Health News

JNK protein triggers nerve cells to withdraw their synapses when stressed

Synapses are tiny cell protrusions where electrochemical impulses pass between nerves. Prolonged stress in the brain causes synapse withdrawal and maladaptive changes to circuits that are linked to the development of major depressive disorder. Postdoctoral Researcher Patrik Hollós and colleagues used a light-activated optogenetic tool to switch off the activity of a protein called JNK […]

Health Problems

Targeting stem cells that drive aggressive blood cancer

Peter Mac scientists have found a way to target acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at its source—a discovery that could yield a more effective treatment for this aggressive and often incurable blood cancer. Prof Mark Dawson and Dr. Laura MacPherson led the international research team, in collaboration with researchers in Europe and Australia including at the […]

Personal Health

Genetic alterations in skin stem cells can trigger psoriasis

Psoriasis is not a congenital disorder—it only occurs later on in life and has various causes, such as stress or UV irradiation, some of which have not yet been explored. In biomedical science, this frequently occurring inflammatory skin disease is usually associated with a disorder in the immune system, in which the body’s immune response […]

Health News

Killing brain cells believed to fight Alzheimer's could delay disease

Alzheimer’s could be halted with treatment which eliminates immune cells in the brain, scientists claim Tangled tau protein in the brain is a recognised tell-tale of an Alzheimer’s patient When tau becomes knotted, immune brain cells known as microglia attack it  But in doing so, the microglia actually damages the neuron and causes damage  Alzheimer’s […]