COVID-19 is a respiratory disease primarily affecting the lungs. However, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 surprised doctors and scientists by triggering an unusually large percentage of patients to experience vascular complications – issues related to blood flow, such as blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes. Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch and colleagues wanted
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Symvess, the first acellular tissue engineered vessel indicated for use in adults as a vascular conduit for extremity arterial injury when urgent revascularization (restoration of blood flow) is needed to avoid imminent limb loss, and autologous vein graft is not feasible. Vascular trauma occurs when a blood vessel
A new study in The Lancet Public Health found that early COVID-19 test development and distribution saved millions of lives. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how crucial testing is for disease preparedness and response, and new research from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and a team of collaborators underscores that principle. Published in the
Findings could pave the way for more personalized treatments for cardiovascular disease National Institute of Health (NIH) scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how “bad” cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol or LDL-C, builds up in the body. The researchers were able to show for the first time how the main structural protein of LDL
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Gothenburg have identified two types of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease – a liver-specific type and a systemic type that affects other organs and tissues. The discovery could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of this growing patient group. Two studies are published back-to-back in Nature Medicine. Metabolic
Treatment designed to work across different genetic mutations At a glance: Efforts to develop a gene therapy for Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) — a rare, life-threatening disorder in which bone marrow cannot make mature, functioning red blood cells — have been hampered by the fact that at least 30 different genetic mutations can cause the disorder.
After severe heart failure, the ability of the heart to heal by forming new cells is very low. However, after receiving treatment with a supportive heart pump, the capacity of a damaged heart to repair itself with new muscle cells becomes significantly higher, even higher than in a healthy heart. This is according to a
A team of UC Davis Health researchers has shown that CD34+ stem cells can be safely administered into retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients’ eyes and may offer therapeutic benefits. The phase 1 trial also confirmed that these specialized cells can be readily isolated from the patient’s own bone marrow. The study was published in the American Academy of Ophthalmology journal,
Trial results supported recent FDA approval for patients with relapsed/refractory disease Patients with relapsed or refractory CD19-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who were treated with the novel anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel), experienced high response rates and most did not need a subsequent stem cell transplant (SCT), according to results from the
A team of international researchers has found a drug injected under the skin effectively treats asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and reduces the need for further treatment. Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan, from UWA’s Medical School and the Institute for Respiratory Health, was lead author of the paper published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. “Asthma and chronic
