(Press-News.org) HAMILTON, ON, Aug. 1, 2023 – Based on decades of work to uncover the underlying mechanisms of asthma and other respiratory conditions, researchers at McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton have produced a simple, rapid test that can identify the presence of a key driver of severe asthma.
John Brennan, director of McMaster’s Biointerfaces Institute, and Parameswaran Nair, a respirologist at the St. Joseph’s-based Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, led the creation of a new rapid test that can quickly and accurately identify white blood cells known as eosinophils, even when they are present in complex biological samples such as sputum, by tracking their protein signatures.
Having access to quick and reliable information about the presence of eosinophils can guide physicians in making important decisions about patient care.
The test looks similar to the familiar COVID-19 home test, which makes it readily adaptable to mass manufacturing once it is approved for clinical use.
To create the new test, the researchers developed and deployed a protein-targeting element known as a DNAzyme and modified it for use in the rapid test.
First isolated in 1994, DNAzymes have primarily been generated for detection of metals or bacterial targets. Until now, no one had succeeded in using DNAzymes to target specific protein markers in any context.
Now that the team has overcome this obstacle, Brennan believes the new test platform could be adapted to identify any material of biological origin by detecting its protein signature.
The rapid test is the outcome of more than a decade of collaboration between Brennan and Nair, which in turn was built on previous work at the institutions, dating back decades.
“This is what our collaboration set out to achieve,” says Brennan, one two corresponding authors of a new paper in the prestigious German chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie. “This test and others like it can have the kind of lasting, meaningful impact that will improve or even save many lives.”
“Previous research at the Firestone Institute, led by the late Professor Freddy Hargreave, had pioneered another technique to enumerate eosinophils in sputum to guide asthma treatment,” says Professor Nair, who is a respiratory physician at St. Joe’s and a Professor of Medicine at McMaster University. “However, this method is cumbersome and time-consuming, and therefore is not widely available to patients. This new approach is a huge advancement to make the technique more widely applicable.”
Brennan and Nair’s co-authors are Monsur Ali, Manali Mukherjee, Katherine Radford, Zil Patel and Fred Capretta. The researchers are planning a full clinical trial of the new test, which is the next critical step in bringing it to market.
A rapid test to detect eosinophilia would help clinicians make decisions about using drugs such as steroids or new biologics for patients with severe asthma and other lung diseases associated with eosinophilia, such as severe cough, and COPD, says Nair. It would also help to limit the unnecessary use of antibiotics.
To arrange an interview with John Brennan, please contact him at brennanj@mcmaster.ca
To arrange an interview with Param Nair, please contact him at parames@mcmaster.ca
For more information please contact:
Wade Hemsworth
Media Relations
McMaster University
hemswor@mcmaster.ca
Elizabeth Harrington
Public Affairs
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
harringe@stjosham.on.ca
Matt Innes-Leroux
Media Relations
McMaster University
leroum2@mcmaster.ca
END
While resolving a key asthma challenge, Hamilton researchers also create a new method to detect proteins in body fluids and other materials
A product of years of research, the new tool is as simple as a home COVID test
2023-08-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Using gemstones’ unique characteristics to uncover ancient trade routes
2023-08-01
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2023 – Since ancient times, gemstones have been mined and traded across the globe, sometimes traveling continents from their origin. Gems are geologically defined as minerals celebrated for beauty, strength, and rarity. Their unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones’ past, and with it, historical trade routes.
In AIP Advances, from AIP Publishing, Khedr et al. employed three modern spectroscopic techniques to rapidly analyze gems found in the Arabian-Nubian Shield and compare them with similar gems from around the world. Using ...
Illegal shooting kills most birds found dead near power lines
2023-08-01
Birds can be electrocuted if they come into contact with two energized parts of a power line at once—which can happen when they spread their wings to take off from or land on a power pole. Because of this, energy companies invest substantial time and money into making sure power lines are avian safe, installing safe perches and insulating energized elements. However, a recent study published on August 1 in the journal iScience presents a new priority for conservation, as it suggests that electrocution is no longer the only leading cause of death for ...
Male moth ‘aphrodisiac’ revealed
2023-08-01
Media contacts:
Coby Schal, coby@ncsu.edu
Mick Kulikowski, News Services, 919.218.5937 or mick_kulikowski@ncsu.edu
Aug 1, 2023
Male Moth ‘Aphrodisiac’ Revealed
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 11 A.M. EDT ON TUESDAY, AUG.1
North Carolina State University researchers have identified the specific blend of pheromone chemicals – including a newly revealed aphrodisiac – used by male moths during courtship as they attempt to entice females to mate. The findings provide more detail ...
USPSTF recommendation statement on folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube defects
2023-08-01
Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that all persons planning to or who could become pregnant take a daily supplement containing 0.4 to 0.8 mg (400 to 800 μg) of folic acid. Neural tube defects are among the most common congenital malformations in the U.S., with an estimated 3,000 pregnancies affected each year. Many of these neural tube defects are caused by low folate levels in the body. The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness ...
Race and treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer
2023-08-01
About The Study: The results of this study suggest that providing fair and equal access to health care may reduce the disparities in treatment outcomes between Black and white patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Authors: Neeraj Agarwal, M.D., of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.26546)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, ...
Effect of exercise on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy among patients treated for ovarian cancer
2023-08-01
About The Study: The findings of this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial suggest that exercise is a promising treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and incorporating exercise program referrals into the standard oncology care may reduce CIPN symptoms and increase quality of life for survivors of ovarian cancer.
Authors: Anlan Cao, M.B.B.S., of the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.26463)
Editor’s ...
City of Hope scientists develop targeted chemotherapy able to kill all solid tumors in preclinical research
2023-08-01
LOS ANGELES — Researchers at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, today published a new study explaining how they took a protein once thought to be too challenging for targeted therapy, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and developed a targeted chemotherapy that appears to annihilate all solid tumors in preclinical research. As the scientists continue to investigate the foundational mechanisms that make this cancer-stopping pill work in animal models, they note that ...
Millions of long-term smokers have lung disease that defies diagnosis
2023-08-01
Millions of Americans with tobacco-related lung disease have symptoms that do not fit any existing tobacco-related disease criteria – including the most common of those, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – according to a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco.
In a study publishing Aug. 1, 2023, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the research team found that half of the participants with extensive tobacco exposure had a persistently high level of respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, daily cough and ...
Research team identifies human odorant receptor for horse stable odor
2023-08-01
Para-cresol is an aromatic compound with a strong horse stable-like odor. It contributes to the off-flavor of some foods, but it is also detectable as a characteristic odorant in whiskey and tobacco, as well as in the urine of various mammals. A research team led by the Leibniz Institute of Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now discovered which odorant receptor humans use to perceive para-cresol.
Para-cresol (4-methylphenol) is formed during the microbial degradation of certain amino acids, but also during thermal ...
A natural experiment provides evidence of link between air pollution and childhood obesity
2023-08-01
A large natural experiment in Catalonia shows that moving to areas with higher levels of air pollution is associated with weight gain in young children. The study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by ”la Caixa Foundation”, in collaboration with the IDIAP Jordi Gol, provides further evidence to support efforts to reduce air pollution.
Overweight and obesity in childhood result from the interaction of genes, lifestyle behaviours, physiological and social factors. Environmental exposures such as air pollution may ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New jab protects babies from serious lung infection, study shows
July Tip Sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Current application status and innovative development of surgical robot
Counterfeited in China: New book assesses state of industry and its future
Machine learning reveals historical seismic events in the Yellowstone caldera
First analyses of Myanmar earthquake conclude fault ruptured at supershear velocity
Curved fault slip captured on CCTV during Myanmar earthquake
Collaboration rewarded for work to further deployment of batteries in emerging economies
Heart-healthy habits also prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, COPD, other diseases, Emory study finds
Scientists will use a $1M grant to build a support system addressing sea level rise and flooding in South Florida
New research examines how pH impacts the immune system
Inhaled agricultural dust disrupts gut health
New study reveals hidden regulatory roles of “junk” DNA
Taking the sting out of ulcerative colitis
Deep life’s survival secret: Crustal faulting generates key energy sources, study shows
Idaho National Laboratory to lead advancements in US semiconductor manufacturing
AI-assisted sorting, other new technologies could improve plastic recycling
More than just larks and owls!
Call for nominations: 2026 Dan David Prize
New tool gives anyone the ability to train a robot
Coexistence of APC and KRAS mutations in familial adenomatous polyposis and endometrial cancer: A mini-review with case-based perspective
First global-to-local study reveals stark health inequalities from COVID-19 in 2020–2021
rcssci: Simplifying complex data relationships with enhanced visual clarity
Why some ecosystems collapse suddenly—and others don’t
One-third of U.S. public schools screen students for mental health issues
GLP-1 RA use and survival among older adults with cancer and type 2 diabetes
Trends in physician exit from fee-for-service Medicare
Systematic investigation of tumor microenvironment and antitumor immunity with IOBR
Common feature between forest fires and neural networks reveals the universal framework underneath
New R package revolutionizes gene set enrichment analysis visualization for biomedical research
[Press-News.org] While resolving a key asthma challenge, Hamilton researchers also create a new method to detect proteins in body fluids and other materialsA product of years of research, the new tool is as simple as a home COVID test