfully treated a months-old infant with a rare childhood leukemia using a targeted therapy approved for adults with inoperable liver cancer and advanced kidney cancer. The decision to use the drug, sorafenib, was made after pathologists identified a unique mutation in the form of...
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Scientists find cause of debilitating eye disease
by Lowy Medical Research Institute Scientists at the Lowy Medical Research Institute (LMRI) have discovered one cause of a progressive, debilitating eye disease called macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel). The work, using genetic, clinical and biochemical studies has implications for other retinal eye diseases, as well as peripheral neuropathies. “This is a breakthrough not just for MacTel research, but for eye, neurological, and metabolic research...