Discovery of new immune process that regulates inflammation in human fat may help manage obesity
Irish and German scientists have just identified how specific immune cells can work together in fat to cause inflammation that leads to weight gain and obesity. Their work pinpoints new avenues to exploit the regulation of that inflammation in fat tissue, thereby suggesting new ways to manage obesity [Wednesday 9th March 2022]. There is a […]
Why Is My White Blood Cell Count High?
What are white blood cells? White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, make up one of the four components of blood. They can rise for several reasons including stress, smoking, allergies, bacterial or viral infections, as well as certain drugs. White blood cells, also called leukocytes, are one of the four components that make up […]
Researchers create personalized organoid models for rare spinal cancer: Chordoma currently has few therapeutic options
A new study adds to a growing body of evidence that organoids — lab-grown collections of cells that mimic a patient’s tumor — are a promising avenue for drug discovery to improve outcomes in patients with cancer, particularly rare cancers for which clinical data on drug effectiveness is often lacking. Organoids are grown in a […]
Boosting the immune defense: Interleukin-2 promotes fate decisions in CD8 T cells for long- or short-term immune protection
The immune system is a complex network of cells and proteins with a simple job. Defend the body against infection. To do that, the cells must recognize and destroy infecting viruses or bacteria. In addition, the system also has to keep a record of each pathogen it has defeated, so it can quickly remobilize if […]
Immunological memory provides long-term protection against coronavirus
Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by infection or vaccination generates immune cells that provide long-term immunity. These long-lived memory T cells play a key role in preventing severe cases of Covid-19. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered how these memory T cells form. Many questions about how exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by infection or immunization […]
Mechanism that helps immune cells to invade tissues
To fight infections and heal injuries, immune cells need to enter tissue. They also need to invade tumors to fight them from within. Scientists have now discovered how immune cells protect their sensitive insides as they squeeze between tissue cells. The team lays the foundation for identifying new targets in cancer treatment. Knowing, when exactly […]
Engineered nanomaterial captures off-target cancer drug to prevent tissue damage: Super-capacity, cellulose-based material may enable high-dose targeted treatments
Standard chemotherapies may efficiently kill cancer cells, but they also pose significant risks to healthy cells, resulting in secondary illness and a diminished quality of life for patients. To prevent the previously unavoidable damage, researchers, led by Penn State, have developed a new class of nanomaterials engineered to capture chemotherapy drugs before they interact with […]
High-resolution lab experiments show how cells ‘eat’: Study solves a 40-year-old problem in cell biology
A new study shows how cell membranes curve to create the “mouths” that allow the cells to consume things that surround them. “Just like our eating habits basically shape anything in our body, the way cells ‘eat’ matters for the health of the cells,” said Comert Kural, associate professor of physics at The Ohio State […]
Leveraging space to advance stem cell science and medicine
The secret to producing large batches of stem cells more efficiently may lie in the near-zero gravity conditions of space. Scientists at Cedars-Sinai have found that microgravity has the potential to contribute to life-saving advances on Earth by facilitating the rapid mass production of stem cells. A new paper, led by Cedars Sinai and published […]
Microglial methylation ‘landscape’ in human brain: Profiles differ across age, disease state, brain region
In the central nervous system, microglial cells play critical roles in development, aging, brain homeostasis, and pathology. Recent studies have shown variation in the gene-expression profile and phenotype of microglia across brain regions and between different age and disease states. But the molecular mechanisms that contribute to these transcriptomic changes in the human brain are […]