How the colon prioritizes gas detox over energy use
Smelly flatulence is one way our bodies manage our well-being. It turns out expelling noxious gas takes priority in our guts.
Read moreImmune System
Scientists find timekeepers of gut's immune system
Shift work and jet lag disrupt not just sleep cycles, but feeding and digestive cycles as well. Such disruptions have been linked to risk of obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, infection, and other conditions. Now, researchers have identified an immune cell that helps set the daily rhythms of the gut. The findings open the door to new treatments for digestive ailments targeting such cells.
Read moreScientist designs 'express courier service' for immune cells
A researcher who is currently doing his post-doctoral training at Stanford University, has successfully invented a novel transfection method to deliver DNA into immune cells with minimal stress on these cells. This new technique is expected to boost DNA-based cancer immunotherapy by significantly improving the process of generating high-quality genetically modified immune cells.
Read moreThe 'Goldilocks' principle for curing brain cancer
Researchers found that a stable body temperature holds the key to awakening the body's immune response to fight off brain cancer.
Read moreNew defensive mechanism against bacterial wound infections
Wound inflammation which results in impaired wound healing can have serious consequences for patients. Researchers have discovered a new defensive mechanism which enables our skin to actively kill bacteria. Central to this mechanism is a cellular messenger molecule known as 'interleukin 6', whose mode of action may be used in the future to prevent wound infections.
Read moreTargeting certain rogue T cells prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mice
Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder, is known to be driven by 'helper' T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord. A new study pinpoints the specific subgroup of helper T cells that cause MS, as well as a protein on their surface, called CXCR6, that marks them. An antibody targeting CXCR6 both prevented and reversed MS in a mouse model, the researchers report.
Read moreScientists ID new targets to treat fibrosis, a feature of many chronic diseases
When it comes to repairing injured tissue, specialized cells in the body known as fibroblasts are called into action. Fibroblasts give rise to healing cells called myofibroblasts, which generally is good in the short term — but bad when myofibroblast activation gets out of hand. Now, researchers show how fibroblast activation and myofibroblast formation occurs, providing clues for how to target fibrosis — which impacts several chronic diseases.
Read moreDealing a therapeutic counterblow to traumatic brain injury
A team of biomedical engineers are developing a therapy which shows early indications it can protect neurons and stimulate the regrowth of blood vessels in damaged tissue.
Read moreStem cell studies offer hope for childhood neurological condition
Two new studies report progress in using stem cells to develop new therapies for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a rare genetic condition affecting boys that can be fatal before 10 years of age.
Read moreParkinson's disease is also present in the blood
The behavior of immune cells in the blood is so different in patients with Parkinson's disease that it advocate for a new type of supplementary medicine, which can regulate the immune system and thus inhibit the deterioration of the brain.
Read more