Sickle cell therapies, access, history — - Maryn McKenna, Scientific American
Newswise Expert QueriesSickle cell therapies, access, history — For a piece pegged to the approval of gene therapies
In APL Bioengineering, researchers used a breast cancer cell line panel and primary tumor explants from breast and cervical cancer patients to examine two different cellular contractility modes: one that generates collective tissue surface tension that keeps cell clusters compact and another, more directional, contractility that enables cells to pull themselves into the extracellular matrix.
Understanding how mucus changes, and what it changes in response to, can help diagnose illnesses and develop treatments. In APL Bioengineering, researchers develop a system to grow mucus-producing intestinal cells and study the characteristics of the mucus in different conditions.
Through BGSU Online, Herschend employees will be able to enroll in the one-of-a-kind Resort and Attraction Management program and can continue working while completing their degree
Globus, the de facto standard platform for research IT, announced multi-user support for Globus Compute, a service that enables reliable, scalable, and high performance remote function execution, and delivers the same “fire-and-forget” capabilities for computation as the Globus core platform does for data management.
Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a nanoparticle that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Their goal is to kill primary breast cancer tumors and brain metastases in one treatment.
Research to Prevent Blindness is pleased to announce that it has opened a new round of grant funding for high-impact vision research, including research related to glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, inherited retinal diseases, myopia, amblyopia, low vision and many more.
A national survey led by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago found that parents have insufficient knowledge of newborn screening in general and of cystic fibrosis (CF) in particular.
The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) today announced its publishing partnership with Oxford University Press (OUP). OUP will publish the AAI journals, The Journal of Immunology (The JI) and ImmunoHorizons (IH), beginning in 2025.
Today the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), one of the world’s largest organizations of immunologists and scientists in related disciplines, is proud to announce the launch of its new brand identity.
The Wistar Institute assistant professor Dr. Filippo Veglia has discovered a key mechanism of how glioblastoma — a serious and often fatal brain cancer — suppresses the immune system so that the tumor can grow unimpeded by the body’s defenses.
Working with human breast and lung cells, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have charted a molecular pathway that can lure cells down a hazardous path of duplicating their genome too many times, a hallmark of cancer cells.
• Two complementary research articles, published simultaneously in the journals Science and Cell Stem Cell by a team of scientists from the UPF and IRB Barcelona, reveal that central and peripheral circadian clocks coordinate to regulate the daily activity of skin and muscles. • The coordination between the two clocks (central and peripheral) guarantees 50% of the circadian functions of tissues, including vital processes such as the cell cycle, DNA repair, mitochondrial activity, and metabolism. • Synchronisation between the central brain clock and peripheral ones prevents premature muscle ageing and improves muscle function, suggesting new strategies to tackle age-related decline through circadian rhythm modulation.
From the program’s inception to expected completion in 2035, it will be responsible for creating nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in scholarships
For most smokers, quitting on the first attempt is likely to be unsuccessful, but a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found patients were more likely to quit if their cessation regimen was altered and doses were increased. Researchers also found that varenicline, a cessation medication, was more effective than combined nicotine replacement therapy (CNRT), such as patches or lozenges.
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) affects about one-quarter of reproductive-age women and is linked to adverse health outcomes, such as increased HIV risk. Yet for decades, BV treatment in the United States has largely relied on antibiotics, and BV recurrence is common following antibiotic therapy.
Children and teens may experience nonmotor seizures for months or years before being seen in an emergency department for a more obvious seizure that includes convulsions, according to a study published in the May 1, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers have identified a causal genetic variant strongly associated with childhood obesity. The study provides new insight into the importance of the hypothalamus of the brain and its role in common childhood obesity and the target gene may serve as a druggable target for future therapeutic interventions.
A research team from Tufts University School of Medicine and Massachusetts General Hospital is now reporting evidence that hillocks and their stem cells are physiologically distinct from other cells within the lung and consist of a stratified outer layer of scale-like squamous cells that protect an underlying layer of rapidly expanding basal stem cells that are capable of restoring airway tissue after injury.
Researchers report in ACS Central Science that they have 3D printed a bioink containing plant cells that were then genetically modified, producing programmable materials. Applications could someday include biomanufacturing and sustainable construction.
The American Cancer Society today released a first-of-its-kind Cancer Facts & Figures for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Other Pacific Islander People, 2024-2026. This report shows that despite limited disaggregated data, there is wide variation in the cancer burden among ethnic groups that make up this fast-growing population.
UC Davis study of data from 8500+ ICU patients finds more out-of-bed mobility interventions for critically ill patients were associated with shorter mechanical ventilation duration and hospital stays, suggesting a dose-response relationship between daily mobility and patient outcomes.
A simple blood test could allow doctors to determine whether a person may be at higher risk for stroke or cognitive decline during their lifetime, according to a new UCLA Health study.
Announcement of contents of the May 2024 issue of Neurosurgical Focus
The final United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations, while an improvement over previous guidance, do not go far enough to save more women’s lives. Women at average risk for breast cancer should start annual screening at age 40.
A new type of bioplastic could help reduce the plastic industry’s environmental footprint. Researchers have developed a biodegradable form of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filled with bacterial spores that, when exposed to nutrients present in compost, germinate and break down the material at the end of its life cycle.
One group commonly misunderstood by voice technology are individuals who speak African American English, or AAE.
Sometimes not finding something is just as exciting and useful as finding it. Take hot Jupiter WASP-43 b, for example. This tidally locked world has a searing hot permanent dayside and a somewhat cooler nightside. Astronomers using Webb to map the temperature and analyze the atmosphere around the planet expected to detect methane, a common carbon molecule, on the nightside.
Researchers at the University of Vienna, along with collaborators from France, Germany, Switzerland and the USA, have achieved a major breakthrough in understanding how genetic drivers influence the evolution of a specific photosynthesis mechanism in Tillandsia (air plants). This sheds light on the complex actions that cause plant adaptation and ecological diversity. The results of their study are now published in Plant Cell.
Utilizando el telescopio de Gemini Sur, ubicado en la Región de Coquimbo en Chile, un equipo de astrónomos confirmó por primera vez que las diferencias observadas en las estrellas binarias se deben a las diferencias químicas en la nube de material estelar de la cual se formaron. Los resultados ayudan a explicar por qué las estrellas que nacieron de la misma nube molecular pueden tener una composición química distinta y sistemas planetarios tan diferentes, además de plantear nuevos retos a los modelos actuales de formación estelar y planetaria.
Using the Gemini South telescope a team of astronomers have confirmed for the first time that differences in binary stars’ composition can originate from chemical variations in the cloud of stellar material from which they formed.
A national study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and The University of New Mexico (UNM) Comprehensive Cancer Center found major gaps in breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening use in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the U.S., relative to overall screening rates in the country.
A new study examining the role of aspirin in breast cancer treatment reveals critical issues related to health equity and aging that have broad implications for cancer and other disease intervention trials, say researchers from Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Europe's forests have already been severely affected by climate change. Thousands of hectares of trees have already died due to drought and bark beetles. Scientists from the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Munich have now investigated which trees can be used for reforestation.
Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, a world-renowned immunologist, has been appointed Dean for Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The appointment reaffirms Icahn Mount Sinai’s commitment to pioneering medical progress and catalyzing the rapid advancement of research innovation. Dr. Merad, the Mount Sinai Professor in Cancer Immunology, will also continue to serve as the founding Chair of the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Director of the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute, and Director of the Human Immune Monitoring Center. As Dean, Dr. Merad aims to elevate early clinical trials at Icahn Mount Sinai, streamline the clinical trial process, cultivate a culture of mechanistic clinical trials throughout the campus, and forge stronger partnerships with the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.
An unusual group of stars in the Orion constellation have revealed their secrets. FU Orionis, a double star system, first caught astronomers’ attention in 1936 when the central star suddenly became 1,000 times brighter than usual.
Spinocerebellar ataxia 4 is a devastating progressive movement disorder. A multinational study has now conclusively identified the genetic difference that causes the disease, bringing answers to families and opening the door to future treatments.
Samples reveal evidence of changes experienced by the surface of asteroid Ryugu, some probably due to micrometeoroid bombardment.