Curated News: Cell (journal)

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Cancer researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have harnessed tools used for the development of cancer immunotherapies and adapted them to identify regions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to target with a vaccine, employing the same approach used to elicit an immune response against cancer cells to stimulate an immune response against the virus. Using this strategy, the researchers believe a resulting vaccine would provide protection across the human population and drive a long-term immune response.

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A research group from the Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG) at Kumamoto University, Japan has discovered that the gene C19ORF57 plays a critical role in meiosis.

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A new study finds in sleep-deprived fruit flies, premature death is always preceded by the accumulation of reactive oxidative species in the gut. Antioxidant compounds that neutralize ROS allow sleep-deprived flies to have normal lifespans.

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The collection of more than 25,000 fragments of ancient manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls include, among other ancient texts, the oldest copies of books of the Hebrew Bible. But finding a way to piece them all together in order to understand their meaning has remained an incredibly difficult puzzle, especially given that most pieces weren't excavated in an orderly fashion.

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Researchers at Mount Sinai have discovered that human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) stem cells are dependent on a transcription factor known as RUNX1, potentially providing a new therapeutic target to achieve lasting remissions or even cures for a disease in which medical advances have been limited.

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UNC-Chapel Hill researchers show how SARS-CoV-2 infects the nasal cavity to a great degree, and progressively less so lower down the respiratory tract, suggesting the virus tends to become firmly established first in the nasal cavity, but can be aspirated into the lungs to cause serious disease.

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A Ludwig Cancer Research study has profiled, in a sweeping comparative analysis, the distinct immune landscapes of tumors that arise in the brain, or gliomas, and those that metastasize to the organ from the lungs, breast and skin.

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Different "Canaanite" people from the Bronze Age Southern Levant not only culturally, but also genetically resemble each other more than other populations. A team around Ron Pinhasi from the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology found in a recent study that their DNA is a mixture of two populations: The Chalcolithic Zagros and Early Bronze Age Caucasus. The results have been published in "Cell".

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Secrets to cementing the sustainability of our future infrastructure may come from nature, such as proteins that keep plants and animals from freezing in extremely cold conditions. CU Boulder researchers have discovered that a synthetic molecule based on natural antifreeze proteins minimizes freeze-thaw damage and increases the strength and durability of concrete, improving the longevity of new infrastructure and decreasing carbon emissions over its lifetime.

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In this study, researchers investigated if specific targeting of CD133+ glioblastoma with cutting-edge immunotherapy drugs could eradicate the most aggressive subpopulation of cells in the tumour. They also looked at the safety of CD133-targeting therapies on normal, non-cancerous human stem cells including hematopoietic stem cells which create blood cells and progenitor cells which can form one or more kinds of cells.

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Beneficial strains of bacteria residing in our guts, genital tracts, and skin have been shown to play a role in human health, and now, researchers publishing May 26 in the journal Cell Reports suggest that some of these "good" bacteria also have a niche in our noses

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The UK has the highest level of obesity in Europe, in fact it’s estimated half the population could be obese by 2050. Obesity is a significant risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality

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Cornell researchers have sequenced and analyzed the genome of a single-celled alga that belongs to the closest lineage to terrestrial plants and provides many clues to how aquatic plants first colonized land.

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A new UT Southwestern study shows how an effective but largely abandoned treatment for Type 2 diabetes could be used again in combination with another drug to eliminate problematic side effects.

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UC San Diego researchers have identified small molecules in the blood of asymptomatic pregnant women that may predict risk for preeclampsia, responsible for a significant proportion of maternal and neonatal deaths, low birth weight and is a primary cause of premature birth.

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A new study comparing cancerous tissue with normal fallopian tube samples advances important insights about the rogue cellular machinery that drives a majority of ovarian cancers.

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Researchers developed a method using fluorescence to detect precancerous metabolic and physical changes in individual epithelial cells lining the cervix. The method, which can detect precancerous lesions non-invasively and non-destructively, opens the door to early-stage bedside diagnostics.

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A small study in Greece found that the clinically approved anti-inflammatory drug anakinra, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, improved respiratory function in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

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Researchers found that co-administering dephostatin and colistin in mice with a lethal Salmonella infection significantly prolonged animal survival and used a lower concentration of colistin than is normally required for treatment, thereby reducing its toxic effect.

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An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA has developed a first-of-its-kind roadmap of how human skeletal muscle develops, including the formation of muscle stem cells.

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An international team of researchers including the University of Adelaide, has completed the first large-scale study of DNA belonging to ancient humans of the central Andes in South America and found early genetic differences between groups of nearby regions, and surprising genetic continuity over thousands of years. In the study, published in the journal Cell, researchers analysed the DNA of 89 ancient humans who lived in the central Andes between 500 and 9,000 years ago, and compared it with the genetic diversity of present day occupants, to shed light on the genetic changes over time.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third month, businesses in the United States are marketing unlicensed and unproven stem-cell-based "therapies" and exosome products that claim to prevent or treat the disease. In Cell Stem Cell on May 5, bioethicist Leigh Turner describes how these companies are "seizing the pandemic as an opportunity to profit from hope and desperation."

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By combining the fine-grained detail available from animal studies with the statistical power of genetic studies involving hundreds of thousands of human genomes, researchers have discovered a new gene involved in regulating the body’s cholesterol.

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Activating a receptor found on the surface of many normal and cancer tissues has been shown to stop pancreatic cancer from growing, but may also make tumors more visible to the immune system and thus more susceptible to modern immunotherapy

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Biologists studying bacterial communities have discovered that these simple organisms feature a robust memory capacity. Using light, they were able to encode memory patterns and visualize cells with memory. The discovery reveals parallels between low-level organisms and sophisticated neurons.

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Researchers at MIT; the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard; and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; along with colleagues from around the world have identified specific types of cells that appear to be targets of the coronavirus that is causing the Covid-19 pandemic.

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A team of scientists has identified the binding site where drug compounds could activate a key braking mechanism against the runaway growth of many types of cancer. The discovery marks a critical step toward developing a potential new class of anti-cancer drugs that enhance the activity of a prevalent family of tumor suppressor proteins.

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A new study led by Yale Cancer Center (YCC) researchers has demonstrated in mice that hormones released from the pancreas itself can advance pancreatic cancer — and that weight loss can stop this process in its early stages. The research was published today in the journal Cell.

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Researchers identified the mechanisms underlying the innate immune function of the enzyme caspase-6, offering ways to combat viral infection, inflammatory diseases and cancer.

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A new study identifies some of the most critical genes that may drive a rare but deadly liver cancer, providing a road map for developing drugs that target those genes.

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Jean and Peter Medawar wrote in 1977 that a virus is "simply a piece of bad news wrapped up in proteins." The "bad news" in the SARS-CoV-2 case is the new coronavirus carries its mysterious genome in the form of a very long ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule.

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Some types of gut bacteria are better than others at stimulating certain immune cells, specifically CD8+ T cells. And while these CD8+ T cells normally help protect the body against cancer, overstimulating them may promote inflammation and exhaust the T cells — which can actually increase susceptibility to cancer, according to new mouse model study published in Cell Reports.

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A commonly expressed protein in skin – periostin – can directly activate itch-associated neurons in the skin. Blocking periostin receptors on these neurons reduced the itch response in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis, or eczema.

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An international team led by University of British Columbia researcher Dr. Josef Penninger has found a trial drug that effectively blocks the cellular door SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect its hosts.

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Nafamostat mesylate (brand name: Fusan), which is the drug used to treat acute pancreatitis, may effectively block the requisite viral entry process the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) uses to spread and cause disease (COVID-19). The University of Tokyo announced these new findings on March 18, 2020.

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Removing a gene from the cells that produce insulin prevents mice from developing Type 1 diabetes by sparing the cells an attack from their own immune system, a new UW–Madison study shows.

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UC San Diego researchers discover the enzyme SPRK1’s role in reorganizing the paternal genome during the first moments of fertilization — a finding that might help explain infertility cases of unknown cause.

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University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have identified a new way that common Aspergillus molds can induce asthma, by first attacking the protective tissue barrier deep in the lungs.

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A team of Cornell researchers led by Ben Cosgrove, assistant professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, used a new cellular profiling technology to probe and catalog the activity of almost every kind of cell involved in muscle repair. They compiled their findings into a “cell atlas” of muscle regeneration that is one of the largest datasets of its kind.

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University of Texas System researchers have pinpointed a molecule that the tuberculosis bacterium manufactures to induce the coughing that spreads the disease by triggering a pain-receptor response. Their findings illustrate that the disease's spread might be prevented by halting production of sulfolipid-1.

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Cleveland Clinic researchers have identified a gut microbe generated byproduct – phenylacetylglutamine (PAG) – that is linked to development of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and death. The study was published in Cell today.

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Netherton syndrome is exacerbated by the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis living on human skin report University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers.

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Mount Sinai researchers have discovered a way to enhance the potency of blood-forming stem cells, potentially opening the door to a new approach for bone marrow transplantation.

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A molecule identified by UCLA researchers helps maintain a healthy balance of cells in airway and lung tissue. If the compound, so far only studied in isolated human and mouse cells, has the same effect in people, it may lead to new drugs to treat or prevent lung cancer.

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Scientists have taken an unprecedented look at proteins involved in endometrial cancer, commonly known as uterine cancer. The study offers insights about which patients will need aggressive treatment and which won’t, and offers clues about why a common cancer treatment is not effective with some patients.

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Researchers have lifted fertility rates in older female mice with small doses of a metabolic compound that reverses the ageing process in eggs, offering hope for some women struggling to conceive.

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A UCLA-led study reveals a new role for a gene that’s associated with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability and language impairment.

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The recognition of bacterial infections or foreign substances is mediated and controlled by the human immune system. This innate and adaptive immune system comprises the most important metabolic and cellulare processes to fight against infections and other diseases.

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It's 5 p.m. as you leave the parking garage at work, but you realize you have no idea which way to turn to travel home. You know where you are and what street your house is on—it's just that you can't remember how to get there.