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Researchers identify hundreds of new genes linked to blindness in lab mice

Hundreds of new genes linked to blindness and other vision disorders have been identified in a screen of mouse strains. Many of these genes are likely important in human vision and the results could help identify new causes of hereditary blindness in patients.

24 Dec 2018

Cell-free DNA can be used to predict biological age, according to a new study

Scientists have found that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) within in the blood can reflect differences in the age and health of individuals.

21 Dec 2018

Simple protocol rescues stressed liver cells

Isolated human hepatocytes are essential tools in preclinical and clinical liver research, but cell quality is highly variable. Now, researchers from Uppsala University have devised a simple protocol that improves hepatocyte quality and enables cells from a wider quality spectrum to be used in standard and advanced cell culture. The findings are published in Archives of Toxicology.

21 Dec 2018

Scientists uncover direct link between brain cell size and IQ level

Scientists working within the Human Brain Project have for the first time uncovered a direct relation between brain cell size and IQ level.

21 Dec 2018

Moving from Glass Slides to Whole-Slide Digital Imaging

In this interview conducted at SfN 2018, Susan Tappan explains the benefits of whole slide imaging and how MBF have collaborated with Huron to achieve repeatable whole slide imaging workflows.

From MBF Bioscience 21 Dec 2018

Researchers reveal novel mechanism for sperm stem cell number control

The steady production of sperm relies on the number of sperm stem cells in the testis remaining constant. Researchers including Asst. Prof. Yu Kitadate and Prof. Shosei Yoshida and Prof. Benjamin Simons have revealed a novel mechanism for stem cell number control.

21 Dec 2018

Change in genome of Caucasians could explain higher rates of esophageal cancer

A change in the genome of Caucasians could explain much-higher rates of the most common type of esophageal cancer in this population, a new study finds.

21 Dec 2018

New project develops more efficient treatment approaches for cardiovascular diseases

Within the framework of a European collaborative research project, Oliver Müller, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Kiel University and Consultant at the Department of Internal Medicine III, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, will receive 1.4 million Euros for the project "CardioReGenix: Development of Next-Generation Gene Therapies for Cardiovascular Disease".

21 Dec 2018

Biologists discover how protein clumps damage cells in Parkinson's disease

Biologists studying Parkinson's disease have long hoped to solve the mystery of the telltale "clumps." Scientists want to know how clumps of misfolded proteins damage brain cells and contribute to the disease.

21 Dec 2018

Elegant, low-cost approach enhances single-cell RNA sequencing

Droplet microfluidics has revolutionized single-cell RNA sequencing, offering a low-cost, high-throughput method for single-cell genomics. However, this method has been limited in its ability to capture complete RNA transcription information.

20 Dec 2018

Study lays foundation for addressing unresolved questions in human aging

Doctors have long observed that biological age and chronological age are not always one and the same. A 55-year-old may exhibit many signs of old age and have numerous age-related diseases, whereas an 80-year-old may be healthy and robust.

20 Dec 2018

Study reveals how Parkinson's disease protein 'buys time' for cell repair

Australian researchers have discovered how a protein linked to Parkinson's disease may protect cells such as neurons in the brain.

20 Dec 2018

Molecule discovery could hold the key to novel gene therapies for skin problems

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have discovered a protein that could hold the key to novel gene therapies for skin problems including psoriasis - a common, chronic skin disease that affects over 100 million people worldwide.

20 Dec 2018

New research collaboration launches first evolutionary study to explore origins of fish that walk

A new research collaboration with support from the National Science Foundation, or NSF, begins an unprecedented study of walking cavefish to better understand the "fin-to-limb" transition that enabled the first vertebrates to walk on land more than 350 million years ago.

20 Dec 2018

Scripps Research finds molecular cause of a group of rare autoimmune disorders

A team from Scripps Research has found a molecular cause of a group of rare autoimmune disorders in which the immune system attacks the body's own healthy cells.

20 Dec 2018

Novel ferrocenyl phosphines developed as potent antimalarial drugs

A team of researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design and Nanyang Technological University have developed novel ferrocene-based molecules that impair the malaria parasite's metabolic function leading to parasite death.

20 Dec 2018

European scientists aim to identify causes of dementia

Dementia is common to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease and Down syndrome. This common symptom is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people.

19 Dec 2018

Researchers synthesize new compound that inhibits replication of hepatitis C virus

A new compound that inhibits the replication of hepatitis C virus in several stages of its lifecycle - and is also capable of acting on bacteria, fungi and cancer cells - has been synthesized by researchers at São Paulo State University in Brazil.

19 Dec 2018

Study uncovers initial folding mechanism of membrane proteins, key in design of new drugs

An international team coordinated by the Interdisciplinary Research Structure in Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the University of Valencia has proved how the folding of membrane proteins begins before they are inserted into biological membranes, a fact that has been central to the biochemical research for decades.

19 Dec 2018

Study investigates why mammals' sense of smell deteriorates in old age

As mammals age, their sense of smell deteriorates. In a study published in the journal 'Cell Reports', an interdisciplinary research team at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University Medical Centre Mainz investigated why this is the case.

19 Dec 2018