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 moreBioscientists 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 moreResearchers report they have obtained 3D structural snapshots of Cdc34 in action. Cdc34 is an enzyme important for cell cycle regulation and a target for therapeutic intervention in cancer. These structures, along with studies in human cells, have revealed key features of this enzyme important for its regulation of cell growth and activity. These unique features could present opportunities for rational design of novel cancer therapeutics.
Read moreNew 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 moreA new study points to the need for better antibody validation, and outlines a process that other labs can use to make sure the antibodies they work with function properly.
Read moreBioengineers 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 moreThe 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 moreRecent 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.
Read moreResearchers have discovered that a key cell type involved in liver injury and cancer consists of two cellular families with different origins and functions.
Read moreScientists have developed a new and more accurate method to identify the molecular signs of cancer likely to be presented to helper T cells, which stimulate and orchestrate the immune response to tumors and infectious agents.
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