A form of gene therapy protects optic nerve cells and preserves vision in mouse models of glaucoma, according to research supported by NIH’s National Eye Institute. The findings suggest a way forward for developing neuroprotective therapies for glaucoma, a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness. The report was published in Cell. Glaucoma results from […]
Researchers discover way to improve immune response
Melbourne researchers have identified a way to improve the immune response in the face of severe viral infections. It is widely known that severe viral infections and cancer cause impairments to the immune system, including to T cells, a process called immune ‘exhaustion’. Overcoming immune exhaustion is a major goal for the development of new […]
Researchers discover unique immune response by cells critical to lung health
Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have discovered that a specific type of lung cell exhibits unconventional immune properties and may contribute to the outcome of respiratory viral infections. The researchers focused on type II alveolar (AT2) cells, which are non-immune cells of the lung that are critical for basic lung health and tissue […]
Researchers discover a mechanism that reduces blood vessels in Alzheimer’s patients
Researchers at the Biomedicine Institute of Seville (IBiS) have discovered a new mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease that disorganizes the blood vessels around amyloid plaques, one of the characteristic features of the disease. The study, published in the international journal Nature Communications, was led by the laboratory of Dr. Alberto Pascual, from the Neuronal Maintenance Mechanisms […]
Researchers discover fundamental roles of glucosamine in brain
Using novel imaging methods for studying brain metabolism, University of Kentucky researchers have identified the reservoir for a necessary sugar in the brain. Glycogen serves as a storage depot for the sugar glucose. The laboratories of Ramon Sun, Ph.D., assistant professor of neuroscience, Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and […]
Researchers discover a new mechanism that regulates cholesterol levels
A research team at the University of Oulu, Finland, has discovered a new mechanism in cells that causes an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol. The observation made by the researchers may explain the adverse effects of certain environmental chemicals and medicinal substances on cardiovascular health. At the heart of the finding is a nuclear receptor […]
Researchers discover a gut microbiota profile that can predict mortality
Researchers discovered that a large amount of enterobacteria in the gut microbiota is related to long-term mortality risk in Finnish adult population. The study conducted by the University of Turku and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare together with an international research team is so far the largest population-level study in the world examining […]
‘Germ Hunters’ discover rare disease in rural Alberta
A rare pulmonary disease that is linked to bats has made Alberta home, according to new research led by provincial lab scientists. Infectious disease experts at Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) and the University of Alberta have confirmed that histoplasmosis—a fungal infection transmitted through bat and bird droppings—is now found in Alberta. Their study extends the […]
Researchers discover ‘gene cooperation’ in cancer growth and can target treatments to stop it
Cooperation is generally a good thing—working together to reach a goal. But in the case of cancer, it can be detrimental. University of Cincinnati researchers have discovered that cooperation between two key genes drive cancer growth, spread and treatment resistance in one particularly aggressive type of breast cancer. The good news is, though, with this […]
Researchers discover balance between two protein counteracting forces in hereditary ataxias
Collaborating with the University of Oxford, Professor Ho Yin Edwin Chan’s research team from the School of Life Sciences of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) recently unveiled the counteracting relationship between pre-mRNA-processing factor 19 (Prpf19) and exocyst complex component 7 (Exoc7) in controlling the degradation of disease protein and neurodegeneration of the rare […]