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Northwestern scientists identify key genes behind Parkinson's development

A longstanding mystery in Parkinson's disease research has been why some individuals carrying pathogenic variants that increase their risk of PD go on to develop the disease, while others who also carry such variants do not.

11 Apr 2025

Decoding the enzymatic breakdown of alginates for green biotechnology

Every year, thousands of tonnes of brown algae are extracted from the seabed to obtain compounds such as alginates, a polymer composed of sugars that has high density and strength, offering potential biotechnological applications.

11 Apr 2025

Bacteria engineered for remote sensing through color signatures

Bacteria can be engineered to sense a variety of molecules, such as pollutants or soil nutrients. In most cases, however, these signals can only be detected by looking at the cells under a microscope or similarly sensitive lab equipment, making them impractical for large-scale use.

11 Apr 2025

New assay detects epigenetic changes caused by carcinogenic chemicals

Chemicals used as food preservatives, flavoring agents, dyes, pesticides, cosmetics, cleaners, and other industrial materials are being increasingly recognized as a health hazard.

10 Apr 2025

Breakthrough in chicken genomics offers hope against avian influenza

An international team of researchers led by Professor Huaijun Zhou from the UC Davis Department of Animal Science has created the first-ever detailed map of how genes are regulated in chickens - a breakthrough that could help scientists breed birds that are more resistant to diseases like avian influenza.

10 Apr 2025

Alcohol reshapes reward learning differently in male and female rats

Chronic alcohol exposure causes lasting impairments in decision-making in male rats, altering how the brain processes reward-based learning. A new study reveals sex-specific neural changes in the striatum, with female rats showing resilience despite altered brain activity.

10 Apr 2025

Researchers uncover a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders

A seminal study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their collaborators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Iceland has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

10 Apr 2025

New antibiotic compound emerges as strong candidate in the fight against MRSA

The development of new antibiotics to treat superbugs and other bacterial infections is a global priority, with the rate of infections that cannot be treated with current antibiotics rising and presenting one of the biggest threats to human health.

10 Apr 2025

Rapid growth of blood cancer driven by a single genetic ‘HIT’

A new study has unveiled when chronic myeloid leukaemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, arises in life and how fast it grows.

10 Apr 2025

Study overcomes chemotherapy limitations with lipid nanoparticles

Announcing a new article publication for the BIO Integration journal. Lipid-based Nanoparticles (LBNPs) have emerged as a transformative approach in cancer treatment, offering innovative drug delivery solutions that enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse effects.

10 Apr 2025

AI-powered digital twin of mouse visual cortex

Much as a pilot might practice maneuvers in a flight simulator, scientists might soon be able to perform experiments on a realistic simulation of the mouse brain. In a new study, Stanford Medicine researchers and collaborators used an artificial intelligence model to build a "digital twin" of the part of the mouse brain that processes visual information.

10 Apr 2025

New insights into how myasthenia gravis antibodies disrupt muscle function

People who suffer from the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis experience muscle weakness that can affect any of the muscles we use to blink, smile or even move our body around.

9 Apr 2025

Largest study of osteoarthritis genetics uncovers new drug targets

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability and chronic pain worldwide, affecting an estimated 595 million people globally.

9 Apr 2025

Breakthrough molecule offers hope for treating rare mitochondrial diseases

A medical breakthrough could result in the first treatment for rare but serious diseases in which genetic defects disrupt cellular energy production.

9 Apr 2025

Smaller hatching embryos more likely to be genetically healthy

A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 3, on March 5, 2025, titled "Reproductive aging, preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, and the diameter of blastocysts: does size matter?"

9 Apr 2025

MSC-derived extracellular vesicles show promise in treating high-dose radiation injuries

A new study in the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells and Development highlights the potential of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a therapeutic strategy for high-dose radiation injuries by promoting hematopoietic recovery and improving survival.

9 Apr 2025

Scientists stop long-COVID symptoms in mice using a new antiviral compound

Australian scientists developed a novel antiviral that targets the SARS-CoV-2 PLpro enzyme, showing strong preclinical efficacy in reducing both acute and long COVID symptoms in mice.

9 Apr 2025

Genetic fusion drives unexpectedly fast growth in chronic myeloid leukemia

A new study has unveiled when chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, arises in life and how fast it grows.

9 Apr 2025

Genetic breakthrough in psychiatry using long-read genomic sequencing

In a manuscript published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry titled Long-Read Genome Sequencing in Clinical Psychiatry: RFX3 Haploinsufficiency in a Hospitalized Adolescent With Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Behavioral Decompensation, authors describe how they leveraged long-read genomic sequencing (LRS) to make a genetic diagnosis in a17-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and acute behavioral decompensation that would not have been possible by standard methods.

9 Apr 2025

New STITCHR tool offers a promising step forward for gene therapy

Investigators from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed STITCHR, a new gene editing tool that can insert therapeutic genes into specific locations without causing unwanted mutations.

9 Apr 2025