Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare but devastating genetic disorder that causes muscle loss and physical impairments. Researchers have shown in a mouse study that the powerful gene editing technique known as CRISPR may provide the means for lifelong correction of the genetic mutation responsible for the disorder.
Read moreResearchers have developed a novel way to measure how mechanical fatigue affects biological cells. They also have established the important role of this effect in influencing physical properties of biological cells such as red blood cells (RBCs). This new technique assesses the mechanical integrity and fatigue behavior of RBCs using a general microfluidics method that incorporates amplitude-modulated electro-deformation. This method has important applications for mechanical fatigue studies in conjunction with other microenvironments related to health and materials engineering.
Read moreNew research is highly relevant to how antibodies are made in response to infections, vaccines and in autoimmunity due to the its analysis of a signal that is associated with hyper IgM syndrome, a genetic deficiency of CD40 ligand (CD40L) that results in profound immunodeficiency.
Read moreA study carried out with a new human stem cell-derived model reveals that the most prevalent genetic risk factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD), apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), impairs the function of human brain immune cells, microglia. These findings pave the way for new, effective treatment approaches for AD.
Read moreIn experiments in mice, researchers say they have developed a way to successfully transplant certain protective brain cells without the need for lifelong anti-rejection drugs.
Read moreThe way immune cells pick friends from foes can be described by a classic maths puzzle known as the 'narrow escape problem'.
Read moreA preclinical study shows how the interplay of two interleukin signaling proteins, IL-6 and IL-2, affects the development of T follicular helper cells and germinal centers. This interplay may either maintain or disrupt the balancing act of the immune system between attacking infections and benign surveillance of the body's own cells. Thus, the research may help guide future disease treatment for autoimmune diseases like lupus.
Read moreMicrobiologists have discovered a recycling process in the eukaryotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii that plays a vital role in the organism's unusual mode of reproduction.
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