Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have discovered a fundamental mechanism that regulates gene activity in cells. The newly discovered mechanism targets RNA, or ribonucleic acid, a close cousin of DNA that plays an important role in cellular activity. The discovery, detailed in a paper published February 3 in the journal Molecular Cell, is a
A draft plan, for adoption in Brussels on 4 March, highlights the importance of research and innovation in making EU industry more competitive Source Science Business The new European Commission is putting research and innovation at the heart of its ambitious new industrial strategy. A draft memo on the strategy, dated 14 January, for a
A team of 245 UCLA undergraduates and 31 high school students has published an encyclopedia of more than 1,000 genes, including 421 genes whose functions were previously unknown. The research was conducted in fruit flies, and the genes the researchers describe in the analysis may be associated with the development of the brain, eye, lymph
Elsevier has set up an Information Centre on the newly emerged coronavirus featuring in the current outbreak in China, with free information in English and Mandarin. The resource is intended to help healthcare professionals, medical researchers and the public, bringing together content from Elsevier’s medical journals, textbooks and clinical experts, alongside resources from other information providers and
A newly published study on @EClinicalMed by @CUHKofficial aims to formulate a composite model composed of clinical parameters and circulating markers in the prediction of curve progression. In adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the continuous search for effective prognostication of significant curve progression at the initial clinical consultation to inform decision for timely treatment and to
A team of physicists from McMaster University has developed a process to modify red blood cells so they can be used to distribute drugs throughout the body, which could specifically target infections or treat catastrophic diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s. The modified red blood cells are designed to circulate in the body for several
The method melds the best of super-resolution fluorescence and electron microscopy to show how proteins relate to cells’ fine structure. Inside a cell, tentacled vesicles shuttle cargo for sorting. Neighboring neurons cling to one another through a web-like interface. DNA rearranges in the nucleus as stem cells differentiate into neurons. And a new microscopy technique
Cancer patients responded better to immunotherapy and had a better prognosis if their melanoma tumours contained specific clusters of B cells, according to new research from Lund University in Sweden. The study is published in Nature. Source Lund University Immunotherapy strengthens the immune system so that it can fight cancer more effectively. One type of
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
