Health News

Is proton therapy the silver bullet for children with brain cancer?

Adelaide is poised to open Australia’s first proton therapy center in 2025, with children and young adults expected to be the main beneficiaries of more effective cancer treatment with fewer side effects. But just how safe is proton therapy for children with brain cancer compared to the conventional X-ray radiation delivered post-surgery? A new study […]

Health News

Getting gene therapy to the brain

A lone genetic mutation can cause a life-changing disorder with effects on multiple body systems. Lysosomal storage diseases, for example, of which there are dozens, arise due to single mutations that affect production of critical enzymes required to metabolize large molecules in cells. These disorders affect multiple organs including, notably, the brain, causing intellectual disability […]

Health News

Feeling anxiety? Reverse-engineering the brain could help

The anxiety you may be feeling right now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic stems back to our prehistoric need to survive. Biologists have explored this principle for decades. Those breathing techniques that your mobile app, HR office or best friend might be recommending? They can help—psychology studies have proven this. But what’s happening […]

Health News

Eyes send an unexpected signal to the brain

The eyes have a surprise. For decades, biology textbooks have stated that eyes communicate with the brain exclusively through one type of signaling pathway. But a new discovery shows that some retinal neurons take a road less traveled. New research, led by Northwestern University, has found that a subset of retinal neurons sends inhibitory signals […]