A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function that triggers a pathway that disrupts how cells in the brain turn genes on and off.
Cedars-Sinai is a leading transplant center, with patient outcomes that consistently meet or exceed national averages. One continuing challenge, however, is the need to suppress transplant patients鈥 immune systems to prevent their bodies from rejecting the transplant.
Scientists at St. Jude Children鈥檚 Research Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered how chemokines and G protein-coupled receptors selectively bind each other to control how cells move.
With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), predictive medicine is becoming an important part of healthcare, especially in cancer treatment. Predictive medicine uses algorithms and data to help doctors understand how a cancer might continue to grow or react to specific drugs鈥攎aking it easier to target precision treatment for individual patients. Now, with the two commentaries just out, researchers at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine set a foundational approach to generating, analyzing, and ethically sharing data to benefit both patients and science.
Most cancer genome studies have focused on mutations in the tumor itself and how such gene variants allow a tumor to grow unchecked. A new study, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, takes a deep dive into inherited cancer mutations measured in a healthy blood sample and reports how those mutations might take a toll on the body鈥檚 cells starting at birth, perhaps predisposing a person to develop cancers at various stages of life.
Those who suffer myasthenia gravis experience muscle weakness that can affect the muscles we use to blink, smile and move our bodies. Researchers at UC San Diego鈥檚 School of Biological Sciences used a cutting-edge imaging technique to uncover new details about the mechanisms underlying the disease.
Using a novel method that gives a readout of which proteins are in specific locations within cells, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a protein that plays a key role in cell adhesion and movement. Their findings, published in Cell Reports, could help researchers better understand diverse phenomena such as cancer metastasis and cell differentiation.
New research shows how small shifts in the molecular makeup of a virus can profoundly alter its fate. These shifts could turn a deadly pathogen into a harmless bug or supercharge a relatively benign virus, influencing its ability to infect humans and cause dangerous outbreaks.
Viruses known as 鈥渏umbo phage鈥 are a new hope against the rising antibacterial infection crisis. Researchers have discovered how jumbo phage are able to infect bacteria so efficiently. They found a compartment that protects and hides valuable DNA material from the bacteria鈥檚 immune defense system.
Researchers at WashU Medicine found that a small population of immune cells in the mouse intestine prevents allergic responses to food, suggesting that targeting such cells therapeutically could potentially lead to a new treatment for allergies.
As warehouses go, nuclei are more like libraries than bank vaults. Too many cellular components need access to the genome to lock it down like Fort Knox. Instead, large groupings of more than 1,000 individual protein molecules called nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) pepper the dividing membrane, serving as gateways for materials and messages entering and exiting the nucleus.
U-M researchers, in collaboration with Arcascope, have developed and tested a personalized app that tracks a user鈥檚 circadian rhythm and makes behavioral recommendations to reduce daily fatigue.
A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a key barrier to the efficacy of a promising combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases arising from breast cancer鈥攁nd in doing so uncovered approaches to overcoming that resistance.
Research in mice identifies protein responsible for regulating gut movement in response to pressure, exercise, and inflammation.
The findings can inform precision-targeted treatments for intestinal inflammation and disorders of gut motility.
The results add to a growing body of research showing the nervous and immune systems interact in various organs, including the brain, lungs, and skin.
Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have shed new light on how bacteria protect themselves from certain phage invaders 鈥 by seizing genetic material from weakened, dormant phages and using it to 鈥渧accinate鈥 themselves to elicit an immune response.
Wistar Institute scientists and collaborators describe a next-generation vaccination technology that combines plasmid DNA with a lipid nanoparticle delivery system.
Aging compromises the lymphatic vessels surrounding the brain, disabling waste drainage from the brain and impacting cognitive function. Researchers at WashU Medicine boosted lymphatic vessel integrity in old mice and found improvements in their memory compared with old mice without rejuvenated lymphatic vessels.
A novel oral combination drug therapy evaluated at Huntsman Cancer Institute could treat and prevent melanoma spreading to the brain. Brain metastasis is the main cause of death from melanoma.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a key component to launching immune activity 鈥 and overactivity. The researchers identified a protein in cells that spurs the release of infection-fighting molecules. The protein, whose role in the immune system had not previously been suspected, provides a potential target for therapies that could prevent overreactive immune responses that are at the root of several debilitating illnesses.