Curated News: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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A promising new COVID-19 rapid-testing technology platform developed by Rover Diagnostics and Columbia Engineering has been selected by the NIH to enter Phase 1 of the RADx initiative to support new COVID-19 testing technologies. The affordable, portable, and ultrafast point-of-care Rover platform provides reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results in eight minutes, faster than any other test of its kind, with targeted accuracy to match laboratory-based tests.

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In Arizona, as in other parts of the country, data shows that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the American Indian, African American and Latinx communities, as well as other vulnerable populations. A $4.7 million grant from the National Institute of Health to ASU’s Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC) is on the way to help address this by funding a rapid and large-scale increase in COVID-19 testing of underserved communities across Arizona.

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A new study published in the journal Critical Care Explorations shows for the first time that part of the stress response in people and animals involves increasing the levels of a naturally circulating element in blood. The discovery demonstrates a biological mechanism that rapidly responds to severe physiologic stress and potentially serves to protect us from further damage due to life-threatening conditions.

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In one year, The University of Kansas Cancer Center will submit its application to renew its prestigious National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation in the hopes of attaining “comprehensive” status, the NCI’s highest ranking.

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More than 100 million infections of Zika virus within Central and South America and the Caribbean went undetected between 2015 and 2018, according to a new study.

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Cedars-Sinai researchers might have solved a mystery surrounding Crohn's disease: Why does fat appear to migrate into patients' small intestines?

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New research from the University of Pittsburgh and Cedars-Sinai digs into the question: Why do some people with COVID-19 develop severe inflammation? The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Research by UC San Diego scientists is providing new clues on how cells defend themselves from attack from viruses. The new study advance’s science’s understanding of interferons— proteins that help combat viruses like SARS-CoV-2—with possible implications for new clinical treatments.

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In a new study, published in Current Biology, researchers from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine reveal how subanesthetic ketamine, which is used for pain management and as an antidepressant in humans, is effective in treating adult amblyopia, a brain disorder commonly known as “lazy eye.”

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The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), in partnership with the Center for Health Equity Research at UNC-Chapel Hill and Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, has received an $80 million award to serve as the coordinating and data collection center for a four-year program that will overcome barriers and increase uptake of testing among underserved and vulnerable populations across the U.S.

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To help reduce COVID-19-related health disparities in vulnerable populations in Texas, a multi-institutional team of researchers led by UTHealth in Houston will identify disease hotspots and testing deserts in racially diverse areas, and then develop and evaluate intervention strategies to increase testing.

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Findings offer potential target for treating behavioral abnormalities associated with neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease

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Researchers at The Wistar Institute unraveled a mechanism employed by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells for their survival.

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A new study in mice identifies a gene that is critical for short-term memory but functions in a part of the brain not traditionally associated with memory.

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Women and racial minorities are seriously underrepresented in trials of medicines for alcohol use disorder (AUD) despite evidence that these treatments affect demographic groups differently. This is according to a review in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, which may be the first to evaluate sex and racial representation in studies relating to the three pharmacological treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AUD. Previous research indicates that sex and race/ethnicity likely influence the prevalence of AUD, its risk of health consequences, and the effectiveness of treatments.

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Testing a readily and rapidly available, discreet in-vehicle sensing system could provide the first step toward future widespread, low-cost early warnings of cognitive change in older drivers. The use of an advanced, multimodal approach involves the development of novel driving sensors and integration of data from a battery of cognitive function tests, eye tracking and driving behaviors and factors. These in-vehicle technologies could help detect abnormal driving behavior that may be attributed to cognitive impairment.

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Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have identified small molecules that target a structure within the RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2, interfering with viral gene expression and targeting the RNA for destruction.

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Scientists have identified mutations in single genes that can be responsible for at least some cases of cerebral palsy, according to a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study indicates that many of the mutations occur randomly and are not inherited from a child’s parents. The new knowledge could help improve the diagnosis of cerebral palsy and lead to future therapies.

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New study addresses a mystery first raised in March: Why do some people with COVID-19 develop severe inflammation? The research shows how the molecular structure and sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could be behind life-threatening inflammatory conditions MIS-C and cytokine storm.

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Researchers at Mass Eye and Ear have developed a unique diagnostic tool called DystoniaNet that uses artificial intelligence to detect dystonia from MRI scans in 0.36 seconds. DystoniaNet is the first technology of its kind to provide an objective diagnosis of the disorder. In a new study of 612 brain MRI scans, the platform diagnosed dystonia with 98.8 percent accuracy.

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UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers reported that genetic testing is cost-effective and beneficial for newly diagnosed patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a rare type of cancer.

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The University at Buffalo has received a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new, portable breast-imaging system that has the potential to better identify breast cancer.

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Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that blocking the construction of nuclear pores complexes—large channels that control the flow of materials in and out of the cell nucleus—shrank aggressive tumors in mice while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The study, published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, reveals a new Achilles heel for cancer that may lead to better treatments for deadly tumors such as melanoma, leukemia and colorectal cancer.

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New findings about body fat help explain the differing health risks men and women face – and set the stage for better, more targeted treatments.

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In the first of its kind for the tiniest stroke survivors, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) will lead a stroke rehabilitation clinical trial in the state of Texas through a multi-institutional NIH StrokeNet initiative.

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Imagine this: A patient learns that they are losing their sight because an eye disease has damaged crucial cells in their retina. Then, under the care of their doctor, they simply grow some new retinal cells, restoring their vision. Although science hasn’t yet delivered this happy ending, researchers are working on it – with help from the humble zebrafish. When a zebrafish loses its retinal cells, it grows new ones. This observation has encouraged scientists to try hacking the zebrafish’s innate regenerative capacity to learn how to treat human disease. That is why among the National Eye Institute’s 1,200 active research projects, nearly 80 incorporate zebrafish.

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Imagine this: A patient learns that they are losing their sight because an eye disease has damaged crucial cells in their retina. Then, under the care of their doctor, they simply grow some new retinal cells, restoring their vision. Although science hasn’t yet delivered this happy ending, researchers are working on it – with help from the humble zebrafish. When a zebrafish loses its retinal cells, it grows new ones. This observation has encouraged scientists to try hacking the zebrafish’s innate regenerative capacity to learn how to treat human disease. That is why among the National Eye Institute’s 1,200 active research projects, nearly 80 incorporate zebrafish.

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Mouth lesions are among the main early indicators of oral cancer, but determining whether a sore is actually malignant typically involves painful, costly biopsies. Case Western Reserve researchers think they have a better idea—and the National Institutes of Health has given them $420,000 to advance it.

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The NIH has awarded NYU College of Dentistry researchers Nigel Bunnett, PhD, and Brian Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, a $3.9 million grant to study targeting endosomal receptors for the treatment of chronic pain. The five-year grant will support Bunnett and Schmidt’s collaborative research, which aims to ultimately yield improved pain management without the need for opioids.

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A collaborative team of researchers from the United Kingdom and the Beaumont Research Institute in Royal Oak, Michigan have been awarded more than $1.67 million by the National Institute on Aging, a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to study the link between dementia and post-operative delirium.

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Yale Cancer Center researchers were awarded a five-year, $11.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund the Yale Head and Neck Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence.

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In a new study, researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) report that a protein called TL1A drives fibrosis in several mouse models, triggering tissue remodeling, and making it harder for lungs and airways to function normally.

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DALLAS – Sept. 24, 2020 – Two studies led by UT Southwestern researchers shed light on the biology and potential vulnerabilities of schistosomes – parasitic flatworms that cause the little-known tropical disease schistosomiasis. The findings, published online today in Science, could change the course of this disease that kills up to 250,000 people a year.

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The University of New Hampshire will receive $1.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will further molecular research to better understand drug interactions at the cellular level and help lead to the development of new targeted drugs to treat wide-spread metabolic, growth, neurological and visual disorders including diabetes and cancer.

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Researchers have recently shed light on how cell membrane proteins could be influenced by the lipids around them. By developing a novel type of membrane model, they were able to show that the shape and behavior of a protein can be altered by exposure to different lipid compositions. The research team confirmed the artificial membrane’s structure using x-ray and neutron scattering at the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Brookhaven (BNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL).

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In this research, the investigators studied the effect of TDF/FTC in patients who were using the drug to prevent HIV, and in the absence of active HIV infection. The researchers observed patients over the past five years and also included data from two earlier studies.

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Inside human cells, proteins and RNA can cluster together to form spherical droplets that play vital roles in cellular processes as well as in certain human diseases. A $2 million grant will allow biophysicist Priya Banerjee's team at UB to explore the molecular details of protein-RNA condensates.

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Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) are using a novel MRI technique known as magnetic resonance neurography, or MRN, to study Parsonage-Turner Syndrome (PTS), a painful nerve disorder that can lead to severe weakness and paralysis.

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A national research initiative announced today will place the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the forefront of a revolution in imaging fostered by cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography - technologies that can illuminate life at the atomic scale.

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In a new University of California, Irvine-led study, researchers have discovered how regulatory T cells (Treg) are instrumental in limiting the damage caused to the spinal cord in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS).

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in a study with potential impacts on a variety of neurological diseases, Virginia Tech researchers have provided the first experimental evidence from a living organism to show that an abundant, star-shaped brain cell known as an astrocyte is essential for blood-brain barrier health.

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For patients with advanced solid cancers and KRAS G12C mutations, the targeted therapy sotorasib, a KRAS G12C inhibitor, resulted in manageable toxicities and durable clinical benefits, particularly in lung and colorectal cancer, in Phase I study

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For the first time, scientists at UNC-Chapel Hill and Stanford solved the high-resolution structure of psychedelic drugs bound to the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, a major step toward understanding how the drugs cause such wild effects and how they might be better used to treat psychiatric conditions.

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A team led by researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute has secured $10.4 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute to explore at the molecular level the differences in glioblastoma between males and females.

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A novel approach to delivering gene therapy for retinal diseases eliminates the need for complex eye surgery and treats more damaged cells than existing methods, a team of UC Davis physicians and veterinary eye specialists has found.

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In the earliest hours of your embryonic status, cells were developing and multiplying, critical processes were starting up, networks were connecting and genetic codes — for better or worse — were directing the whole project. That early development is the focus of University of Delaware biologist Shuo Wei's research. Now his work has won more than $1.8 million in support from the National Institutes of Health.

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St. Jude researchers capture the structure of PARP enzymes at work, leading to a new understanding of DNA repair that may aid cancer treatments targeting the process.

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Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Camino Pharma, LLC and University of California San Diego School of Medicine have been awarded an $11.4 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance a novel drug candidate for nicotine addiction into first-in-human Phase 1 studies. The drug targets a neuronal signaling pathway underlying addictive behaviors, and would be a first-in-class medication to help people quit smoking.

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UCLA researchers and their colleagues from two other institutions have been awarded a $52 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to lead an international study to better understand the cause and effect of schizophrenia in high-risk youth.

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A University of Illinois Chicago research study on how to improve care for heart disease patients struggling with hopelessness has been supplemented by the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to determine whether the study intervention called “Heart Up!” limits the negative impact of COVID-19 shelter-in-place and physical distancing measures on health outcomes.