Cellulose, which helps give plant cell walls their rigid structure, holds promise as a renewable raw material for biofuels—if researchers can accelerate the production process. Compared to the breakdown of other biofuel materials like corn, breaking down cellulose is slow and inefficient but could avoid concerns around using a food source while taking advantage of … Read more
Scientists from Scripps Research have enhanced an existing immunotherapy by removing the sugar coating surrounding solid tumors—such as in melanoma, breast, and prostate cancer—so T cells can more effectively kill tumor cells. They report in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering that this tweak allows T cells to get closer to their targets, which dramatically improves T-cell killing of tumor … Read more
By discovering how a type of smooth muscle—which is essential for mechanical aspects of absorbing fats from food—forms in the gut, Cornell scientists have opened doors to making artificial muscle, repairing muscle following gut surgeries, and treating inflammatory bowel disease and obesity. The findings, published in a study in Developmental Cell, reveal that intestinal smooth muscle originates in … Read more
In the space of just a few seconds, a person walking down a city block might check their phone, yawn, worry about making rent, and adjust their path to avoid a puddle. The smell from a food cart could suddenly conjure a memory from childhood, or they could notice a rat eating a slice of … Read more
Recombinant protein vaccines, exemplified by the Novavax vaccine deployed in combating COVID-19, present a plethora of advantages over traditional vaccines. Their precise manufacturability, coupled with enhanced safety and potential efficacy, as well as the prospect of reduced dosage requirements, underscores their pivotal role in modern immunization strategies. Given these attributes, there is burgeoning interest in … Read more
Thanks to advancements in the development of patented synthetic human-like hearts first created at Michigan State, researchers can study human heart development and congenital heart disease on highly accurate models. This is facilitating the development of new therapies and pharmaceutical drugs to treat a variety of heart-related diseases just in time for the observance of … Read more
An interdisciplinary collaboration has used a cutting-edge form of RNA tagging to map the gene expression that occurs during follicle maturation and ovulation in mice. The resulting atlas reveals a slew of previously unknown cellular and molecular interactions that drive ovulation, which is crucial for female fertility. The findings could prove pivotal for developing therapeutic … Read more
Northwestern University researchers have developed the first physics-based metric to predict whether or not a person might someday suffer an aortic aneurysm, a deadly condition that often causes no symptoms until it ruptures. In the new study, the researchers forecasted abnormal aortic growth by measuring subtle “fluttering” in a patient’s blood vessel. As blood flows … Read more
Sepideh Dolatshahi, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia, is spearheading an exploration of systems immunology in its crucial development phase—during pregnancy. Systems immunology is about unraveling concealed patterns within the human immune system, said Dolatshahi, whose approaches to her research span computational modeling, systems serology and cutting-edge spatial analysis techniques … Read more
In a groundbreaking development, scientists have introduced a transformative technique, known as Secretion-Enabled Cell Ranking and Enrichment (SECRE), with the potential to revolutionize the discovery and development of therapeutics for prevalent autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These conditions, as well as issues with transplanted cells, are rooted in altered … Read more
UVA Health researchers have pioneered an innovative tool for comprehending the gender-specific effects of medications, paving the way for safer and more efficacious drugs in the future. Frequently, women experience a disproportionate number of medication-induced liver issues, yet they are often underrepresented in drug trials. To tackle this disparity, UVA scientists have harnessed advanced computer … Read more
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have collaborated on the development and characterization of an artificial protein that can elicit the same response in the human body as its natural counterpart. This breakthrough not only holds the potential to aid in drug design for accelerated healing but also provides insights into the mechanisms underlying various diseases. Published … Read more
A research team led by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has made significant strides in the field of implantable bioelectronics, as outlined in their recent study titled “Wafer-patterned, permeable, and stretchable liquid metal microelectrodes for implantable bioelectronics with chronic biocompatibility,” published in Science Advances. In the realm of wearable and implantable bio-electronic technology, materials … Read more
John Chappell, a cardiovascular scientist at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, was incredulous at the results before him. “This can’t be right. Let’s run the tests again.” Yet, repeat trials yielded the same outcome. The lab had stumbled upon an unexpected revelation: a molecule typically associated with neurodegenerative diseases was, in fact, present in healthy … Read more
Gene transcription, the process of turning genes on or off, is essential for cellular diversity, individual variation, and even health and disease. However, understanding this molecular process has been challenging, as it is not directly visible. Recently, a breakthrough microscopy technique called chromatin expansion microscopy (ChromExM) has enabled scientists to observe previously unseen molecular processes … Read more
A research team from the University of Central Florida (UCF) has successfully engineered tissue using human cells that attract mosquitoes for feeding, aiming to combat deadly diseases transmitted by these insects. The team, led by biomedical researcher Bradley Jay Willenberg from the College of Medicine, along with Mollie Jewett from UCF Burnett School of Biomedical … Read more
Watch out for the silent bacteria that can evade antibiotic treatment by becoming dormant, drug-tolerant “persisters.” These pesky bacteria can remain in hibernation during treatment and prolong infections. Persisters were first discovered about 80 years ago during studies of the antibiotic penicillin. Interestingly, they do not possess genetic resistance to antibiotics but instead enter a … Read more