Among the numerous microengineered Organ-on-a-Chip (Organ Chip) models developed at the Wyss Institute, the Liver Chip is of special interest to a number of industries because the real-time analysis of complex biochemical interactions could greatly enhance the liver toxicity testing that is ubiquitous in the development of drugs, foods, and other consumer products. The Wyss […]
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Record number of Legionnaires’ cases in 2018 risk lives, cause cleanup headaches
Cases of Legionnaires’ disease reached a record high in 2018—a more than eight-fold increase since the numbers began to climb nearly two decades ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week 9,933 cases in 2018 of Legionellosis, which includes both Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. Legionnaires’ disease made up the vast majority […]
Critical protein that could unlock West Nile/Zika virus treatments identified
A protein that is critical in controlling replication of West Nile and Zika viruses—and could be important for developing therapies to prevent and treat those viruses—has been identified by a Georgia State University biologist and his research group. The researchers found Z-DNA binding protein 1 (ZBP1) is a sensor that plays a significant role in […]
Neuroscientists reveal link between cell ‘dark matter’ and chronic nerve pain
A study, which has revealed the link between neuropathic pain and ‘dark matter’ in cells, could pave the way for new treatments for patients suffering with chronic nerve pain. The research by the University of Sheffield has shown for the first time a significant correlation between neuropathic pain and the abundance of specific RNA molecules […]
Coronary calcium score may ID CV risk in rheumatoid arthritis
(HealthDay)—The Coronary Calcium Score (CCS) may be a useful tool in cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment among female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published in the October issue of the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases. Miguel Bernardes, M.D., from the University of Porto in Portugal, and colleagues assessed CCS (using computed tomography) […]
Pattern of hospital visits offers clue to spotting people at risk of myeloma
A condition that can progress to myeloma could be identified in patients by their unusually frequent hospital visits, according to research presented at the 2019 NCRI Cancer Conference. The study found that people with a pre-cancerous blood condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) made around twice as many visits to hospital as other […]
Zooming in on neuronal behavior
There are more than 86 billion neurons in the brain. These cells communicate by sending electrical and chemical signals across pathways and are responsible for controlling everything from simple movement to the processing and storing of complex thoughts and memories. The sheer enormity of this neural network makes the brain a difficult frontier for exploration, […]
Liver cancer deaths climb by around 50% in the last decade
Liver cancer deaths have increased by around 50% in the last decade and have tripled since records began, according to the latest calculations by Cancer Research UK. New mortality data shows that there were around 5,700 deaths from liver cancer in 2017 in the UK, which is the highest ever yearly number of deaths recorded. […]
Kidney cancer study uncovers new subtypes and clues to better diagnosis and treatment
The researchers used the most advanced genomic and proteomic technologies available to tease out their proteogenomic characteristics, defined as genetic makeup (genomics), chemical modifications to DNA (epigenomics), messenger RNA located in cells that serves as template to make proteins (transcriptomics), and proteins (proteomics) and their modification by phosphate group (phosphoproteomics), a modification known to regulate […]
Measles infection wipes our immune system’s memory leaving us vulnerable to other diseases
Scientists have shown how measles causes long-term damage to the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to other infections. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Amsterdam and their collaborators revealed that the measles virus deletes part of the immune system’s memory, removing previously existing immunity to other infections, in both humans and ferrets. Importantly, […]