UTA study could impact treatments for blood, colorectal and non-small cell lung cancers. A multi-institutional study co-authored by University of Texas at Arlington scientists uncovered a mechanism by which cancer cells prevent the immune system from activating and attacking the cancerous invaders. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports, sheds light on why immunotherapy treatments don’t work for all people or all diseases. For example, certain types of cancers—including colon, pancreatic, prostate and brain cancers—have stubbornly resisted immunotherapy. And…

Research team identifies “protective switches” in the protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Over 700 million people were infected and almost seven million died, making SARS-CoV-2 the most devastating pandemic of the 21st century. Vaccines and medication against Covid-19 have been able to mitigate the course of the disease in many people and contain the pandemic. However, the danger of further outbreaks has not been averted. The virus is constantly mutating, which enables it to infect human cells and multiply more…

In nature, most bacteria live on the bare minimum. If they experience nutrient deficiency or stress, they shut down their metabolism in a controlled manner and go into a resting state. In this stand-​by mode, certain metabolic processes still take place that enable the microbes to perceive their environment and react to stimuli, but growth and division are suspended. This also protects bacteria from, say, antibiotics or from viruses that prey exclusively on bacteria. Such bacteria-​infecting viruses, known as phages,…

Cold, flu and COVID-19 season brings that now-familiar ritual: swab, wait, look at the result. But what if, instead of taking 15 minutes or more, a test could quickly determine whether you have COVID-19 with a glowing chemical? Now, in ACS Central Science, researchers describe a potential COVID-19 test inspired by bioluminescence. Using a molecule found in crustaceans, they have developed a rapid approach that detects SARS-CoV-2 protein comparably to one used in vaccine research. From fireflies to lantern fish,…

A research group led by Prof. WANG Hui and Prof. ZHANG Xin from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced a new strategy to prepare ultrahigh density copper single atom enzymes for tumor self-cascade catalytic therapy. “The powerful enzymes can help to fight tumors,” said Dr. LIU Hongji, member of the research team. The study was published in Chemical Engineering Journal. The low-valence Cu single atom enzymes (CuⅠ SAEs) contribute to alleviate inefficient generation of ·OH…

MHH researcher is involved in two EU gene therapy projects and is developing new viral vectors for the safe and efficient transfer of curative genes. Gene therapies are aimed at curing severe, barely treatable monogenetic diseases, i.e. those caused by a defect in a single gene. Hopes are correspondingly high. Some gene therapies have already been approved in Europe – for example for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a congenital disease of the motor neurones that leads to severe muscle weakness…

By tightly regulating nitrogen uptake, microorganisms avoid overeating nitrogen and thus wasting energy. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology now reveal how some methanogenic archaea manage to do so. Life is not possible without nitrogen. There are many ways for organisms to acquire nitrogen. For example, humans eat proteins for their high nitrogen content. Most microorganisms take up nitrogen from their environment in the form of ammonia (NH3). As this process consumes cellular energy – which is…

When people develop myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS), the healthy maturation of blood cells is impaired. Severe forms, known as higher-risk MDS, are characterised by rapid progression, severe symptoms and often a transition to acute leukaemia. Patients for whom potentially curative or intensive treatments, such as stem cell transplantation or high-dose chemotherapy, are not suitable, have very few alternative treatment options. An international clinical trial led by Professor Uwe Platzbecker from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, in collaboration with a large…

Research suggests that a wearable patch featuring electrically triggered microneedles for on-demand drug delivery could be the next frontier in treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and neurological injuries. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists created a new drug delivery system, called the Spatiotemporal On-Demand Patch (SOP), which can receive commands wirelessly from a smartphone or computer to schedule and trigger the release of drugs from individual microneedles. The patch’s thin, soft platform resembles a Band-Aid and was designed to…

A research group led by Prof. WANG Hui from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has introduced a metal-free nanozyme based on graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for highly efficient tumor chemodynamic therapy (CDT). The study was published in Matter. GQDs represent a promising and cost-effective means of addressing the toxicity concerns associated with metal-based nanozymes in tumor CDT. However, the limited catalytic activity of GQDs has posed significant challenges for their clinical application, particularly under…

A simple blood test could perform better than a complex test thanks to mathematical modeling. Diabetes often remains undetected until it has already damaged organs or nerves. This is partly due to the fact that diagnosis at an early stage is time-consuming and difficult. An international team of researchers headed by Associate Professor Dr. Johannes Dietrich from the Department of Medicine I of Ruhr University Bochum at St. Josef Hospital in Bochum, Germany, has shown that a mathematical calculation based…

Molecular defense system protects bacteria from viruses and at the same time makes them susceptible to antibiotics. Bacteria have an immune system that protects them against viruses known as bacteriophages. A research team from the Universities of Tübingen and Würzburg has now shown how this immune system enhances the effect of specific antibiotics against the cholera pathogen Vibrio cholerae. The immune system is the reason why this bacterium is particularly sensitive to one of the oldest known classes of antibiotics…

Kenshu Shimada at DePaul University co-authors research with 26 shark experts. A new scientific study shows that the prehistoric gigantic shark, Megalodon or megatooth shark, which lived roughly 15-3.6 million years ago nearly worldwide, was a more slender shark than previous studies have suggested. Formally called Otodus megalodon, it is typically portrayed as a super-sized, monstrous shark in novels and sci-fi films, including “The Meg.” Previous studies suggest the shark likely reached lengths of at least 50 to 65 feet…

How a few soldier cells confer virulence to an entire bacterial population by sacrificing themselves. You suddenly feel sick – pathogenic bacteria have managed to colonize and spread in your body! The weapons they use for their invasion are harmful toxins that target the host’s defense mechanisms and vital cell functions. Before these deadly toxins can attack host cells, bacteria must first export them from their production site – the cytoplasm – using dedicated secretion systems. The group of Stefan…

Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) have discovered a new quality control mechanism that regulates the energy production in human cells. This process takes place in mitochondria, the power plants of the cell. Malfunctions of mitochondria lead to serious diseases of the nerves, the muscles and the heart. The findings could contribute to the development of new therapies for affected patients. The results have been published in the renowned Molecular Cell journal. (umg) Mitochondria are the power plants…

Adaptive form of deep brain stimulation with twice the number of electrodes improved the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in six patients. A team of physicians, neuroscientists and engineers at Duke University has demonstrated two new strategies that use deep brain stimulation to improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. By simultaneously targeting two key brain structures and using a novel self-adjusting device, the team showed that they can efficiently target and improve disruptive symptoms caused by the movement disorder. The research…