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Why some sperm swim in circles – it’s a protein defect

A new study published in the journal PNAS shows that some sperm cannot swim straight because they lack a protein called VSP. This motility defect seriously impacts the rates of successful fertilization. In addition, VSP is also found to regulate the amount of calcium that enters the flagellum, the whiplike organelle that propels the sperm towards the waiting ovum or egg. This important discovery may help treat infertility more effectively.

3 Dec 2019

“Tic-Tac-Toe” tackles Alzheimer’s disease

Drawing on multiple scientific disciplines, a new team is gearing up for a fresh onslaught on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the extremely common age-related condition associated with loss of memory and disability.

3 Dec 2019

Novel approach to reach the most difficult-to-access physiological locations

A team led by Professor Sylvain Martel at the Polytechnique Montréal Nanorobotics Laboratory has developed a novel approach to tackling one of the biggest challenges of endovascular surgery: how to reach the most difficult-to-access physiological locations.

3 Dec 2019

Newer safer way to effectively treat deadly brain cancer

A new engineering solution may help deliver tumor killing drugs directly to the brain tumor without the toxic body effects of systemic chemotherapy. The new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports reports on the use of coaxial electrospinning, an industrial fabrication technology, in the production of membranes that incorporate drugs to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive cancer of the brain.

3 Dec 2019

New screening method can rapidly discover potential cancer-treating compounds

Scientists at Scripps Research have developed a method for rapidly discovering potential cancer-treating compounds that work by resurrecting anti-tumor activity in immune cells called T cells.

3 Dec 2019

Dynamics of crucial immune system proteins revealed

Of the many marvels of the human immune system, the processing of antigens by the class I proteins of the major histocompatability complex (MHC-I) is among the most mind-boggling. Exactly how these proteins carry out their crucial functions has not been well understood.

3 Dec 2019

Using genomics to identify promising novel treatment for lymphatic filariasis

Using innovative RNA sequencing techniques, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute for Genome Sciences identified a promising novel treatment for lymphatic filariasis, a disabling parasitic disease that is difficult to treat.

3 Dec 2019

Zebrafish study supports accuracy of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool

Along with the promise that CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology can offer new human therapies is the need to ensure its safety. A recent study showed that CRISPR-Cas9 did not produce off-target gene mutations in zebrafish. These results, published in Frontiers in Genetics, confirm previous data in animal models that the risk to the rest of the genome from gene editing is minimal.

3 Dec 2019

Failure in proteasome transportation system may cause neurodegenerative diseases

All neurodegenerative diseases have a common thread: the appearance of protein clumps in the brain such as amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer's disease and alpha synuclein aggregates in Parkinson's.

3 Dec 2019

Isolated components of Saussurea have positive effect on bone tissue regeneration

Saussurea controversa is a perennial herbaceous plant that has been traditionally used by the people of the Far East, Siberia, Tibet, and Mongolia to treat liver, kidney, digestive tract, and locomotive diseases. Its dried leaves are sold in pharmacies because their decoction is widely used as a medicine against cold and bronchitis. To understand what substances this plant owes its medicinal properties to, a team of scientists from Siberian State Medical University and Tomsk Polytechnic University extracted individual components from the plant and determined their composition.

3 Dec 2019

New treatment approach could improve outcomes for people with cystic fibrosis

A new approach to treating people with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been shown to reduce inflammation, which has the potential to reduce the need for lung transplants and lower the risk of death.

3 Dec 2019

Spinal implants could one day restore the ability to stand, walk in patients with paralysis

When Vivian Mushahwar first applied to grad school, she wrote about her idea to fix paralysis by rewiring the spinal cord.

3 Dec 2019

Homeless people experience a high lifetime prevalence of traumatic brain injury

People who are homeless experience a disproportionately high lifetime prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a new UBC-led study published today in The Lancet Public Health.

3 Dec 2019

Reducing STAT demand can improve patient care, suggests new study

While a lab test might be ordered STAT to help save a life, a new study suggests that the STAT test order should rest in peace, and instead the time standard for most clinical lab tests, like the commonly requested complete blood count, or CBC, should be more efficient.

3 Dec 2019

Virome analysis reveals clues for increased risk of type 1 diabetes in children

New results from The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young study show an association between prolonged enterovirus infection and the development of autoimmunity to the insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells that precedes type 1 diabetes.

2 Dec 2019

New study uncovers multiple effects of little-known DNA repair protein

Injury and repair are part of the normal life cycle of any tissue or organ in the human body. However, if macroscopic tears or breaks occur in the bones or joints, for instance, the effects are immediately perceptible. Not so with chromosomes, which contain the DNA of life. Both extremely valuable and extremely fragile, DNA is the focus of highly efficient repair proteins.

2 Dec 2019

Inbreeding between royalty led to facial defects

The royal dynasty that ruled huge Spanish and Austrian territories over the last century was called the Habsburgs and were famous for more than their imperial majesty. The “Habsburg jaw”, a facial condition that afflicted these kings and queens, was well known. Now a new study says that this facial dysmorphism was due to inbreeding. The study was published in the Annals of Human Biology.

2 Dec 2019

Consortium launches ambitious project to transform the treatment of pain

In an effort to address the critical public health need for new, safer and more effective medicines to treat pain, a consortium based at the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School has launched an ambitious project titled STOP PAIN (Safe Therapeutic Options for Pain and Inflammation).

2 Dec 2019

People who eat bushmeat may be at risk of contracting life-threatening diseases

People who eat wildebeests, wart hogs and other wild African animals may be at risk for contracting potentially life-threatening diseases, according to an international team of researchers.

2 Dec 2019

Researchers study link between persistent concussion symptoms and recovery outcomes in children

Sleep problems, fatigue and attention difficulties in the weeks after a child's concussion injury could be a sign of reduced brain function and decreased grey matter.

2 Dec 2019