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Human Cell Atlas Consortium Makes Major Progress in Understanding the Human Body

Researchers with the global Human Cell Atlas (HCA) consortium report significant progress in their quest for a better understanding of the cells of the human body in health and disease, with the publication today (20 November) of a Collection of more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in Nature and other Nature Portfolio journals.

22 Nov 2024

A New Understanding of Viral Infection

Scientists studying animal viruses with the potential to infect humans have discovered a critical protein that could facilitate the spread of a family of organisms known as arteriviruses.

1 Nov 2024

Transposable Elements Drive a Critical Transition in Early Embryogenesis

Researchers at Sinai Health have discovered that DNA elements known as transposons, which may travel throughout the genome, control a crucial stage in early human development instead of human genes.

16 Oct 2024

Transposable Elements Are Key to Normal Progression of Embryonic Cells

A critical transition in early human development is regulated not by our own genes, but by DNA elements called transposons that can move around the genome, Sinai Health researchers have found.

16 Oct 2024

Placental Protein Levels Offer Insights into Early-Onset Preeclampsia

A potentially fatal pregnancy complication, preeclampsia is characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure, which is exacerbated when it develops early in the first trimester.

15 Oct 2024

Bifidobacterium in Maternal Gut Found to Alter Fetal Brain Growth

Bifidobacterium breve supplementation in pregnant mice alters fetal brain metabolism, highlighting its role in enhancing gestational health and development.

29 Aug 2024

Mother's Gut Microbiome Key to Baby's Brain Development

A study in mice has discovered that the presence of Bifidobacterium breve bacteria in the mother's gut during pregnancy promotes healthy brain development in the fetus.

22 Aug 2024

Reawakened Endogenous Retroviruses can Play a Critical Role in Helping Cancer Survive

Peek inside the human genome and, among the 20,000 or so genes that serve as building blocks of life, you'll also find flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago.

18 Jul 2024

Breakthrough Study Reveals How Toxoplasma gondii Alters Host Cell Metabolism

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis, a lifelong chronic infection prevalent in about 30% of the human population.

12 Jul 2024

Unveiling Progesterone's Impact on Cancer Immunosuppression

Researchers turned to pregnancy to explore why some cancers successfully evade the immune system and grow unchecked.

9 Jul 2024

Primitive Endoderm Stem Cells Offer New Hope for Fertility Treatments

An unexpectedly versatile and regenerative stem cell in early embryos may be key to creating new effective fertility treatments, suggests a new study in mice from the University of Copenhagen.

25 Jun 2024

Placenta's Role in Gestational Diabetes Revealed

A recent study led by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute has discovered that a deficiency in placental expression of the gene insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGFBP1) and low circulating levels of IGFBP1 are linked to insulin resistance during pregnancy, indicating a potential risk factor for the onset of gestational diabetes.

17 Apr 2024

New Research Finds Placenta Cells May Lower Blood Pressure

Scientists from La Trobe University and the Hudson Institute have demonstrated that cells from placentas could have therapeutic benefits for patients suffering from high blood pressure.

1 Feb 2024

LJI Researchers Identify Late-Rising T Cells Crucial for CMV Control

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a pathogen that likes to lurk. Most adults already carry CMV, and they show no symptoms at all.

22 Jan 2024

‘Mini-Placentas’ Help Scientists Study the Causes of Pre-eclampsia and Pregnancy Disorders

Scientists have grown ‘mini-placentas’ in the lab and used them to see how the placenta develops and interacts with the inner lining of the womb – findings that could help scientists better understand and, in future, potentially treat pre-eclampsia.

17 Jan 2024

New Test Scrutinizes All Fetal Genes for Early Disease Detection

A research team from Odense University Hospital and the University of Southern Denmark has developed an innovative screening test.

9 Jan 2024

Unlocking the Mysteries of Fetal Brain Development

Cheryl Rosenfeld has dedicated three decades to investigating the transmission of biological information from mothers to babies during pregnancy.

6 Dec 2023

DiNP Exposure in Early Pregnancy May Cause Birth Defects

We are constantly exposed to phthalates in our environment through plastic products such as storage containers, medical devices, packages, fabrics, and toys. Specifically, di-isononyl phthalate is inevitably becoming a part of our lives. Unfortunately, the impact of DiNP on the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy is largely unknown. In a new study, researchers used mice to understand how DiNP affects pregnancy.

4 Sep 2023

New Method Creates Embryo-Like Structure That Mimics Gastrulation

Gastrulation, the process where an embryo reorganizes itself from a hollow sphere into a multilayered structure, is considered a "black box" of human development.

21 Jul 2023

Dad’s Genes “Remote Control” Mom’s Metabolism to Benefit Fetus

The unborn baby “remote controls” its mother’s metabolism, resulting in a nutritional tug-of-war between the two. The mother’s body requires the baby to survive, but she also needs enough glucose and fats in her system to be able to deliver the baby, breastfeed, and reproduce again.

12 Jul 2023