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Growing eggs and sperm to treat infertility

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, have reported, in the journal Cell Reports, the mechanism of how the very early precursor or stem cells which eventually give rise to the germ cells, eggs and sperm, are formed over the course of development. This could help create eggs and sperms under laboratory conditions to help infertile people who don’t have sperms, or eggs, for instance.

9 Feb 2020

Fingerprint test can identify cocaine users

Cocaine is a powerful and addictive stimulant made from coca plant leaves, which is native to South America. In the past urine and saliva tests are used to detect cocaine use. Now, a new fingerprint test can detect whether people have taken the drug or just handled it.

9 Feb 2020

Robot that can draw blood in humans

Soon, robots can take blood samples that can benefit both patients and healthcare workers, thanks to a new blood-sampling robot. A few years back, it was developed but was only tested on plastic arms. Now, the robot has been successfully trialed on live humans.

9 Feb 2020

Study identifies potential drug target and way to alleviate cerebral malaria

Scientists have identified a key molecule involved in the development of cerebral malaria, a deadly form of the tropical disease. The study identifies a potential drug target and way forward toward alleviating this condition for which few targeted treatments are available.

9 Feb 2020

CSU researchers uncover new information on replication of viruses

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Colorado State University has used computational chemistry, biochemistry and virology to uncover new information on how viruses such as West Nile, dengue and Zika replicate.

9 Feb 2020

St. Jude's researchers receive ACGT grant to tackle challenges of pediatric sarcomas

An innovative approach to tackling the challenges of pediatric sarcomas is being pursued by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, Tennessee) with a new grant from Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy.

9 Feb 2020

Researchers identify involvement of certain cortical areas in the loss of control over food intake

Researchers at UPF, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Mainz (Germany), the Center for Genomic Regulation, Instituto Cajal, Johannes Gutenberg University (Germany), the Autonomous University Barcelona and Hospital del Mar have identified for the first time the involvement of certain cortical areas in the brain in the loss of control over food intake.

9 Feb 2020

Developing new approaches to fight against multi-resistant pathogens

Developing fundamentally new approaches against multi-resistant germs: This is the goal of the new Bavarian research network bayresq.net which started in January 2020.

9 Feb 2020

Powerful vaccine could boost the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy

Supercharging the mutation rate in cancer cells can create a powerful vaccine that is able to boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy, a major new study reports.

9 Feb 2020

Research provides new insights into molecular basis of X-chromosome inactivation

Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg and Institut Curie in Paris have shown that the protein SPEN plays a crucial role in the process of X-chromosome inactivation, whereby female mammalian embryos silence gene expression on one of their two X chromosomes.

7 Feb 2020

Longer commute time associated with greater exposure to carcinogens in car seats

The longer your commute, the more you're exposed to a chemical flame retardant that is a known carcinogen and was phased out of furniture use because it required a Proposition 65 warning label in California.

7 Feb 2020

Researchers develop a new way of making bone-replacement materials

A new way of making bone-replacement materials that allows for cells to grow around and inside them has been developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

6 Feb 2020

CD19 CAR NK cell therapy clinical trial shows encouraging results for hematologic cancers

According to results from a Phase I/IIa trial at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, treatment with cord blood-derived chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (NK)-cell therapy targeting CD19 resulted in clinical responses in a majority of patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with no major toxicities observed.

6 Feb 2020

Tiny portable lab plugs into your phone to diagnose infectious diseases

Engineers with the University of Cincinnati have created a tiny portable lab that plugs into your phone, connecting it automatically to a doctor's office through a custom app UC developed.

6 Feb 2020

CDC diagnostic coronavirus test gets FDA emergency approval

In the light of the ongoing novel coronavirus epidemic in China, the US Food and Drug Administration has granted approval of a diagnostic test for use in emergency situations (emergency use authorization or EUA). The viral infection has spread to many different and distant parts of the world, involving over 25,000 people and causing nearly 600 deaths since it started in December 2019.

6 Feb 2020

Purdue-developed 'fluorescent markers' begin Phase 3 clinical trials

On Target Laboratories Inc., a privately held biotechnology company developing the use of Purdue University-discovered fluorescent markers to target and illuminate cancer during surgery, has announced the results of a multi-institutional Phase 2 clinical trial in which outcomes were improved for 26% of patients undergoing pulmonary resection for non-small-cell lung cancer.

6 Feb 2020

2019-nCoV: Infectious virus can be isolated from nose, throat swabs of patients with mild symptoms

Laboratory testing by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology and Munich Clinic Schwabing has revealed that infectious virus can be isolated from nose and throat swabs even where these have been obtained from patients with mild symptoms.

6 Feb 2020

Researchers compile large catalog of cancer mutations

Mutations in 38 different types of cancer have been mapped by means of whole genome analysis by an international team of researchers from, amongst others, the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital, and Rigshospitalet.

6 Feb 2020

Experimental fingerprint test can accurately identify traces of cocaine on human skin

An experimental fingerprint detection approach can identify traces of cocaine on human skin, even after someone has washed their hands - and the test is also smart enough to tell whether an individual has actually consumed the class A drug, or simply handled it.

6 Feb 2020