Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a film that not only protects wounds similar to the way a bandage does, but also helps wounds to heal faster, repels bacteria, dampens inflammation, releases active pharmaceutical ingredients in a targeted manner and ultimately dissolves by itself. This is all made possible by its dedicated design and the use of mucins, molecules which occur naturally in mucous membranes. Conventional bandages may be very effective for treating smaller skin abrasions,…
MHH involved in international study on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a malignant disease in which the precursor cells of the haematopoietic system multiply uncontrollably. This form of blood cancer is caused by genetic changes in the bone marrow that occur in the course of life. Therefore, it is mainly older people who are affected. If left untreated, AML leads to death within a few weeks. But now there is hope. The combination of two drugs…
To move our bodies, the brain sends messages to muscles via motoneurons which can sometimes be over excitable and cause spasms – but researchers have found two ways to calm them down. Poor sleep, difficulty moving and injuries from hitting something accidentally are just some of the challenges faced by suffers of often-painful involuntary muscle spasms. However, an Edith Cowan University (ECU) study investigating motoneurons in the spine has revealed two methods can make our spinal cords less “excitable” and…
… after scientists discover cause of disease. 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 cause the immune system to attack healthy cells. The discovery, made by an international team of scientists, could pave the way…
Untangling genomic architecture of acute promyelocytic leukaemia reveals gene that can suppress tumour. A new study published today in the journal Genes & Development reveals a gene that normally suppresses the formation of tumours but is reprogrammed at the onset of acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL), an aggressive type of blood cancer that is responsible for 5-15% of all types of leukaemia. The findings pave the way for the development of drugs that boost the expression of the gene at the…
A Texas A&M team’s findings could have implications for the treatment of bone regeneration. Stem cells can develop into many different types of cells in the body. For instance, when a person is injured, stem cells come to the site of the injury and aid in healing damaged tissues. New nanotechnology developed by a team of researchers from Texas A&M University could leverage the body’s regenerative potential by directing stem cells to form bone tissue. Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, associate professor and Presidential Impact…
Researchers at The University of Queensland have identified a molecule essential for regulating the repair of injured nerves, which could help people recover from nerve damage. The finding was made using the nematode worm C. elegans which has long been studied by researchers for its ability to self-repair nerve cells. Professor Massimo Hilliard and his team at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) have identified that the enzyme ADM-4 is an essential protein regulating the molecular glue, or fusogen, needed for…
Tumors can use an enzyme called ART1 to thwart antitumor immune cells, making the enzyme a promising new target for immunity-boosting cancer treatments, according to a study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In the study, published Mar 16 in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers found strong evidence that ART1, when expressed on tumor cells, can modify a receptor on tumor-fighting immune cells in a way that triggers the death of these immune cells. In…
A study at the Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research (HITBR) at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim shows that cerebral organoids open up new insights into the development of the human brain and associated disorders. Human pluripotent stem cells cultured as 3D aggregates in a petri dish with nutrient liquid have the capacity to self-organize and develop into so called brain organoids. Under the microscope, these brain organoids display structures that closely resemble the developing brain,…
Patent pending for combination of scintillation and upconversion luminescence. Researchers Dr Yansong Feng and Prof. Hong Zhang at the Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have designed and synthesized novel multi-layered, multi-functional nanoparticles that enable a combination of radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy for deep cancer tissue. An initial pre-clinical evaluation of the particles has demonstrated their therapeutic potential. A patent is pending, and the university is now seeking partners for further development or…
Diabetes is a long-term chronic disease with many complications and requires care over a lifetime. The longer a patient suffers from diabetes, the higher the risk of developing retinopathy which can progressively lead to a decline in vision and even to blindness. A POSTECH research team led by Professor Sei Kwang Hahn and Ph.D. candidate Geon-Hui Lee (Department of Materials Science and Engineering) in collaboration with Dr. Sangbaie Shin of PHI BIOMED Co. has recently developed a smart contact lens-type…
Successful innitial laboratory research results at the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the HZDR. In motor neuron diseases of the nervous system, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commands can no longer be sent to the muscles. This gradually leads to paralysis. Physicist Dr. Thomas Herrmannsdörfer from the German national lab Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and physician Prof. Richard Funk from the TU Dresden formulated the idea to selectively revive the motor neurons using magnetic fields. Initial laboratory research results…
Researchers of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn specifically stimulate the RNA receptor RIG-I SARS-CoV-2 viruses can hide from recognition by the immune system. However, the antiviral immune receptor RIG-I can be stimulated, which improves protection against lethal SARS-CoV-2 infections. Researchers led by Prof. Gunther Hartmann from the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology at the University Hospital Bonn, in cooperation with other members of the cluster of excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn,…
Investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have discovered how a drug for multiple sclerosis interacts with its targets, a finding that may pave the way for better treatments. The study, published Feb. 8 in Nature Communications, details the precise molecular structure of the multiple sclerosis drug siponimod as it interacts with its target, the human S1P receptor 1 (S1P1), and off-target receptors using a cutting-edge electron microscopy technique called cryo-EM. This knowledge could help scientists develop drugs for the disease that are…
NIH study in ground squirrels suggests dual function for mitochondria in photoreceptor cells. Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have discovered that power-producing organelles in the eye’s photoreceptor cells, called mitochondria, function as microlenses that help channel light to these cells’ outer segments where it’s converted into nerve signals. The discovery in ground squirrels provides a more precise picture of the retina’s optical properties and could help detect eye disease earlier. The findings, published today in Science Advances, also…
Infections with several pathogens simultaneously increase the risk of cervical cancer—these results from a study conducted on artificial 3D tissue models at the University of Wuerzburg. Patients who develop cervical cancer are often infected not only with the human papillomavirus (HPV) but also simultaneously with the bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis. The suspicion is, therefore, that the two pathogens work together in a kind of team to “reprogram” the cells they infect in such a way that they degenerate and multiply…
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