Team from the University of Tübingen and the German Center for Infection Research discovers a substance that inhibits signaling pathways of pathogens as they invade a cell Pathogenic Salmonella injects effector proteins into the cells of the gastrointestinal tract to penetrate and multiply within them. The bacteria are usually ingested with contaminated food. They can cause serious gastrointestinal inflammation and even systemic infections. Now, an international research team led by Professor Samuel Wagner of the University of Tübingen Cluster of…
Light conditions in the morning before waking up affect restfulness Sleep is a necessary part of people’s daily routine, but modern lifestyles and technology have ushered in an era of decreased rest time and subsequent fatigue. Further, the bedroom environment, such as light, sound, and temperature, is important for a good night’s sleep, though this is often neglected in residential architecture. In search of a conclusive remedy, common sleep studies use artificial light that is easy to control. Osaka Metropolitan…
Cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins are responsible for breaking down more than 80% of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs, reducing their effectiveness. However, how to prevent CYPs from doing this without off-target effects has puzzled researchers until now. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have designed new drug frameworks that selectively target CYP3A4, one of the most critical CYP proteins. Structural insights from this work offer a roadmap for future drug developers to better evaluate drug interactions and selectively…
The research groups led by Wolfgang Kastenmüller and Georg Gasteiger employed innovative microscopy techniques to observe how specific immune cells, known as T-cells, are activated and proliferate during a viral infection. Their findings revealed novel mechanisms: the immune system amplifies its defense cells in a far more targeted way than previously believed. T-Cells Proliferate and Specialize During the Immune Response T-cells are crucial defense cells in the immune system. To effectively find and destroy infected cells in the body, rare…
A research team from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich has developed an advanced delivery system that transports gene-editing tools based on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system into living cells with significantly greater efficiency than before. Their technology, ENVLPE, uses engineered non-infectious virus-like particles to precisely correct defective genes – demonstrated successfully in living mouse models that are blind due to a mutation. This system also holds promise for advancing cancer therapy by enabling precise genetic manipulation of engineered…
The development of new antibiotics to treat superbugs and other bacterial infections is a global priority, with the rate of infections that cannot be treated with current antibiotics rising and presenting one of the biggest threats to human health. In line with that, new research has shown a daily dose of epidermicin NI01 – an antibiotic compound developed by University of Plymouth spinout company Amprologix – is as effective at removing Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the current standard of…
At the RNApp graduate school, young researchers are working to make RNA-based drugs safer and more effective. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an important component of our cells. As messenger RNA (mRNA), it is the blueprint for translating genetic information into proteins. This process can also be used medically to produce specific proteins. One well-known application is mRNA vaccines against coronaviruses. There is also so-called non-coding RNA (ncRNA), which does not contain protein blueprints but instead takes over control mechanisms in…
New Australian technology is set to transform the way that gastrointestinal cancers are detected and treated with precise, minimally invasive surgery. Backed by the Federal Government’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite Grant, researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) are using quantum technology to develop a first-of-its-kind laparoscopic probe that will allow surgeons to accurately map the spread of tumours. The technology has the potential to improve cancer survival rates and patient quality of life worldwide. Led by Dr Nicole…
Medicine: Publication in Science Advances Damage to the mitochondria, the “power plants” of the cells, contributes to many diseases. Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Cologne led by HHU professor of medicine Dr David Pla-Martín, now describe in the scientific journal Science Advances how cells with defective mitochondria activate a special recycling system to eliminate damaged genetic material. Damage to the genetic material of mitochondria – the mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA for short – can…
Study led by Johns Hopkins researchers may advance efforts to reveal how epigenetic events contribute to cancer development Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have found a pattern of so-called epigenetic “marks” in a transition state between normal and pancreatic cancer cells in mice, and that the normal cells may keep at least a temporary “memory” of those cancer-linked marks. Epigenetic marks are chemical modifications that help regulate genetic expression without directly altering DNA sequence in the makeup of genes….
Out of 206 fourth-grade students, 19 met criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. This was found in a pilot study conducted at the University of Gothenburg. The results indicate that birth defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy may be as common in Sweden as in several other European countries. The study ran at six schools in western Sweden and constituted an add-on to the regular health check-up for all fourth-grade students. The participants underwent a physical examination, review of…
More than two-fifths of Oregon community pharmacies require a prescription to purchase syringes, even though they can be sold over the counter, creating an access barrier that could exacerbate the spread of bloodborne diseases like hepatitis C. Oregon State University researchers conducted a telephone survey of more than 400 pharmacies in Oregon and learned that 43% of them were unwilling to sell a 10-pack of syringes to someone without a prescription. The scientists say the study was the largest to…
Mpox has the potential to become a significant global health threat if taken too lightly, according to scientists at the University of Surrey. In a letter published in Nature Medicine, researchers highlight how mpox – traditionally spread from animals to humans – is now showing clear signs of sustained human-to-human transmission. Mpox is a viral infection caused by a virus that belongs to the same family as smallpox. The virus can cause a painful rash, fever, and swollen glands and,…
A new Intermountain Health study finds that peripheral artery disease, a condition that affects more than 10 million Americans over the age of 40, is often underdiagnosed and undertreated, with fewer women getting guideline-directed medical therapy than men. As a result, combined with this highly debilitating disease, patients with peripheral artery disease have a more than 50 percent chance of dying from the condition. Peripheral artery disease affects nearly 10 percent of the US population. It occurs when the arteries…
Could help determine which patients are likely to benefit from new Alzheimer’s drugs A newly developed blood test for Alzheimer’s disease not only aids in the diagnosis of the neurodegenerative condition but also indicates how far it has progressed, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Lund University in Sweden. Several blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease are already clinically available, including two based on technology licensed from WashU. Such tests help…
Their discoveries can potentially revolutionize stomach cancer therapy by unveiling new targets for precision diagnostics and treatment A team of Singapore scientists has made a significant discovery in understanding stomach cancer, a disease that remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. By using advanced mapping technologies, they created a detailed “atlas” of stomach tumours, revealing hidden patterns in how cancer cells behave, evolve and interact with their environment. These insights could lead to more precise, targeted treatments that improve survival…
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