Curated News: Grant Funded News

Filters close
23-Jan-2019 9:50 AM EST
Scientists Assemble Genome of Salamander with Regeneration Capabilities
University of Kentucky

Scientists at the University of Kentucky have assembled the entire genome of the Mexican Axolotl, the key to unlocking the secrets of regeneration with potential for life-changing clinical applications down the road.

Released: 24-Jan-2019 11:05 AM EST
Kidney-resident macrophages — a role for healing during acute kidney injury?
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Researchers have found that, during acute kidney injury in a mouse model, the kidney-resident macrophages are reprogrammed to a developmental state, resembling these same cells when they are found in newborn mice. This reprogramming may be important to promote healing and tissue regeneration.

Released: 23-Jan-2019 4:05 PM EST
La Jolla Institute Awarded Renewal of NIH Contract to Continue Its Role as Host of Immune Epitope Database
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) has been awarded a $22 million contract renewal over seven years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to host and expand the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB). The database is the world’s most comprehensive collection of scientific data on how the immune system responds to a wide range of infectious agents, allergy-causing substances, and other stimuli that activate the immune system.

   
Released: 23-Jan-2019 1:05 PM EST
The Helix, of DNA Fame, May Have Arisen with Startling Ease
Georgia Institute of Technology

Here's a science enigma: Try to explain where the neat, even DNA/RNA helix came from. Ha! Easy one! It probably spun around itself long before first life evolved like it did in this lab. In fact, the twist could have helped select the components of RNA, not the other way around.

21-Jan-2019 1:00 PM EST
Birth of Massive Black Holes in the Early Universe Revealed
Georgia Institute of Technology

An international research team has shown that when galaxies assemble extremely rapidly -- and sometimes violently -- that can lead to the formation of very massive black holes. In these rare galaxies, normal star formation is disrupted and black hole formation takes over.

Released: 23-Jan-2019 10:30 AM EST
When Coral Species Vanish, Their Absence Can Imperil Surviving Corals
Georgia Institute of Technology

As coral species die off, they may be leaving a death spiral in their wake: Their absence could be sapping life from the corals that survive. In a new study, when isolated from other species, corals got weak, died off or grew in fragile structures. The study shows it is possible to quantify positive effects of coral biodiversity and negative effects of its absence.

Released: 22-Jan-2019 1:05 PM EST
IU Study Predicts How Air Pollutants From U.S. Forest Soils Will Increase with Climate Change
Indiana University

Scientists predict that certain regions of the United States will experience higher levels of pollutants that cause smog, acid rain and respiratory problems due changes in forest soils from climate change.

   
Released: 22-Jan-2019 12:05 PM EST
New Skin Test Detects Prion Infection Before Symptoms Appear
Case Western Reserve University

Prions can infect both humans and animals, causing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, mad cow disease in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in elk and deer. The infectious, misfolded protein particles often go undetected as they destroy brain tissue, causing memory loss, mobility issues, and ultimately death. Preclinical detection of prions has proven difficult, but new research suggests skin samples hold early signs of prion disease that precede neurologic symptoms.

Released: 22-Jan-2019 11:30 AM EST
Health Literacy Linked to Blood Pressure Medication Adherence Among Hispanics
New York University

Good health literacy is associated with better adherence to blood pressure medications among Hispanic individuals with high blood pressure, finds a study by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and Columbia University School of Nursing. However, the majority of this population lacks health literary and has poor adherence to their medications.

Released: 22-Jan-2019 11:00 AM EST
Test for Esophageal Cancer Could Save Millions of Lives
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Cancer of the esophagus claims more than 400,000 lives around the world each year. With no efficient, reliable method of screening for the disease, by the time symptoms become apparent, it's often too late to save the patient.

18-Jan-2019 10:15 AM EST
Erasing Memories Associated with Cocaine Use Reduces Drug Seeking Behavior
Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh

Researchers identified the brain circuits that form memories associating environmental cues with cocaine use and used optogenetics to specifically target those memories and reduce relapse-like behavior.

22-Jan-2019 9:50 AM EST
Study Suggests Aspirin May Help Some Patients Survive Head and Neck Cancer
The Rockefeller University Press

Regular use of aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help some patients with head and neck cancer survive the disease, according to a study led by Professor Jennifer Grandis at the University of California, San Francisco. The study, which will be published January 25 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, indicates that NSAIDs are effective in patients with mutations in a gene called PIK3CA, likely by lowering the levels of an inflammatory molecule called prostaglandin E2.

17-Jan-2019 11:00 AM EST
Energizing the Immune System to Eat Cancer
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania say they’ve identified how to fuel macrophages with the energy needed to attack and eat cancer cells.

17-Jan-2019 3:05 PM EST
Blood test detects Alzheimer’s damage before symptoms
Washington University in St. Louis

A simple blood test reliably detects signs of brain damage in people on the path to developing Alzheimer’s disease – even before they show signs of confusion and memory loss, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

18-Jan-2019 4:00 AM EST
Researchers Conduct First Population-based Study of Suicide Risk in People with Autism
University of Utah Health

Researchers at the University of Utah Health conducted the first population-based study of suicidality in individuals with ASD in the United States. The 20-year retrospective study found that for individuals with autism, particularly females, the risk of suicide has increased through time compared to their non-autistic peers.

Released: 18-Jan-2019 1:05 PM EST
Using Bacteria to Create a Water Filter That Kills Bacteria
Washington University in St. Louis

Engineers have created a bacteria-filtering membrane using graphene oxide and bacterial nanocellulose. It's highly efficient, long-lasting and environmentally friendly — and could provide clean water for those in need.

   
Released: 17-Jan-2019 4:05 PM EST
Safety in numbers: mobile robots could save lives during emergency evacuations
Penn State College of Engineering

To address the unique challenges that emergency evacuation scenarios present, Alan Wagner, assistant professor of aerospace engineering at Penn State, and a team of researchers propose to use a coordinated collection of mobile robots as authority figures to direct evacuees for rapid, orderly and safe evacuations, thanks to a $1.5M National Science Foundation grant.

Released: 17-Jan-2019 2:05 PM EST
Tiny Generators Turn Body Motion Into Weight Control and Wound-Healing Therapies
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Bioengineers have developed implantable and wearable nanogenerators that create electrical pulses when compressed by body motions. The pulses controlled weight gain and enhanced healing of skin wounds in rat models.

   
13-Jan-2019 8:00 PM EST
Brain’s Cerebellum Found to Influence Addictive and Social Behavior
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

In a study published online today in the journal Science, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, prove for the first time that the brain’s cerebellum—long thought to be mainly involved in coordinating movement—helps control the brain’s reward circuitry. The surprising finding indicates that the cerebellum plays a major role in reward processing and social behaviors and could potentially lead to new strategies for treating addiction.

Released: 17-Jan-2019 11:40 AM EST
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Boston, MA -- Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and African Americans are disproportionately affected. Prior studies have investigated how limited access to material resources due to financial hardship may influence health, but the association between that stress caused by financial hardship and coronary heart disease in African Americans has not previously been examined.

Released: 17-Jan-2019 10:00 AM EST
Another Piece of Ebola Virus Puzzle Identified
Texas Biomedical Research Institute

A team of researchers have discovered the interaction between an Ebola virus protein and a protein in human cells that may be an important key to unlocking the pathway of replication of the killer disease in human hosts. Scientists at Texas Biomedical Research Institute were part of a nationwide collaborative with scientists at Gladstone Institutes, UC San Francisco and Georgia State University for a study recently published in the journal Cell.

Released: 17-Jan-2019 9:00 AM EST
Whole Genome Sequencing Method May Speed Personalized Treatment Of Drug-Resistant Infections
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have added to evidence that rapid resistance gene sequencing technology can accurately speed the identification of specific antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains that sicken and kill some patients. A report on a proof of concept study, published in the January 2019 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, suggests the technology has the potential to hasten the “personalized” choice of antibiotics critically ill patients need.

Released: 16-Jan-2019 4:05 PM EST
Loyola Medicine Awarded $10,000 Grant from Huggies®
Loyola Medicine

Loyola Medicine was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from Huggies® as part of the company's No Baby Unhugged initiative.

15-Jan-2019 10:00 AM EST
Survey Questions Cancer Doctors’ Awareness of LGBTQ Issues
NYU Langone Health

Most oncologists say they don’t know enough about how to treat patients with differences in sexual orientation or identity, but most are also interested in learning more, a new study finds.

Released: 16-Jan-2019 1:05 PM EST
Breast cancer up to 5 times more likely to metastasize even 10 years after childbirth
University of Colorado Cancer Center

University of Colorado Cancer Center study shows that doctors may be underestimating the risk of and thus under-treating stage I and II breast cancers diagnosed within 10 years of childbirth.

Released: 16-Jan-2019 12:05 PM EST
Acupressure relieves long-term symptoms of breast cancer treatment, study finds
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

A new study finds acupressure could be a low-cost, at-home solution to a suite of persistent side effects that linger after breast cancer treatment ends.

Released: 16-Jan-2019 9:00 AM EST
Study Defines Differences Among Brain Neurons That Coincide With Psychiatric Conditions
Johns Hopkins Medicine

It's no surprise to scientists that variety is the very essence of biology, not just the seasoning, but most previous studies of key brain cells have found little variability in a common cell process that involves how genetic information is read and acted on.

Released: 16-Jan-2019 8:40 AM EST
Bioactive Scaffolds Guide the Way to Sore Knee Relief, Cartilage Repair
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a 3D-printed scaffold coated in aggrecan, a native cartilage component, to improve the regeneration of cartilage tissue in joints. The scaffold was combined with a common microfracture procedure and tested in rabbits. The University of Maryland researchers found the combination of the implant and microfracture procedure to be ten times more effective than microfracture alone.

   
14-Jan-2019 9:00 AM EST
Dermatologists Prescribe the Most Antibiotics, but Which Uses Are Driving the Trend?
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The use of antibiotics to treat inflammatory skin conditions like acne and rosacea is decreasing over time, but there has been an increase in prescriptions associated with dermatologic surgical procedures.

Released: 15-Jan-2019 3:05 PM EST
Wayne State fights “fatbergs”
Wayne State University Division of Research

A research team led by Carol Miller, professor of Civil and Environmental engineering at Wayne State, recently received an $80,000 grant from the National Science Foundation focused on "fatbergs." The team will utilize real-time video, pressure data and advanced chemical analysis to advance the understanding of the physical and chemical structure of massive buildups of fats, oils and greases (FOGs, also referred to as "fatbergs") that cause blockages in sewer systems. Results will be used to identify potential risks associated with blockages and inform future targeted prevention and mitigation efforts.

Released: 15-Jan-2019 8:00 AM EST
Muscle Stem Cells Can Drive Cancer That Arises in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Sanford Burnham Prebys

Scientists from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have demonstrated that muscle stem cells may give rise to rhabdomyosarcoma that occurs during DMD—and identified two genes linked to the tumor’s growth. The research, performed using a mouse model of severe DMD, helps scientists better understand how rhabdomyosarcoma develops in DMD—and indicates that ongoing efforts to develop treatments that stimulate muscle stem cells should consider potential cancer risk. The study was published today in Cell Reports.

Released: 14-Jan-2019 3:05 PM EST
Brilliant Glow of Paint-On Semiconductors Comes from Ornate Quantum Physics
Georgia Institute of Technology

A new wave of semiconductors that can be painted on is on the horizon. It bears the promise of revolutionizing lighting all over again and of transforming solar energy. Ornate quantum particle action, revealed here, that drives the new material's properties defies the workings of established semiconductors.

Released: 14-Jan-2019 3:05 PM EST
UTHealth drives forward programs to stop childhood obesity
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Two grants totaling nearly $3.7 million will support the efforts of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) to combat obesity and help Texas children achieve healthy lifestyles through the mission of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Released: 14-Jan-2019 11:05 AM EST
Supercomputer Simulations Reveal New Insight on Sea Fog Development
University of California San Diego

A recently published study by an international team of researchers has shed new light on how and why a particular type of sea fog forms, using detailed supercomputer simulations to provide more accurate predictions of its occurrence and patterns to help reduce the number of maritime mishaps.

10-Jan-2019 3:05 PM EST
Long-Acting Contraceptive Designed to be Self-Administered Via Microneedle Patch
Georgia Institute of Technology

A new long-acting contraceptive designed to be self-administered by women may provide a new family planning option, particularly in developing nations where access to healthcare can be limited, a recent study suggests. The contraceptive would be delivered using microneedle skin patch technology originally developed for the painless administration of vaccines.

Released: 11-Jan-2019 12:00 PM EST
New Analytic Model to Better Identify Patients Likely to Develop PTSD
NYU Langone Health

New findings from an international research team led by psychiatrists at NYU School of Medicine show that a newly-developed analytic model can predict soon after a shocking or scary event – and with significant accuracy -- the likelihood of someone developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

   
Released: 11-Jan-2019 8:00 AM EST
Powerful microscope captures first image of “haystack” nanoscaffold that promotes cell movement
Sanford Burnham Prebys

Using one of the most powerful microscopes in the world, scientists from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) have identified a dense, dynamic and disorganized actin filament nanoscaffold—resembling a haystack—that is induced in response to a molecular signal. This is the first time researchers have directly visualized, at the molecular level, a structure that is triggered in response to a cellular signal—a key finding that expands our understanding of how cells move. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

   
Released: 10-Jan-2019 5:05 PM EST
Activated PMN exosomes are pathogenic entities that cause destruction in the COPD lung
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Researchers have found a novel, pathogenic entity that is a fundamental link between chronic inflammation and tissue destruction in lungs of patients with COPD. These exosomes from activated neutrophils caused COPD damage when they were instilled into the lungs of healthy mice.

7-Jan-2019 11:00 AM EST
Perceptions of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the Emergency Department
Georgetown University Medical Center

Findings from a novel online questionnaire of people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) suggest the majority of these patients do not receive proper care, say researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center in the first known investigation of the presentation of CFS in the emergency department.

Released: 10-Jan-2019 11:05 AM EST
Spintronics “miracle material” put to the test
University of Utah

In a paper published today in Nature Communications, Vardeny, along with Jingying Wang, Dali Sun (now at North Carolina State University) and colleagues present two devices built using perovskite to demonstrate the material’s potential in spintronic systems. Its properties, Vardeny says, bring the dream of a spintronic transistor one step closer to reality.

9-Jan-2019 10:05 AM EST
Using Genetics of Human Fat Cells to Predict Response to Anti-Diabetes Drugs
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers have demonstrated—using fat cells derived from human stem cells—that individual genetic variation can be used to predict whether the TZD rosiglitazone will produce the unwanted side effect of increasing cholesterol levels in certain individuals.

Released: 9-Jan-2019 5:05 PM EST
New strategy may curtail spread of antibiotic resistance
Washington University in St. Louis

In studying a bacterium that causes disease in hospitalized people, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have figured out a key step in the transmission of antibiotic resistance from one bacterium to another. Their insight suggests a new strategy for stopping the spread of antibiotic resistance.

4-Jan-2019 1:05 PM EST
Medical cannabis users operating vehicles: New study reveals worrisome statistics
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

More than half of people who take medical cannabis for chronic pain say they’ve driven under the influence of cannabis within two hours of using it, at least once in the last six months, according to a new survey. One in five of them said they’d driven while ‘very high’ in the past six months.

6-Jan-2019 7:00 PM EST
Decreased deep sleep linked to early signs of Alzheimer’s disease
Washington University in St. Louis

Poor sleep is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis think they know why. They found that older people who have less slow-wave sleep – the deep sleep you need to consolidate memories and wake up feeling refreshed – have higher levels of the brain protein tau. Elevated tau is a sign of Alzheimer’s disease and has been linked to brain damage and cognitive decline.

Released: 9-Jan-2019 9:00 AM EST
Schizophrenia Linked with Abnormal Immune Response to Epstein-Barr Virus
Johns Hopkins Medicine

New research from Johns Hopkins Medicine and Sheppard Pratt Health System shows that people in the study with schizophrenia also have higher levels of antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, so-called mono.

Released: 8-Jan-2019 7:05 PM EST
Mice sleeping fitfully provide clues to insomnia
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – working with mice with sleep problems similar to those experienced by people with the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) – believe the animals will help shed light on insomnia linked to NF1 or other factors.

Released: 8-Jan-2019 5:05 PM EST
Mechanism for impaired allergic inflammation in infants may explain hygiene hypothesis
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Research published in Immunity describes a mechanism in a mouse model of asthma that supports the hygiene hypothesis — researchers found that infant mice need a higher exposure to a bacterial endotoxin, compared to adult mice, to avoid developing asthma-like reactions to house dust mites.

8-Jan-2019 8:00 AM EST
Brain Plasticity Restored in Adult Mice Through Targeting Specific Nerve Cell Connections
Tufts University

Research in mice finds a new molecular mechanism that is essential for maturation of brain function and may be used to restore plasticity in aged brains. This work targets for the first time a specific molecule acting on a single type of neuronal connection to modulate brain function. Findings may advance treatment of human diseases such as autism.

8-Jan-2019 9:45 AM EST
Stroke drug may also prevent Alzheimer’s disease, say USC researchers
The Rockefeller University Press

Researchers from the University of Southern California have discovered that a drug currently being developed to treat stroke patients could also prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which will be published January 15 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, shows that the genetically engineered protein 3K3A-APC protects the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, reducing the buildup of toxic peptides and preventing memory loss.

Released: 7-Jan-2019 11:00 AM EST
Known Size of Objects Influences Human Brain Attention Scaling
George Washington University

Researchers at the George Washington University gained important insights into how the human brain processes information and allocates attention. Their study, “Attention Scales According to Inferred Real-World Object Size,” shows people pay attention to objects based on their real-world size, rather than how they are perceived by the eye.



close
4.39782