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Mouse models help understand the functioning of muscles

The quest to detect all kinds of proteins that constitute the sarcomere, the fundamental contractile unit of muscle cells, led to a surprising revelation.

22 Jun 2020

Fantastic Muscle Proteins And Where To Find Them

Researchers at MDC developed a mouse model that enables them to look inside a working muscle and identify the proteins that allow the sarcomere to contract.

22 Jun 2020

Study shows how viruses steal genetic signals from hosts to expand their own genomes

Scientists have demonstrated that a large class of viruses, such as the influenza viruses, expand their genomes by stealing genetic signals from their hosts.

19 Jun 2020

Researchers sequence the genome of medicinal leeches

The results of new research published this week in Scientific Reports reveal insights that may have profound effects on the use of medicinal leeches in hospital-based medicine.

18 Jun 2020

New system of gene editing allows for targeted, super-fast DNA repair

In a series of experiments using human cancer cell lines, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully used light as a trigger to make precise cuts in genomic material rapidly, using a molecular scalpel known as CRISPR, and observe how specialized cell proteins repair the exact spot where the gene was cut.

18 Jun 2020

Researchers identify antibody cocktail with potential to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine evaluated several human antibodies to determine the most potent combination to be mixed in a cocktail and used as a promising anti-viral therapy against the virus that causes COVID-19.

17 Jun 2020

Loss of lipid-regulating protein drives prostate cancer metastasis

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers from the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences identified a lipid-regulating protein that conveys what the researchers describe as "superpowers" onto prostate cancer cells, causing them to aggressively spread.

17 Jun 2020

Fish Oil May Help With Depression

A study shows that patient-derived adult stem cells can be used to model major depressive disorder and test how a patient may respond to medication.

17 Jun 2020

New mechanism shows promise for treating certain congenital disorders

Scientists have discovered a major mechanism in the inactivation of X chromosomes, an event that may hold clues to develop treatments for congenital disorders.

16 Jun 2020

Combination drugs for COVID-19 show promise in laboratory tests

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 7.4 million people have been infected, and more than 410 000 have died. As yet, there is no treatment or vaccine for the disease.

16 Jun 2020

Skeletal muscles help to keep the immune system functional in chronic diseases

In the fight against cancer or chronic infections, the immune system must be active over long periods of time.

16 Jun 2020

Potent human antibodies protect against SARS-CoV-2 in animal tests

A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

16 Jun 2020

Activating specific neurons can trigger hibernation-like state in mice

In Sci-Fi movies, astronauts often enter an inactive state in "hibernation chambers" to cross the vastness of space.

15 Jun 2020

Inhibitory interneurons excite the developing brain, study finds

Brain function depends on inhibitory cells that balance or 'brake' excitation. These neurons allow the brain to process information and also prevent runaway seizures.

15 Jun 2020

Parasite infection associated with the overall composition of gastrointestinal microbiome

Parasite infections are a constant presence for many people who live in tropical regions, particularly in less industrialized areas.

15 Jun 2020

Cardiac organoids that closely mimic physiological conditions during a heart attack

In the U.S., someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds, and yet researchers have not had a model that fully mimics what occurs in the human heart after a heart attack.

12 Jun 2020

Human stem cell models reveal neurodegeneration in glaucoma

Glaucoma, a serious eye condition responsible for causing vision loss, affects over three million Americans.

12 Jun 2020

Excessive degradation of mitochondria causes severe disease in children

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that excessive degradation of the power plants of our cells plays an important role in the onset of mitochondrial disease in children.

12 Jun 2020

Deleting a key gene to create an immune cell with stronger anti-tumor activity

Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and deleting a key gene, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have created natural killer cells -- a type of immune cell -- with measurably stronger activity against a form of leukemia, both in vivo and in vitro.

From UC San Diego 12 Jun 2020

Baylor researchers uncover a novel mechanism that triggers cellular immune response

Viruses and other disease-causing microbes influence the type of immune response their hosts will develop against them. In some cases, the predominant response involves antibodies, proteins made by the immune system that specifically recognize parts of the invading microbe and mediate its destruction.

12 Jun 2020