Cell Biology

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Breakthrough discovery could boost stem-cell transplants by improving cell mobilization

A discovery by a three-member Albert Einstein College of Medicine research team may boost the effectiveness of stem-cell transplants, commonly used for patients with cancer, blood disorders, or autoimmune diseases caused by defective stem cells, which produce all the body's different blood cells.

8 Aug 2024

ProDOL revolutionizes protein quantification in living cells

Scientists have developed a new way of counting labeled proteins in living cells that could become a standard and valuable tool in the field of biomedical research.

8 Aug 2024

How C. elegans uses smell to preemptively guard against pathogen attacks

Many organisms react to the smell of deadly pathogens by reflexively avoiding them. But a recent study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that the nematode C. elegans also reacts to the odor of pathogenic bacteria by preparing its intestinal cells to withstand a potential onslaught.

7 Aug 2024

New treatment boosts pluripotent stem cell production in mice

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) have discovered a treatment which accelerates the production and quality of pluripotent stem cells in mice.

7 Aug 2024

Breakthrough study highlights ATM activation by DNA single-strand breaks

New research from a team of genome scientists and DNA damage response experts breaks new ground in understanding the function of a protein currently limited in clinical trials for cancer treatments.

7 Aug 2024

Ribosomes in cells play a crucial role in protein folding

Scientists at UCL have discovered a novel role played by ribosomes during the folding of new proteins in cells, described in their paper in Nature.

7 Aug 2024

Understanding the age gap in leukemia survival rates

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) affects both children and adults, but children have better chances to be cured, with long-term survival rates over 85% compared to 50-75% in adults. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital conducted a comprehensive study to understand the biological causes driving this difference. The work, published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, provides a blueprint for understanding B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common form of the disease.

7 Aug 2024

METRNL protein identified as key player in cancer progression

A protein called Meteorin-like (METRNL) in the tumor microenvironment saps energy from T cells, thereby severely limiting their ability to fight cancer, according to new research directed by investigators at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Finding ways to block the effects of METRNL signaling on tumor-infiltrating T cells may allow these immune cells to regain the energy necessary to eliminate tumors.

7 Aug 2024

The interplay of liver cancer stem cells and immune cells in tumor microenvironment

The complex dynamics between liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) are central to the progression of liver cancer. These interactions are critical in creating an immunosuppressive setting that significantly impacts the response to immunotherapy. Liver CSCs, responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and recurrence, exhibit heterogeneity and are characterized by various surface markers that contribute to their stemness and metastatic potential.

7 Aug 2024

Measuring blood plasma viscosity in COVID-19 using Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy

A research team led by MedUni Vienna has shown in a study that purely optical measurements of the viscosity of blood plasma may provide information about the severity and progression of COVID-19.

6 Aug 2024

Revolutionary real-time microscopy unveils secrets of motor protein behavior

A team led by Professor Seo Dae-ha of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST (President Lee Kun-woo) has developed new real-time microscopy technology and successfully observed the behavior of "motor proteins", which may hold the key to unraveling the efficient material transport strategy of cells.

2 Aug 2024

Advanced imaging techniques shed light on single cells

Every plant, animal, and person is a rich microcosm of tiny, specialized cells. These cells are worlds unto themselves, each with their own unique parts and processes that elude the naked eye.

2 Aug 2024

How machine learning is accelerating research in structural biology

For Lucas Farnung, there is no question more fascinating than how a single fertilized egg develops into a fully-functioning human.

2 Aug 2024

Mast cells found to capture and employ neutrophils during allergic reactions

Known for their role in allergic reactions, mast cells have long been recognised as key players in our immune system.

2 Aug 2024

Study reveals how coinfecting phages impede each other’s entry into bacterial cells

The process by which phages-;viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria-;enter cells has been studied for over 50 years.

2 Aug 2024

Single-cell RNA sequencing sheds light on stroke-induced brain damage

Strokes lead to irreversible damage to the brain and are one of the most common causes of dependency or death.

1 Aug 2024

Novel anti-tuberculosis compound targets bacterial membrane protein

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have together succeeded in identifying and synthesizing a group of molecules that can act against the cause of tuberculosis in a new way. In the scientific journal Cell Chemical Biology, they describe that the so-called callyaerins act against the infectious disease by employing a fundamentally different mechanism compared to antibiotic agents used to date.

1 Aug 2024

Microbes play key role in carcinogenesis

At any given time, over 10 trillion microbes call our guts their home. From breaking down nutrients in our food to strengthening our immunity against pathogens, these microbes play an essential role in how we interact with the world. This includes – as shown in a new study by EMBL researchers and collaborators at the University of Split, Croatia – the way the body responds to carcinogens and develops cancer.

1 Aug 2024

Salk Institute receives CIRM funding for stem cell research on aging and neurodegeneration

The Salk Institute was awarded $3.6 million by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), one of the world's largest institutions dedicated to regenerative medicine.

31 Jul 2024

MD Anderson and collaborators initiate space project to explore T cell behavior in microgravity

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and collaborators are initiating a research project that will send T cells to the International Space Station (ISS) to study the effects of prolonged microgravity on cell differentiation, activation, memory and exhaustion.

31 Jul 2024