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Innovative Model Creates Personalized Parkinson's Disease Brain Cells for Drug Testing

A new model developed by Brigham researchers rapidly converts stem cells to brain cells characteristic of Parkinson’s disease to create personalized stem cell models with opportunities to test treatments

29 Jul 2024

Researchers Discover Link Between Neolithic Farming and Brucellosis

Scientists believe the bacterial infection brucellosis, which affects millions of people every year and causes significant harm to the welfare of livestock, may have evolved along with the development of farming. They came to this conclusion after performing analyses of ancient DNA extracted from an 8,000-year-old sheep bone, in which the Brucella melitensis pathogen was detected.

29 Jul 2024

Effective Plasmid DNA Delivery Achieved with Zwitterionic Polymer Complex

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created a new drug delivering molecule, a zwitterionic polymer complex that can help get plasmid DNA inside cells when injected into skeletal muscle, a crucial step in the expression of therapeutic RNA and proteins. The new compound effectively bound to plasmid DNA without affecting its structure. Injected into mouse muscles, the team observed widespread gene expression, promising applications to treatments of serious muscle diseases.

29 Jul 2024

Specific Genes May Determine Stroke Recovery Path

New research led by UCLA Health has found that specific genes may be related to the trajectory of recovery for stroke survivors, providing doctors insights useful for developing targeted therapies.

29 Jul 2024

New Gene Therapy Approach Improves Muscle Strength in DMD Mice

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have made a significant breakthrough in developing a new gene therapy approach that restores full-length dystrophin protein, which could lead to new treatments for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

29 Jul 2024

Plant-Based Diet Slows Down Biological Aging Markers

Eating a vegan diet for eight weeks is associated with reductions in biological age estimations based on levels of DNA methylation -; a type of chemical modification of DNA (known as an epigenetic modification) that alters gene expression but not DNA itself. Previous research has reported that increased DNA methylation levels are associated with aging. The findings, which are based on a small randomized controlled trial of 21 pairs of adult identical twins, are published in BMC Medicine.

29 Jul 2024

Enhancing Laboratory Performance with Comprehensive HIL Monitoring

The release of the new version of ISO 15189 (2022), introduced increased focus on risk stratification and mitigation for patients and laboratory stakeholders as well as more emphasis on quality control to improve accuracy and validity of results. Interference caused by hemolysis, icterus and lipemia is responsible for many rejected results and incorrect diagnosis. It is therefore of the upmost importance to accurately capture the presence of interfering substances in samples before quantitative analysis is carried out.

29 Jul 2024

Harvard Researchers Crack the Code on Western Equine Encephalitis Decline

The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans.

29 Jul 2024

Unraveling the Complexities of X Chromosome Inheritance

A new study published in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences has reveals that the contribution of cells expressing maternal or paternal X chromosomes can be selectively skewed in different parts of the body.

26 Jul 2024

Advancing Cancer Drug Discovery: The Enduring Value of Phenotypic Screening

The niche areas in which phenotypic screening continues to be advantageous over the targeted approach, and the recent advances in phenotypic screening technology that have increased their efficiency.

26 Jul 2024

Antisense Therapy Shows Promise Against Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease (PD), as well as many other neurodegenerative disorders, has shown a link between the abnormal aggregation of a protein called α-synuclein (aSyn) and neuronal death. These aggregates, known as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites depending on their subcellular localization, can spread by continuously causing normal endogenous aSyn to misfold.

26 Jul 2024

Researchers Discover How Common Bacteria can Accelerate Wound Closure in Diabetics

There are many important reasons for keeping cuts and sores clean, but new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that a certain bug, Alcaligenes faecalis (A. faecalis), can facilitate healing of hard-to-treat wounds among people with diabetes.

26 Jul 2024

New Insights into the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Infant Attachment

Specific neurons in the brain's zona incerta (ZI) play a crucial role in the early social interactions of an infant and its mother, building their bond and reducing stress, according to a new study in mice. Activation of the same neurons in adult mice increased anxiety- and fear-like responses, the study showed.

26 Jul 2024

Cost-Effective Array Sheds Light on Imprinted Gene Regulation

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an array that assesses methylation levels of genes located in imprint control regions (ICRs) within the human genome. The array represents a cost-effective, efficient method for exploring potential links between environmental exposures and epigenetic dysregulation during the early developmental origins of diseases and behavioral disorders.

26 Jul 2024