Health

Princeton, NJ — Just as it’s hard to understand a conversation without knowing its context, it can be difficult for biologists to grasp the significance of gene expression without knowing a cell’s environment. To solve that problem, researchers at Princeton Engineering have developed a method to elucidate a cell’s surroundings so that biologists can make […]

Pohang, South Korea — A Korean research team led by Professor Ki Hean Kim, candidates Seonghan Kim and Jungbin Lee (Department of Mechanical Engineering) at POSTECH, in collaboration with Professor Chang Ho Yoon (Department of Ophthalmology) of Seoul National University Hospital and Professor Young-Ho Jung (Department of Ophthalmology) of Eulji Hospital, has successfully demonstrated the […]

Barcelona, Spain — The spinal column is the central supporting structure of the skeleton in all vertebrates. Not only does it provide a place for muscles to attach, it also protects the spinal cord and nerve roots. Defects in its development are known to cause rare hereditary diseases. Researchers from the Ebisuya Group at EMBL Barcelona have […]

Canberra, Australia — Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have identified a gene called TLR7 that, when over-activated, is responsible for causing lupus, an autoimmune disease that can be life-threatening in severe cases.   TLR7 is programmed to help the immune system guard against viral infections, but in its mutated form it can become aggressive and […]

Memphis, TN — Rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of soft tissue cancer. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital studied the population of cells that persists after therapy, causing rhabdomyosarcoma recurrence. They found that these cells mirror an early developmental state that responds to EGFR inhibitors. The work presents a strategy for targeting the whole tumour […]

La Jolla, CA — Mammals can’t typically regenerate organs as efficiently as other vertebrates, such as fish and lizards. Now, Salk scientists have found a way to partially reset liver cells to more youthful states—allowing them to heal damaged tissue at a faster rate than previously observed. The results, published in Cell Reports on April […]

Champaign, IL — A new study shows that it is possible to use the genetic sequences of a person’s antibodies to predict what pathogens those antibodies will target. Reported in the journal Immunity, the new approach successfully differentiates between antibodies against influenza and those attacking SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. “Our research is in […]

Durham, NC — The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, can directly infect a specialized type of kidney cell. The discovery helps explain why acute kidney injury is one of the main complications observed in patients with severe COVID-19, according to biomedical engineers and virologists at Duke University. The research appeared online April 20 in the […]

Niigata, Japan — The research group of Professor Kamimura in Niigata University have established a novel pancreatic carcinogenesis model in wild-type rats utilizing the pancreas-targeted selective hydrodynamic gene delivery method developed by their research group. “The gene human pancreatic cancer-related gene transfer of the KRASG12D efficiently developed the pancreatic cancer”, says Prof. Kamimura. KRASG12D-induced pancreatic […]

Ann Arbor, MI — In a small but multi-institutional study, an artificial intelligence-based system improved providers’ assessments of whether patients with bladder cancer had complete response to chemotherapy before a radical cystectomy (bladder removal surgery). Yet the researchers caution that AI isn’t a replacement for human expertise and that their tool shouldn’t be used as […]

La Jolla, CA — Every day, your pancreas produces about one cup of digestive juices, a mixture of molecules that can break down the food you eat. But if these powerful molecules become activated before they make their way to the gut, they can damage the pancreas itself—digesting the very cells that created them, leading […]

Singapore — In the fight against cancer, the development of efficacious drugs is only half the battle; equally important is how drugs may be delivered efficiently and safely to the diseased sites in the body. The challenge of drug delivery is especially pertinent for RNA therapeutics which target an important immuno-modulatory receptor, RIG-I. When activated […]