Scientists uncover an enzyme that boosts cancer cell metabolism to fuel growth  At a glance: Lung cancer is a particularly challenging form of cancer. It often strikes unexpectedly and aggressively with little warning, and it can shapeshift in unpredictable ways to evade treatment. While researchers have gleaned important insights into the basic biology of lung cancer, some of the disease’s molecular maneuvers have remained elusive. Now, a team led by scientists at Harvard Medical School has made strides in understanding…

Synthetic biologists from Yale were able to re-write the genetic code of an organism — a novel genomically recoded organism (GRO) with one stop codon — using a cellular platform that they developed enabling the production of new classes of synthetic proteins. These synthetic proteins, researchers say, offer the promise of innumerable medical and industrial applications that can benefit society and human health. The creation of the landmark GRO, known as “Ochre” — which fully compresses redundant, or “degenerate” codons,…

Years before tau tangles show up in brain scans of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, a biomarker test developed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine can detect small amounts of the clumping-prone tau protein and its misfolded pathological forms that litter the brain, cerebrospinal fluid and potentially blood, new research published today in Nature Medicine suggests. The cerebrospinal fluid biomarker test correlates with the severity of cognitive decline, independent of other factors, including brain amyloid deposition, thereby opening doors…

U.S. data indicate that pain is linked with a greater likelihood of tobacco and cannabis use among cancer survivors. Experiencing pain may increase the odds that cancer survivors will use cigarettes and cannabis, according to a recent study published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study also found that cigarette smoking and pain are linked to more treatment-related side effects and worse health among cancer survivors. Pain and use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes,…

Understanding gas diffusion in nanoscale voids key to new gas technologies  Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have elucidated how hydrogen and carbon monoxide is adsorbed into solids containing a crown-motif structure of platinum and gold. Using quick-scan X-ray absorption measurements and theoretical calculations, they studied a solid of [PtAu8(PPh3)8]-H[PMo12O40] called PtAu8-PMo12 and found that gas adsorption is affected strongly by the dimension of nanoscale voids in the structure. This highlights the importance of engineering voids in materials…

Researchers work towards an inexpensive and portable solution for treating aphasia  Electroencephalography (EEG) may offer a more accessible alternative to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for guiding transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) when treating aphasia. Researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo found an 80% agreement between EEG and fMRI in identifying brain regions activated during language tasks. Furthermore, EEG-guided tDCS improved picture-naming speed in participants, indicating its potential for innovative therapies in language disorders. Many neurological disorders are directly linked…

Calgary’s Stroke Program advancing science to improve care, treatment and outcomes for patients  University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute researchers with the Calgary Stroke Program at Foothills Medical Centre revolutionized treatment for stroke with the ESCAPE Trial, proving that a clot retrieval procedure known as endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) can dramatically improve patient outcomes after an acute ischemic stroke caused by a blockage in a large-sized blood vessel. Building on that knowledge, the team launched the ESCAPE-MeVO clinical trial to assess…

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute cancer researchers examine how modifying the physical properties of biomaterials can improve immunotherapy for cancer treatment  Modifying the physical characteristics of microscopic biomaterials to interact seamlessly with the body’s tissues could unlock safer and more effective cancer treatments, according to Virginia Tech researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. In an online review slated for the Feb. 10 issue of the Journal of Controlled Release, a research team led by DaeYong Lee, an assistant professor with…

Discovery creates opportunities to study therapeutic properties of ibogaine and related compounds  Ibogaine — a psychoactive plant derivative — has attracted attention for its anti-addictive and anti-depressant properties. But ibogaine is a finite resource, extracted from plants native to Africa like the iboga shrub (Tabernanthe iboga) and the small-fruited voacanga tree (Voacanga africana). Further, its use can lead to irregular heartbeats, introducing safety risks and an overall need to better understand how its molecular structure leads to its biological effects….

PORTLAND, Ore. – A new drug delivery system shows promise for treating a rare, aggressive form of cancer affecting pregnant women and new mothers, and it has potential with other cancers as well. Scientists led by Olena Taratula, a nanomedicine researcher at Oregon State University, have found a way to better ensure the drug used to combat the disease reaches tumor cells without damaging healthy tissue. Findings of the study into choriocarcinoma, which occurs in the United States at a rate…

Warning signs at dispensaries about the potential health effects of cannabis use in pregnancy may not be effective, according to a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, based at Rutgers University. In fact, those who are pregnant and using cannabis may actually distrust the content of warning signs altogether. “Mandatory warning signs aren’t working,” says lead researcher Sarah C. M. Roberts, DrPH, of the University of California, San Francisco. In fact, some of the respondents…

With bloated bellies and hairy legs, female flies try to look bigger to get food from courting mates. But male flies, in turn, have sharpened their eyesight to call their bluff. A new study by researchers from the Universities of Gothenburg and Stockholm suggests that this is an ongoing evolution where both sexes try to outsmart each other. For the first time, researchers have been able to show that also males can develop traits that help them pass on their…

Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), at Osaka University develop a versatile electrically controlled nanogate that can be tailored for specific molecules  A gate that can be open or shut to allow or block the passing of species on one or both sides applies not only on the macroscale, for example a farm gate used to control stock movement, but also at the nanoscale, where a gate can control the translocation of single molecules. A collaboration…

A 3D model accurately mimicking the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) in a laboratory environment has been successfully developed by research teams led by Professor Jinah Jang from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Life Sciences, IT Convergence Engineering, and the Graduate School of Convergence at POSTECH, and Professor Sun Ha Paek from the Department of Neurosurgery at Seoul National University Hospital.  This study was recently published in Biomaterials Research, an international academic journal on materials science. Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease,…

Potential new therapy for childhood brain cancer is effective in infiltrating, killing tumor cells in preclinical models in mice  Brain cancer is the second-leading cause of death in children in the developed world. For the children who survive, standard treatments have long-term impacts on their development and quality of life, particularly in small children and infants. Research out of Emory University and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland, Australia, has shown that a potential new targeted therapy for childhood brain cancer is…

New research from Boston University School of Public Health and the University of Minnesota shows that death rates for early adults, or adults aged 25-44, rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain higher than expected post-pandemic.  New research from the University of Minnesota and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) shows that death rates for early adults, or adults aged 25-44, rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain higher than expected post-pandemic. Heightened death rates during the…