New research shows how small shifts in the molecular makeup of a virus can profoundly alter its fate. These shifts could turn a deadly pathogen into a harmless bug or supercharge a relatively benign virus, influencing its ability to infect humans and cause dangerous outbreaks.
Viruses known as “jumbo phage” are a new hope against the rising antibacterial infection crisis. Researchers have discovered how jumbo phage are able to infect bacteria so efficiently. They found a compartment that protects and hides valuable DNA material from the bacteria’s immune defense system.
Researchers at WashU Medicine found that a small population of immune cells in the mouse intestine prevents allergic responses to food, suggesting that targeting such cells therapeutically could potentially lead to a new treatment for allergies.
As warehouses go, nuclei are more like libraries than bank vaults. Too many cellular components need access to the genome to lock it down like Fort Knox. Instead, large groupings of more than 1,000 individual protein molecules called nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) pepper the dividing membrane, serving as gateways for materials and messages entering and exiting the nucleus.
U-M researchers, in collaboration with Arcascope, have developed and tested a personalized app that tracks a user’s circadian rhythm and makes behavioral recommendations to reduce daily fatigue.
A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a key barrier to the efficacy of a promising combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases arising from breast cancer—and in doing so uncovered approaches to overcoming that resistance.
Research in mice identifies protein responsible for regulating gut movement in response to pressure, exercise, and inflammation. The findings can inform precision-targeted treatments for intestinal inflammation and disorders of gut motility. The results add to a growing body of research showing the nervous and immune systems interact in various organs, including the brain, lungs, and skin.
Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have shed new light on how bacteria protect themselves from certain phage invaders — by seizing genetic material from weakened, dormant phages and using it to “vaccinate” themselves to elicit an immune response.
Wistar Institute scientists and collaborators describe a next-generation vaccination technology that combines plasmid DNA with a lipid nanoparticle delivery system.
Aging compromises the lymphatic vessels surrounding the brain, disabling waste drainage from the brain and impacting cognitive function. Researchers at WashU Medicine boosted lymphatic vessel integrity in old mice and found improvements in their memory compared with old mice without rejuvenated lymphatic vessels.
A novel oral combination drug therapy evaluated at Huntsman Cancer Institute could treat and prevent melanoma spreading to the brain. Brain metastasis is the main cause of death from melanoma.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a key component to launching immune activity – and overactivity. The researchers identified a protein in cells that spurs the release of infection-fighting molecules. The protein, whose role in the immune system had not previously been suspected, provides a potential target for therapies that could prevent overreactive immune responses that are at the root of several debilitating illnesses.
By assessing how “sticky” tumor cells are, UC San Diego researchers have found a potential way to predict whether a patient’s early-stage breast cancer is likely to spread. The discovery could help doctors identify high-risk patients and tailor their treatments accordingly.
Protein crystallization at the SER-CAT beamline at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source proved key to the discovery of a new HIV vaccine candidate.
Researchers at UChicago, Argonne, and Harvard perfected a new technique for creating experimental movies of proteins in action.
• A study from IRB Barcelona, funded by Fundación CRIS contra el cáncer demonstrates that the “previous state” of blood stem cells plays a decisive role in the subtype of leukaemia that develops. • The new technique, called STRACK, allows monitoring of the evolution of each cell before and after acquiring oncogenic mutations.
Johns Hopkins researchers say they found that infection with a common virus that can be transmitted from mother to fetus before birth significantly worsens an often-fatal complication of premature birth called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in experiments with mice.
A new UCLA Health study has discovered in mouse models that genes associated with repairing mismatched DNA are critical in eliciting damages to neurons that are most vulnerable in Huntington's disease and triggering downstream pathologies and motor impairment, shedding light on disease mechanisms and potential new ways to develop therapies.
Scientists uncover an enzyme that boosts cancer cell metabolism to fuel growth
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