Amsterdam, NL, June 4, 2020 – Growth factors such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) were initially thought to be exciting new treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD), but trials have been disappointing. A panel of prominent leaders in the field convened to discuss whether there is a future for this approach and what any...
Month: <span>June 2020</span>
Post
Scientists reveal how mutations in metabolism can drive cancers
by Yale University Our cells have several ways to repair DNA that breaks when the cells divide. However, genetic mutations can disable these DNA repair mechanisms, destabilize the cells, and trigger cancer. In a paper published today in the journal Nature, Yale Cancer Center (YCC) scientists have identified mutations in metabolite-producing genes as a disruption...
Post
Insight into protein misfolding could open up new approaches to treat Parkinson’s disease
by University of Cambridge Researchers have uncovered a link between the structure of the protein alpha-synuclein and its likelihood to misfold and aggregate. Alpha-synuclein aggregates are the hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. Their findings, published today in Nature Communications, identify potential new therapeutic targets in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The human...
Post
How a microRNA protects vascular integrity
by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Short RNA molecules known as microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in the regulation of gene expression. Anomalies in miRNAs expression and function have been implicated in pathological processes, such as the development of chronic diseases like atherosclerosis. The regulatory functions of miRNAs usually take place in the cytoplasm,...
Post
Fruit fly study reveals link between the gut and death by sleep deprivation
by Harvard Medical School The first signs of insufficient sleep are universally familiar. There’s tiredness and fatigue, difficulty concentrating, perhaps irritability or even tired giggles. Far fewer people have experienced the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation, including disorientation, paranoia and hallucinations. Total, prolonged sleep deprivation, however, can be fatal. While it has been reported in...
Post
Researchers discover new member of novel drug family for ‘undruggable’ targets
by Nicole Davis, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard In the last several years, excitement has surged for a promising class of drugs that work not by inhibiting the action of a molecular target, as most conventional drugs do, but instead by harnessing the cell’s recycling system to destroy the target. However, these unusual compounds,...
Post
Stimulating research gives new treatment hope for Tourette Syndrome
by University of Nottingham Scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology and School of Medicine used repetitive trains of stimulation to the median nerve (MNS) at the wrist to entrain rhythmic electrical brain activity—known as brain-oscillations—that are associated with the suppression of movements. They found that rhythmic MNS is sufficient to substantially reduce...
Post
Eat less and live a long healthy life? Study shows ‘not in all cases’
by Buck Institute for Research on Aging Each of the analyzed fly strains arranged by response to dietary restriction. The overlapping bars show the increase or decrease in lifespan (grey bars) or healthspan (purple bars) when that fly strain underwent dietary restriction. Most strains show positive responses, but a number of strains show negative responses...
Post
Hairy, lab-grown human skin cell model could advance hair loss research
by Oregon Health & Science University skin model in the lab that could be used to better understand and treat hair and skin disorders. Credit: Karl R. Koehler and Jiyoon Lee, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. A new, hair-sprouting dollop of human skin created in the lab might one day help prevent hair loss. Organoids...
Post
Researchers deconstruct tissue repair
by ETH Zurich ETH researchers have deconstructed the mechanisms that control wound healing and scar formation in more detail. To this end, biologists and engineers have developed a new method that allows the biomechanical properties of the healing tissue to be measured in vivo for the first time. Anyone who is injured hopes for a...