The brain presents different states depending on the communication between billions of neurons, and this network is the basis of all our perceptions, memories, and behaviours. It is often considered a “black box”, with difficult access for clinicians and researchers, as few limited tools are available to perform accurate and spaciotemporal studies on brain neuronal behaviour. Now, researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in collaboration with August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) and have added…
NIH study breaks down pigment epithelium-derived factor to understand how it protects and stimulates retinal neurons. Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have determined how certain short protein fragments, called peptides, can protect neuronal cells found in the light-sensing retina layer at the back of the eye. The peptides might someday be used to treat degenerative retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study published today in the Journal of Neurochemistry. NEI is part of the National…
University Hospital Tübingen cooperates with ImaginAb and is Europe’s first center for the production of radiolabeled CD8 minibodies. The Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy Department of the University Hospital Tübingen and ImaginAb, a global market leading biotech company, are cooperating in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Under the terms of the collaboration, ImaginAb will provide Tübingen University Hospital with its CD8 ImmunoPET agent who will radioactively label these so-called CD8 minibodies for non-invasive imaging of a specific group of immune cells…
Variants of viruses, such as that causing COVID-19, can now be quickly studied in the laboratory, even before they emerge in nature and become a major public health challenge. The University of Queensland, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Monash University, and Queensland Health have developed a technology to manipulate viruses synthetically allowing rapid analysis and mapping of new potential virus variants. UQ’s lead researcher Professor Alexander Khromykh said the technology was ideal for…
Research team investigates role of connective tissue cells in tumour environment. Every year, more than 220,000 people die of cancer in Germany – and the number is rising. About 90 percent of these deaths are caused by metastases. These are metastases that have formed from cells of the original tumour (primary tumour). A particularly large number of metastases develop and grow in the liver. As the central organ of metabolism, it provides fertile ground for secondary tumours with an abundance…
Nano-sized particles have been engineered in a new way to improve detection of tumors within the body and in biopsy tissue, a research team in Sweden reports. The advance could enable identifying early stage tumors with lower doses of radiation. In order to enhance visual contrast of living tissues, state-of-the-art imaging relies on agents such as fluorescent dyes and biomolecules. Advances in nanoparticle research have expanded the array of promising contrast agents for more targeted diagnostics, and now a research…
Texas A&M associate professor Akhilesh Gaharwar and graduate student Patrick Lee are developing a new class of hydrogels that can leverage light for drug delivery and regenerative medicine treatments. Hydrogels are commonly used inside the body to help in tissue regeneration and drug delivery. However, once inside, they can be challenging to control for optimal use. A team of researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University is developing a new way to manipulate the gel —…
Paper in Nature Genetics: Genome-wide meta-analysis shows that research into different ancestries leads to better results and better care. Today The Lundquist Institute announced that its investigators contributed data from several studies, including data on Hispanics, African-Americans and East Asians, to the international MAGIC collaboration, composed of more than 400 global academics, who conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis led by the University of Exeter. Now published in Nature Genetics, their findings demonstrate that expanding research into different ancestries yields more…
Research team investigates molecular mechanisms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease. Motor nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain stem, which are connected to the muscles and control their movements, gradually die. The result is massive muscle atrophy, which in severe cases can lead to death in infancy if left untreated. Although the gene responsible for SMA is known, it is still unclear how exactly the loss of motor neurones occurs….
The immune system’s attempt to eliminate Salmonella bacteria from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract instead facilitates colonization of the intestinal tract and fecal shedding, according to National Institutes of Health scientists. The study, published in Cell Host & Microbe, was conducted by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) scientists at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana. Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria (hereafter Salmonella) live in the gut and often cause gastroenteritis in people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates…
A new rapid coronavirus test developed by KAUST scientists can deliver highly accurate results in less than 15 minutes. The diagnostic, which brings together electrochemical biosensors with engineered protein constructs, allows clinicians to quickly detect bits of the virus with a precision previously only possible with slower genetic techniques. The entire set-up can work at the point of patient care on unprocessed blood or saliva samples; no laborious sample preparation or centralized diagnostic laboratory is required. “The combination of state-of-the-art…
Advanced microscope technology and cutting-edge geological science are giving new perspectives to an old medical mystery: How do kidney stones form, why are some people more susceptible to them and can they be prevented? In a new paper published in the journal Nature Reviews Urology, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Mayo Clinic and other collaborators described the geological nature of kidney stones, outlined the arc of their formation, established a new classification scheme and suggested possible clinical interventions….
Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia and is characterised by the build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain. Microglia, the immune sentinels of the brain, are not only responsible for eliminating foreign invaders, but also maintaining brain homeostasis by clearing toxic waste such as the amyloid plaques. However, the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s Disease and its relationship to amyloid plaque accumulation remain unclear. Now, a team of scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and Monash University have…
For the first time in Europe: Cardiologists use “SuperSaturated Oxygen” procedure to reduce heart muscle damage. In Germany, more than 200,000 people suffer a heart attack every year. Despite good medical care, many are left with reduced cardiac output. This is particularly true for patients with severe heart attacks: more than 30 percent of those affected develop heart failure, and almost half of them die within the next five years. Experts at the Department of Cardiology and Angiology at Hannover…
Rice University bioengineers adapt extracellular matrix for electrospinning. Rice University bioengineers are fabricating and testing tunable electrospun scaffolds completely derived from decellularized skeletal muscle to promote the regeneration of injured skeletal muscle. Their paper in Science Advances shows how natural extracellular matrix can be made to mimic native skeletal muscle and direct the alignment, growth and differentiation of myotubes, one of the building blocks of skeletal muscle. The bioactive scaffolds are made in the lab via electrospinning, a high-throughput process…
UNSW medical researchers have found a way to starve pancreatic cancer cells and ‘disable’ the cells that block treatment from working effectively. Their findings in mice and human lab models – which have been 10 years in the making and are about to be put to the test in a human clinical trial – are published today in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. “Pancreatic cancer has seen minimal improvement in survival for the last…
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