Diagnostics News and Research

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“Hidden genetic defects” can cause a variety of illnesses in children

For the first time, scientists have gained a better understanding of the “hidden genetic defects” of the general population in Europe.

22 Mar 2021

New highly sensitive RNA detection method advances in situ transcriptomics

Human cells typically transcribe half of their roughly 20,000 genes into RNA molecules at any given time. Just like with proteins, the function of those RNA species not only relies on their abundance but also their precise localization within the 3D space of each cell.

18 Mar 2021

Study identifies how CTLA-4 blockade can disable suppressive immune cells to aid tumor destruction

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a novel mechanism by which a type of cancer immunotherapy known as CTLA-4 blockade can disable suppressive immune cells to aid the destruction of certain tumors.

18 Feb 2021

Electrochemical sensor for rapid detection of multiple sepsis biomarkers in whole blood

Many life-threatening medical conditions, such as sepsis, which is triggered by blood-borne pathogens, cannot be detected accurately and quickly enough to initiate the right course of treatment.

15 Feb 2021

AI analyzes tissue scans to identify cancer patients at risk of hyperprogressive disease

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University, using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze simple tissue scans, say they have discovered biomarkers that could tell doctors which lung cancer patients might actually get worse from immunotherapy.

5 Feb 2021

Study shows strong link between genetic changes and cerebral palsy

Scientists have identified a strong connection between genetic modifications known to cause cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

3 Feb 2021

New protocol identifies mismatch repair deficiency

Researchers have developed a new integrated genetic/epigenetic DNA-sequencing protocol known as MultiMMR that can identify the presence and cause of mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency in a single test from a small sample of DNA in the colon, endometrial, and other cancers.

22 Jan 2021

Immunity of COVID-19 patients may rely on antibodies from previous coronavirus infections

The results of a study led by Northern Arizona University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggest the immune systems of people infected with COVID-19 may rely on antibodies created during infections from earlier coronaviruses to help fight the disease.

22 Jan 2021

COVID-19 virus triggers antibody response from prior coronavirus infections

According to the results of a study, the immune systems of COVID-19 patients may depend on antibodies that were produced during infections from previous coronaviruses to help combat the disease.

20 Jan 2021

Augmented response of immune system explains COVID-19 severity in patients with hypertension

COVID-19 patients who also suffer from high blood pressure are more likely to fall severely ill with the disease, which also leaves them at greater risk of death.

12 Jan 2021

Novel treatments could cut the death rate from dengue, Zika, West Nile viruses

A new study led by researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) could help identify new therapies to reduce the global death rate caused by Zika, West Nile, and dengue viruses.

8 Jan 2021

Bacteriophage can play important role in microbial control

Crop plants and animals can be infected by bacterial pathogens that reduce yield, cause food wastage, and carry human pathogens that spread disease on consumption.

5 Jan 2021

Researchers develop a diagnostic tool for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Infrared analyses of neuronal proteins provide information on molecular changes in patients with ALS. This helps to verify their diagnosis.

10 Dec 2020

Study shows human-specific connection between advanced cancers and a gene

Humans are more prone to develop carcinomas compared with our closest evolutionary cousins, the great apes. These cancers begin in the epithelial cells of the skin or the tissue that covers the surface of internal organs and glands, and they include prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal cancers.

10 Dec 2020

Researchers identify key molecular processes used by coronaviruses to survive

When a coronavirus--including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19--infects someone, it hijacks the person's cells, co-opting their molecular machinery for its own survival and spread.

9 Dec 2020

Researchers demonstrate strategy to control chemical reactions using antibodies

Antibodies are remarkable biomarkers: they are the cues that provide us with indications about many diseases and how our immune system counter them. Now a group of scientists from the University of Rome, Tor Vergata (Italy) has found a way to repurpose them so that they can trigger a specific chemical reaction.

8 Dec 2020

CRISPR-based test for COVID-19 provides quick, accurate results

Imagine swabbing your nostrils, putting the swab in a device, and getting a read-out on your phone in 15 to 30 minutes that tells you if you are infected with the COVID-19 virus.

7 Dec 2020

MMR vaccine may be protective against COVID-19, study shows

The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine has been theorized to provide protection against COVID-19. In a new study published in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers provide further proof of this by showing that mumps IgG titers, or levels of IgG antibody, are inversely correlated with severity in recovered COVID-19 patients previously vaccinated with the MMR II vaccine produced by Merck. MMR II contains the Edmonston strain of measles, the Jeryl Lynn (B-level) strain of mumps, and the Wistar RA 27/3 strain of rubella.

23 Nov 2020

Researchers prepare biocompatible protocells to pump up blood vessels

An international team comprising researchers from the University of Bristol, and Hunan and Central South Universities in China, have prepared biocompatible protocells.

23 Nov 2020

Tau protein in Alzheimer's disease looks different at every dementia stage

Research into Alzheimer's disease has long focused on understanding the role of two key proteins, beta amyloid and the tau protein. Found in tangles in patients' brain tissue, a pathological form of the tau protein contributes to propagating the disease in the brain.

19 Nov 2020