In a new Yale-led study, investigators have revealed previously unknown factors that contribute to the hardening of arteries and plaque growth, which cause heart disease. Their insight is the basis for a promising therapeutic approach to halt and potentially reverse plaque buildup and the progression of disease, the researchers said….
Single enzyme helps drive inflammation in mice, provides target for new sepsis drugs
Sepsis occurs when the body goes overboard in its attempt to fight off an infection. Immune cells rush in, overreact and wreak havoc on tissues and organs, often resulting in organ failure and death. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine recently found that removing the enzyme…
A new framework to study congenital heart defects: Complete catalog of cells involved in heart development
Each year, 9 months of dreams and anticipation shared by millions of parents-to-be turn to despair and fright when learning their child is born with a birth defect; an often-devastating event affecting one out of 20 children born worldwide. The formation of our organs, limbs, and face are the result…
Keeping livestock in the yard just might help your baby’s immune system: Amish babies’ gut microbes lead to more robust immune development in newborn pigs
Getting up close — and a little dirty — with farm animals just might help us fend off illness, say researchers who’ve further demonstrated the benefits of early exposure to a wide variety of environmental bacteria. Scientists from The Ohio State University found that bacteria and other microbes from rural…
An ‘EpiPen’ for spinal cord injuries
An injection of nanoparticles can prevent the body’s immune system from overreacting to trauma, potentially preventing some spinal cord injuries from resulting in paralysis. The approach was demonstrated in mice at the University of Michigan, with the nanoparticles enhancing healing by reprogramming the aggressive immune cells — call it an…
Mutation discovery leads to precise treatment for child with severe lymphatic disorder: A repurposed drug reshapes anatomy, brings dramatic clinical improvement
Faced with a preteen boy in pain and struggling to breathe from a severe, deteriorating rare condition, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia identified the responsible gene mutation and harnessed that knowledge to develop a novel treatment that dramatically improved the problem. The patient had been born with a complex…
First events in stem cells becoming specialized cells needed for organ development
New research by cell biologists at the University of Toronto (U of T) provides significant new insight into the very first step stem cells go through to turn into the specialized cells that make up organs. The findings published online in Genes & Development implicate the ability of proteins to…
Lymphoma trial finds combination targeted therapy effective prior to chemotherapy: MD Anderson Phase II study suggests patients with lymphoma subtype may be able to avoid chemotherapy in the future
Results of a Phase II clinical trial conducted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center revealed that combination targeted therapy, consisting of rituximab, lenalidomide and ibrutinib (RLI), had an 84.6 percent overall response rate (ORR) and 38.5 percent complete response rate (CRR) when given prior to any chemotherapy…
Tumor mutations may predict response to immunotherapy
Checkpoint inhibitor drugs that stimulate the immune system have become a growing success story in the treatment of some cancers. But about half of patients whose tumors are marked by a large number of mutations from so-called mismatch repair genetic deficiency fail to respond to the drugs. Now, researchers from…
Single-cell sequencing reveals landscape of immune cell subtypes in lung cancer tumors: Map of myeloid immune cell subpopulations points to new targets for immunotherapy
The recent emergence of immunotherapy has marked a sea change in research and care for many forms of cancer, bringing new hope to patients and families around the world. For those who respond to treatment, the results can be dramatic. Activation of a patient’s immune system against cancer can kill…
New role for a driver of metastatic cancers: Scientists uncover the mechanism of a gene to better target cancer therapy
Metastatic ovarian, prostate and breast cancers are notoriously difficult to treat and often deadly. Now, Salk Institute researchers have revealed a new role for the CDK12 protein. The findings were published in the print version of Genes & Development on April 1, 2019. “Approximately 3-5 percent of prostate, ovarian, and…