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Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Studying a new type of pinhead-size, lab-grown brain made with technology first suggested by three high school students, Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed a key way in which Zika virus causes microcephaly and other damage in fetal brains: by infecting specialized stem cells that build its outer layer, the cortex.

25 Apr 2016

Differences in timing of stem cells turning into cartilage play major role in shaping the face

Timing is everything when it comes to the development of the vertebrate face. In a new study published in PLoS Genetics, USC Stem Cell researcher Lindsey Barske from the laboratory of Gage Crump and her colleagues identify the roles of key molecular signals that control this critical timing.

25 Apr 2016

Immunology experts aim to develop point-of-care test for early detection of Lyme disease

As part of the EU "ID Lyme" project, the infection immunology working group at the Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology at the Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology at the Medical University of Vienna is working on developing of a new test for early detection of Lyme disease (borreliosis).

25 Apr 2016

First breakthrough in gene therapy against aging

In September 2015, then 44 year-old CEO of BioViva USA Inc. Elizabeth Parrish received two of her own company's experimental gene therapies: one to protect against loss of muscle mass with age, another to battle stem cell depletion responsible for diverse age-related diseases and infirmities.

25 Apr 2016

Researchers develop real-time single molecule electronic DNA sequencing platform

Researchers from Columbia University, with colleagues at Genia Technologies, Harvard University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology report achieving real-time single molecule electronic DNA sequencing at single-base resolution using a protein nanopore array.

25 Apr 2016

Sleep loss influences cholesterol metabolism, study finds

Lack of sleep has previously been found to impact the activation of the immune system, inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism and the hormones that regulate appetite. Now University of Helsinki researchers have found that sleep loss also influences cholesterol metabolism.

22 Apr 2016

Infant BMI better predicts early childhood obesity

Babies with a high body mass index (BMI) at age two months are at risk for obesity at age two years, say pediatric researchers. The authors, in an online study published today in Pediatrics, say that BMI better predicts early childhood obesity than weight-for-length, the current standard measurement.

22 Apr 2016

New molecule-building method may have great impact on pharmaceutical industry

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have devised a new molecule-building method that is likely to have a major impact on the pharmaceutical industry and many other chemistry-based enterprises.

22 Apr 2016

Study paves way for refining antibody-based cancer immunotherapy

A study coordinated by the Malmberg Laboratory at Oslo University Hospital/University of Oslo and the Karolinska Institute, published in Cell Reports, reveals a molecule that trigger cancer recognition in natural killer (NK) cells.

22 Apr 2016

Modifying nutritional intake may improve sleep

A review of 21 studies that analyzed the effectiveness of modifying nutritional intake as a treatment for improving sleep found mixed results, as reported in the article "Systematic Review of Dietary Interventions Targeting Sleep Behavior (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2015.0238)" in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2015.0238) website until May 21, 2016.

22 Apr 2016

Infected mice can be better models for human diseases

Vaccines and therapeutics developed using mice often don't work as expected in humans. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis points to the near-sterile surroundings of laboratory mice as a key reason.

21 Apr 2016

TSRI chemists develop new method to achieve chemical reaction in pharmaceutical industry

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a new and better way to achieve a chemical reaction that is used widely in the pharmaceutical as well as flavor and fragrance industries.

21 Apr 2016

Blocking IL-1 signalling molecule could alleviate asthma symptoms

Scientists have made a discovery that could lead to improved treatment for asthma sufferers.They have found that blocking a certain signalling molecule can alleviate symptoms such as mucus production, swelling (edema), and constriction of the airways in the lungs.

21 Apr 2016

Better way to model human immune system

Scientists at the University of Minnesota have developed a new way to study mice that better mimics the immune system of adult humans and which could significantly improve ways to test potential therapeutics. Published online today in the journal Nature, the researchers describe the limitations of laboratory mice for immunology research and reveal the benefits of what they are calling "dirty mice."

21 Apr 2016

Caltech researchers map out pathways of neurons responsible for Parkinson's motor impairments

Because billions of neurons are packed into our brain, the neuronal circuits that are responsible for controlling our behaviors are by necessity highly intermingled. This tangled web makes it complicated for scientists to determine exactly which circuits do what. Now, using two laboratory techniques pioneered in part at Caltech, Caltech researchers have mapped out the pathways of a set of neurons responsible for the kinds of motor impairments--such as difficulty walking--found in patients with Parkinson's disease.

21 Apr 2016

Hot packs or hot-water immersion may be effective in treating jellyfish stings

A recent study by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, published this month in the journal Toxins, may finally put to rest the ongoing debate about whether to use cold or heat to treat jellyfish stings. Their systematic and critical review provides overwhelming evidence that clinical outcomes from all kinds of jellyfish stings are improved following treatment with hot packs or hot-water immersion.

21 Apr 2016

New diagnostic approach may help physicians more efficiently screen for dementia

A tiered diagnostic approach that incorporates clinical, imaging and laboratory data may help physicians more efficiently screen for neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, according to the consensus of a multi-disciplinary panel of experts.

From Quest Diagnostics 21 Apr 2016

Angola' health officials extend vaccination campaign for yellow fever to Huambo and Benguela provinces

As Angola grapples with its worst yellow fever outbreak in decades, the Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization and partners have extended the vaccination campaign beyond the capital Luanda into Huambo and Benguela – 2 of the other 5 provinces reporting local transmission.

21 Apr 2016

LAP defects may lead to lupus-like autoimmune disorder

A casual observation about size differences in mice has led to the discovery that defects in a process for digesting dead cells called LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) may lead to a lupus-like autoimmune disorder. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the research, which appears as an advance online publication today in the scientific journal Nature.

21 Apr 2016

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine have developed one of the first mouse models for the study of Zika virus. The model will allow researchers to better understand how the virus causes disease and aid in the development of antiviral compounds and vaccines.

20 Apr 2016

Laboratory News and Research

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Differences in timing of stem cells turning into cartilage play major role in shaping the face

Immunology experts aim to develop point-of-care test for early detection of Lyme disease

First breakthrough in gene therapy against aging

Researchers develop real-time single molecule electronic DNA sequencing platform

Sleep loss influences cholesterol metabolism, study finds

Infant BMI better predicts early childhood obesity

New molecule-building method may have great impact on pharmaceutical industry

Study paves way for refining antibody-based cancer immunotherapy

Modifying nutritional intake may improve sleep

Infected mice can be better models for human diseases

TSRI chemists develop new method to achieve chemical reaction in pharmaceutical industry

Blocking IL-1 signalling molecule could alleviate asthma symptoms

Better way to model human immune system

Caltech researchers map out pathways of neurons responsible for Parkinson's motor impairments

Hot packs or hot-water immersion may be effective in treating jellyfish stings

New diagnostic approach may help physicians more efficiently screen for dementia

Angola' health officials extend vaccination campaign for yellow fever to Huambo and Benguela provinces

LAP defects may lead to lupus-like autoimmune disorder

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

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