Health Problems

Simple drug combination creates new neurons from neighboring cells

A simple drug cocktail that converts cells neighboring damaged neurons into functional new neurons could potentially be used to treat stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injuries. A team of researchers at Penn State identified a set of four, or even three, molecules that could convert glial cells—which normally provide support and insulation for neurons—into new […]

Health Problems

Functional insulin-producing cells grown in lab

UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes. Replacing these cells, which are lost in patients with T1 diabetes, has long been a dream of regenerative medicine, but until now scientists […]

Health Problems

A new approach to peripheral nerve injury? Natural killer cells in the immune system could present a target

In animal models of a totally crushed peripheral nerve, the damaged axons are broken down, allowing healthy ones to regrow. But humans rarely suffer complete axonal damage. Instead, axons tend to be partially damaged, causing neuropathic pain—a difficult-to-treat, chronic pain associated with nerve trauma, chemotherapy and diabetes. A new study in Cell, led by Michael […]

Health News

Drug that clears out dead cells left mice more active

Could this be the fountain of youth? Drug that clears out dead cells left mice more active with lower levels of inflammation Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel investigated how the immune system clears away ageing cells  These cells are not completely dead but are irreparably damaged  They administered a drug that […]

Health Problems

Researchers hope to be able to replace dysfunctional brain cells

A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet supports the theory that replacement of dysfunctional immune cells in the brain has therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which involved repopulating the brain with new immune cells in an experimental disease model, is published in Nature Communications. Macrophages are immune […]