New study explains development of the mammalian superior colliculus. The superior colliculus in the mammalian brain takes on many important tasks by making sense of our environment. Any mistakes during the development of this brain region can lead to severe neurological disorders. ISTA scientist Giselle Cheung and colleagues have now, for the first time, delineated the pedigree and origin of nerve cells that make up the superior colliculus. Their findings have been published in the journal Neuron. Cells in the…
Sensory cells and neurons in the ear communicate by secreting neurotransmitter in response to sound stimuli. Scientists of the University Medical Center Göttingen, the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, and the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences describe new details of this process that regulates the release of neurotransmitters and thus control the transmission of sound stimuli. The results of this work were published in the renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Our nervous system contains…
UC San Diego researchers are exploring how to add letters to the genetic alphabet to make never-before-seen proteins. The genetic alphabet contains just four letters, referring to the four nucleotides, the biochemical building blocks that comprise all DNA. Scientists have long wondered whether it’s possible to add more letters to this alphabet by creating brand-new nucleotides in the lab, but the utility of this innovation depends on whether or not cells can actually recognize and use artificial nucleotides to make…
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology unravel the biosynthetic pathway of paclitaxel in Yew plants, a most successfully used chemotherapeutic for cancer treatment. This discovery might facilitate the production of this very complex molecule which is currently produced with great efforts and high costs. Paclitaxel helps fight cancer and is made from yew Cancer in all its forms is still one of the most common diseases and very hard to treat. Part of modern cancer therapy…
Scientists from Bayreuth have developed a new method for studying liquid and soft matter using artificial intelligence. In a study now published in the renowned journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America” (PNAS), they open up a new chapter in density functional theory with their “neural functional theory”. We live in a highly technologised world where basic research is the engine of innovation, in a dense and complex web of interrelationships and interdependencies….
Catfish Attach Differently Than Expected. Some may know suckermouth armoured catfish as “window cleaners” from aquariums because they possess a suckermouth, which allows them to attach to various surfaces. The attachment is not only enabled by a vacuum created by the fish but also by specific structures of their mouths, which enable an interlocking and adhering to surfaces. A team of researchers closely examined these unique suckermouths and summarized their findings in a recent publication. The team studied a total…
Study indicates that these animals, like birds, are sensitive to the angle of magnetic inclination. The soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) weighs only a few grams, but it is estimated that members of this small bat species cover thousands of kilometres every year on their nocturnal migrations from north-eastern to south-western Europe. Precisely how they find their way across such long distances in the dark remains unclear. However, an international team led by biologist Dr Oliver Lindecke from the University of…
The Leibniz Collaborative Excellence Program awards a one million Euro grant to the PRIMADIS project. The PRIMADIS project embarks on a pioneering journey into the depths of the primate brain, thanks to a funding by the Leibniz Collaborative Excellence Program of one million Euro for a period of three years. The initiative is led by a consortium of scientists from the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ) and the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) in Magdeburg….
Discovery could pave the way toward better treatment for stroke and other brain injuries. A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus provides a better understanding of how the brain responds to injuries. Researchers at the George Washington University discovered that a protein called Snail plays a key role in coordinating the response of brain cells after an injury. The study shows that after an injury to the central nervous system (CNS) a group of…
…to replace synthetic plastic films. Materials with enhanced structure derived from crustaceans and seaweed could be part of a next-generation answer to the challenge of replacing petroleum-based plastic films, according to new research from North Carolina State University. Combining chitosan, a biopolymer that makes crab shells hard, with agarose, a biopolymer extracted from seaweed that is used to make gels, creates unique biopolymer composite films with enhanced strength. The films are also biodegradable, have antibacterial properties, repel water and are…
– and how to cure it. Research demonstrates how the genetic defect causing this rare, congenital disease could be repaired through CRISPR. University at Buffalo research has identified how a misstep in the genesis of a key component of the kidney causes infantile cystinosis, a rare disease that significantly shortens the lifespan of patients. Published Nov. 30 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the work reveals that the mechanisms that cause the disease could be addressed and potentially cured through…
…demonstrate efficacy without neurotoxicity in B-cell lymphoma phase 1 clinical trial. The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in collaboration with Wellington Zhaotai Therapies Limited today announced results of its phase 1 dose escalation trial of a new third generation anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to be presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in San Diego on 11 December, 3pm. Anti-CD19 CAR T-cells with a CD28 co-stimulatory domain, such as axicabtagene ciloleucel and brexucabtagene autoleucel,…
Researchers develop novel cancer protein killer and discover a new ligase for PROTACs. Most diseases are caused by proteins that have spun out of control. Unfortunately, so far, conventional drugs have been able to stop only a fraction of these troublemakers. A new class of drugs known as PROTACs holds great promise in pharmaceutical research. They mark proteins for targeted degradation by the cell’s own protein disposal system. The research groups led by Herbert Waldmann from the Max Planck Institute…
Researchers from Helmholtz Munich and the LMU have discovered that, in the case of brain injuries, specific cells in the brain become active in disease situations, exhibiting properties of neural stem cells. The authors further discovered that a specific protein regulates these cells and hence could function as a target for therapy and thereby contribute to better treatments for brain injuries in the future. The new findings shed light on the specificity of astrocyte reaction in different injury conditions and…
Janelia researchers unveil comprehensive collection of rhodamine-based fluorescent dyes. When Senior Scientist Jonathan Grimm came to Janelia 13 years ago, he didn’t know much about fluorescence or fluorescent dyes. But as an organic chemist who had been working in drug discovery at Merck, he certainly knew a thing or two about medicinal chemistry. On a whim, Grimm and Janelia Senior Group Leader Luke Lavis decided to try using a mainstay medicinal chemistry reaction Grimm had picked up in the pharmaceutical industry…
The findings may offer insight into disease growth and the mechanics of antibiotic resistance. Dental plaque, gut bacteria and the slippery sheen on river rocks are all examples of biofilms, organized communities of microorganisms that colonize our bodies and the world around us. A new study led by Penn State researchers reveals exactly how growing biofilms shape their environments and fine-tune their internal architecture to fit their surroundings. The findings may have implications for a wide variety of applications, from…
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