A higher resolution image of human lung development
Researchers provide clearer picture of how lungs develop and discover novel markers to differentiate populations of lung cells implicated in lung diseases of premature babies.
Read moreImmune System
When added to gene therapy, plant-based compound may enable faster, more effective treatments
Today's standard process for administering gene therapy is expensive and time-consuming — a result of the many steps required to deliver the healthy genes into the patients' blood stem cells to correct a genetic problem. Scientists believe they have found a way to sidestep some of the current difficulties, resulting in a more efficient gene delivery method that would save money and improve treatment outcomes.
Read moreStem cell study offers new way to study early development and pregnancy
For the first time, researchers have created mouse blastocyst-like structures, or 'blastoids,' from a single cultured cell. The work could help advance research into development as well as inform issues around pregnancy, infertility, or health problems later in the offspring's life.
Read moreEmbryo's early development revealed in a dish
Bioscientists develop a method to observe patterns of early embryonic development, during which ectodermal cells diverge toward their fates as skin, organs and the nervous system.
Read moreDrug treats inflammation associated with genetic heart disease
When young athletes experiences sudden cardiac death as they run down the playing field, it's usually due to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), an inherited heart disease. Now, researchers have shed new light on the role of the immune system in the progression of ACM and, in the process, discovered a new drug that might help prevent ACM disease symptoms and progression to heart failure in some patients.
Read morePioneering cell therapies for non-responders to current immunotherapies
New research signposts a new, less invasive approach to identify killer T lymphocytes in patients with gastrointestinal tumors with low mutational burden who are refractory to approved immune-based treatments.
Read moreDiabetes: A next-generation therapy soon available?
Insulin is normally produced by pancreatic beta cells. In many people with diabetes, pancreatic cells are not functional, causing a chronic and potentially fatal insulin deficiency that can only be controlled through daily insulin injections. However, this approach has serious adverse effects. In order to improve therapy, researchers have identified a protein called S100A9 which seems to act as a blood sugar and lipid regulator while avoiding the most harmful side effects of insulin.
Read moreDrug-light combo could offer control over CAR T-cell therapy
Bioengineers are a step closer to making CAR T-cell therapy safer, more precise and easy to control. They developed a system that allows them to select where and when CAR T cells get turned on so that they destroy cancer cells without harming normal cells. The system requires two 'keys' — the drug Tamoxifen and blue light — to activate CAR T cells to bind to their targets.
Read moreInactive receptor renders cancer immunotherapies ineffective
The aim of immunotherapies is to enable the immune system once again to fight cancer on its own. Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors are already in clinical use for this purpose. However, they are only effective in about one third of patients. Based on analysis of human tissue samples, a team has now discovered one reason why this is so: an inactive receptor in cancer cells prevents the drugs from reactivating the immune system.
Read moreFrontotemporal dementia is associated with alterations in immune system function
Recent research has revealed increased inflammatory activity in a subgroup of patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Increased inflammation was associated with parkinsonism symptoms and more rapid disease progression. In addition, the results showed that cancer is rare in FTD, whereas some autoimmune diseases may be more common among FTD patients. These findings may indicate an overactive immune system in FTD.
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