Tag: Discovery

A compound in avocados may ultimately offer a route to better leukemia treatment, says a new University of Guelph study. The compound targets an enzyme that scientists have identified for the first time as being critical to cancer cell growth, said Dr. Paul Spagnuolo, Department of Food Science. Published recently in the journal Blood, the

QIMR Berghofer researchers have developed a way of testing whether or not COVID-19 patients’ immune systems are gearing up to fight the virus that causes the deadly disease. They hope the discovery could be used to identify early on which patients’ immune systems are not responding appropriately, and who might therefore be at higher risk

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have made an important discovery that could lead to more effective treatments for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. Their work highlights the significant potential of drugs targeting a specific immune molecule (IL-17) implicated in MS. The scientists, led by

Breakthrough research has revealed a new drug that may prevent the spread of malaria, and also treat people suffering with the deadly parasitic disease. The findings, which were delivered by an international team of scientists led by the University of Glasgow and published today in Science, offer fresh hope in the global fight against malaria.

The human liver is a vital organ involved in multiple functions. Because susceptibility to liver diseases is highly variable among patients, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) have engineered a model liver system that can be personalized for disease modeling and drug discovery. In a study

A unique discovery about the nature of neutrophils—the most numerous white blood cells in the body—may lead to new models for diagnosing and tracking inflammatory diseases such as cancer and osteoarthritis. The “first responders” of the body, neutrophils are a class of leukocyte immune cell in the “innate” immune system, which deals with acute infections.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic virus, with about 80 million chronic infections confirmed worldwide. HCV infection leads to the development of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and in some instances, hepatocellular carcinoma. The recent development of highly potent direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs), targeting viral proteins, facilitates virus elimination in >90 percent of treated individuals. However,

A network of very fine blood vessels that connects bone marrow directly with the blood supply of the periosteum that was previously overlooked has now been discovered by Dr. Anika Grüneboom, a young researcher who is now working at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen. She made this groundbreaking discovery while working on her doctoral thesis at Universität Duisburg-Essen

Results from a research study published in Nature Communications show how the inner ear processes speech, something that has until now been unknown. The authors of the report include researchers from Linköping University, Sweden, and Oregon Health & Science University, United States. A collaboration between researchers in the U.S., Sweden, Denmark, the U.K. and India

A team of eye specialists at The University of Nottingham has made another novel discovery that could help to improve the success of corneal transplants for patients whose sight has been affected by disease. The research, published in the October edition of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, has shed light on a characteristic of a

University of Otago scientists have unravelled the 3-D structure of two proteins, potentially providing answers as to why some people may be at risk of developing specific cancers. In new findings published today in leading journal Nature Communications, the team of researchers led by the Department of Biochemistry’s Dr. Peter Mace, has solved the structure

Macrophages are specialised immune cells that destroy bacteria and other harmful organisms. Scientists at KU Leuven, Belgium, have come to the surprising conclusion that some macrophages in the intestines of mice can survive for quite some time. Most importantly, these long-lived macrophages are vital for the survival of the nerve cells of the gastrointestinal tract.

A potential new target for treatment has been identified in an aggressive form of bladder cancer, Mount Sinai researchers report in a recent study. Bladder cancers are categorized into subtypes based on molecular features. These subtypes are associated with different prognoses and responses to conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. A type of bladder cancer called

Genetically engineered bacteria are showing promise as a new treatment for constipation, researchers at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have discovered in a mouse study. The finding is significant in part because there are few approved constipation remedies on the market. The research is published in Cell Host & Microbe. Because the community

Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a unique process of brain cell death that affects the cells that are most vulnerable in multiple sclerosis (MS). After identifying the process called pyroptosis, or fiery death, the researchers were able to block the enzyme in the brain that is responsible for it, using a drug

Cells have traditionally been categorized into different types, such as T-cells and B-cells, based on observable features. But new research published in Nature Communications shows cells are far more complex. Purdue University researchers created an algorithm called ACTION to group cells based on their primary function and pinpoint the genes responsible for those functions. They

Till knows of what he speaks; it was almost 60 years ago that the renowned University of Saskatchewan graduate, along with a colleague, found something unexpected in research results that simply could not be ignored. Although they did not know it at the time, the two scientists were on the path to discovering stem cells

University of Minnesota researchers in the dentistry school-based Institute for Molecular Virology (IMV) have made a key discovery that could have important implications for developing a strategy to stop the spread of a highly infectious virus currently spreading among remote areas of central Australia. Called human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), infection rates are

A stem cell is one with infinite possibilities. So, for decades, scientists have puzzled over how the cell chooses to keep being a stem cell and continue dividing, or specialize into a specific cell type, like a heart or brain cell. The same type of decision is made by HIV. When the virus infects a

It’s a discovery more than seven years in the making that researchers believe will vastly illuminate our understanding of deadly brain tumors. Gliomas are the most common type of central nervous system cancer but how these tumors develop is not fully understood. Sheri Holmen, PhD a researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and professor of