Computational biologists led by Prof. Yvan Saeys (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) developed a new bioinformatics method to better study communication between cells. This method, called NicheNet, helps researchers to gain insight into how the gene expression of cells is regulated by interacting cells. NicheNet has a broad range of potential applications in fields like
iPSC-based drug discovery is a promising technology for developing novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases lacking useful disease models, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ropinirole, retigabine, and bosutinib were identified as candidate therapeutic agents for ALS by the combination of iPSC-based drug discovery and drug repositioning. The potential anti-ALS mechanism of ropinirole is independent of
New hydrogel made from forestry and fishing waste could help replace petroleum-based products from contact lenses to pill capsules. A new hydrogel material created from materials typically discarded by the forest and fishing industries could be a substitute for petroleum products used in a variety of biomedical applications, from contact lenses to pill capsules. “The
NIH-funded study focuses on severe forms of relapsing MS. Source NIH A clinical has begun trial testing an experimental stem cell treatment against the best available biologic therapies for severe forms of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of
A first-of-its-kind study on molecular interactions by biomedical engineers in the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering will make it easier and more efficient for scientists to develop new medicines and other therapies for diseases such as cancer, HIV and autoimmune diseases. The study resulted in a mathematical framework that simulates the effects
Tau PET Brain Imaging Could Launch Precision Medicine Era for Alzheimer’s Disease Brain imaging of pathological tau-protein “tangles” reliably predicts the location of future brain atrophy in Alzheimer’s patients a year or more in advance, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center. In contrast, the location of
A group of researchers at Osaka University revealed that endothelial cell-selective adhesion molecule (ESAM), a surface marker for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and vascular endothelial cells (ECs), played an important role in the ontogeny of hematopoiesis in mice, particularly in the development of adult-type erythropoiesis. Their research results were published in Stem Cell Reports. In hematopoiesis,
Researchers from EMBL and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg have developed new methods to reveal the three-dimensional organisation of bone marrow at a single cell level. Since bone marrow harbours blood stem cells responsible for life-long blood generation, these results and the new method provides a novel scientific basis to study blood
The ISLET project is a multi-center collaboration of leading European researchers that has been awarded 8 million Euros in a 5-year period. The project will develop advanced stem cell products ready for use in clinical trials in Type 1 Diabetes. Professor Henrik Semb from DanStem is coordinating the project. The ISLET project will develop a
Scientists at the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh have identified a specific type of cell in the human body which can cause motor neurons to fail using stem cell technology. The joint research, published today (Monday 16 December) in Glia, has shown that glial cells, which normally support neurons throughout the brain and spinal
