One of the challenges of fighting pancreatic cancer is finding ways to penetrate the organ’s dense tissue to define the margins between malignant and normal tissue. A new study uses DNA origami structures to selectively deliver fluorescent imaging agents to pancreatic cancer cells without affecting normal cells. The study, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign mechanical science and engineering professor Bumsoo Han and professor Jong Hyun Choi at Purdue University, found that specially engineered DNA origami structures carrying imaging dye…
Researchers from The University of Osaka discover that specific white blood cells and the amount of an inflammation protein in the blood can predict relapse of an autoimmune blood vessel disease Neutrophils, one of the immune system warriors that were thought to be all the same, turn out to be diverse. Unfortunately, these cells are also active in autoimmune diseases. New research from Japan has found that a certain subpopulation of these white blood cells can predict disease relapse at…
Multicenter study suggests stroke prevention guidelines may underestimate risk in patients with symptomatic mild carotid stenosis Ischemic stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide, with narrowing of the carotid artery due to atherosclerosis contributing to up to 30% of all cases. For decades, medical practitioners have primarily relied on the degree of carotid narrowing (stenosis) to assess the risk of stroke and determine the best treatment options. However, mounting evidence suggests that this approach…
Amsterdam UMC-developed algorithm, based on the data of more than half a million patients, may soon offer GPs the chance to accelerate a diagnosis GPs may soon be able to identify patients with an increased risk of lung cancer up to 4 months earlier than is currently the case. The GP should be able to simply identify patients during a consultation with an algorithm created by researchers at Amsterdam UMC based on the data of more than half a million…
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and collaborating institutions reveal in Nature Cell Biology a strategy that helps medulloblastoma, the most prevalent malignant brain tumor in children, spread and grow on the leptomeninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. They discovered a novel line of communication between metastatic medulloblastoma and leptomeningeal fibroblasts that mediates recruitment and reprogramming of the latter to support tumor growth. The findings suggest that…
Researchers at Tulane University have identified a potential new way to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a deadly and currently incurable lung disease that affects more than 3 million people worldwide. IPF is rapidly progressive and causes scarring in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Approximately 50% of patients die within three years of diagnosis, and current treatments can only slow the disease — not stop or reverse it. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Tulane scientists…
Data could inform federal, state and private employer policies regarding GLP-1 drugs and others A large majority of older Americans feel that health insurance – including Medicare – should cover anti-obesity medications, according to a new University of Michigan study. And more than half of older adults who meet criteria for obesity say they’re interested in trying one of these drugs to manage their weight. Current law prevents Medicare from covering medications to treat obesity, and most private plans don’t…
The human brain can learn through experience to filter out disturbing and distracting stimuli – such as a glaring roadside billboard or a flashing banner on the internet. Scientists at Leipzig University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have used electroencephalography (EEG) to show that early visual processing in humans changes with repeated exposure. Their joint study has just been published in The Journal of Neuroscience. Distractions are often easier to ignore after we have encountered them multiple times. This learned suppression…
Researchers at the HIPS decipher novel mode of action of natural product antibiotic The development and spread of antibiotic resistance represents one of the greatest threats to global health. To overcome these resistances, drugs with novel mode of action are urgently needed. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now uncovered the mode of action of a promising class of natural products – the chlorotonils. These molecules simultaneously target the bacterial cell membrane and the bacteria’s…
Psychology: Publication in PNASAre there areas of the brain, which regulate prosocial, altruistic behaviour? Together with colleagues from the universities in Lausanne, Utrecht and Cape Town, researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have studied a very special group of patients and established that the “basolateral amygdala” (part of the limbic system) plays an important role in this. In the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they describe that this region calibrates social behaviour. Prosocial behaviour,…
A new study by neuroscientists at the German Primate Center (DPZ) – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen shows that our brain deals with different forms of visual uncertainty during movements in distinct ways. Depending on the type of uncertainty, planning and execution of movements in the brain are affected differently. These findings could help to optimize brain-computer interfaces that, for example, help people with paralysis to control prostheses or computers with their thoughts alone (Nature Communications). Imagine waking…
Team from the University of Tübingen and the German Center for Infection Research discovers a substance that inhibits signaling pathways of pathogens as they invade a cell Pathogenic Salmonella injects effector proteins into the cells of the gastrointestinal tract to penetrate and multiply within them. The bacteria are usually ingested with contaminated food. They can cause serious gastrointestinal inflammation and even systemic infections. Now, an international research team led by Professor Samuel Wagner of the University of Tübingen Cluster of…
Light conditions in the morning before waking up affect restfulness Sleep is a necessary part of people’s daily routine, but modern lifestyles and technology have ushered in an era of decreased rest time and subsequent fatigue. Further, the bedroom environment, such as light, sound, and temperature, is important for a good night’s sleep, though this is often neglected in residential architecture. In search of a conclusive remedy, common sleep studies use artificial light that is easy to control. Osaka Metropolitan…
Cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins are responsible for breaking down more than 80% of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs, reducing their effectiveness. However, how to prevent CYPs from doing this without off-target effects has puzzled researchers until now. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have designed new drug frameworks that selectively target CYP3A4, one of the most critical CYP proteins. Structural insights from this work offer a roadmap for future drug developers to better evaluate drug interactions and selectively…
The research groups led by Wolfgang Kastenmüller and Georg Gasteiger employed innovative microscopy techniques to observe how specific immune cells, known as T-cells, are activated and proliferate during a viral infection. Their findings revealed novel mechanisms: the immune system amplifies its defense cells in a far more targeted way than previously believed. T-Cells Proliferate and Specialize During the Immune Response T-cells are crucial defense cells in the immune system. To effectively find and destroy infected cells in the body, rare…
A research team from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich has developed an advanced delivery system that transports gene-editing tools based on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system into living cells with significantly greater efficiency than before. Their technology, ENVLPE, uses engineered non-infectious virus-like particles to precisely correct defective genes – demonstrated successfully in living mouse models that are blind due to a mutation. This system also holds promise for advancing cancer therapy by enabling precise genetic manipulation of engineered…
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