A UK-based team of Scientists, led by experts from the University of Nottingham and Imperial College London, have completed construction of a synthetic chromosome as part of a major international project to build the world’s first synthetic yeast genome. The work, which is published in Cell Genomics, represents completion of one of the 16 chromosomes of the yeast genome by the UK team, which is part of the biggest project ever in synthetic biology; the international synthetic yeast genome collaboration. The collaboration, known as 'Sc2.0' has been a 15-year project involving teams from around the world (UK, US, China, Singapore, UK, France and Australia), working together ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new antifungal molecule, devised by tweaking the structure of prominent antifungal drug Amphotericin B, has the potential to harness the drug’s power against fungal infections while doing away with its toxicity, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison report in the journal Nature. Amphotericin B, a naturally occurring small molecule produced by bacteria, is a drug used as a last resort to treat fungal infections. While AmB excels at killing fungi, it is reserved ...

Research consortium investigators analyzed over 314,000 cells from rheumatoid arthritis tissue, defining six types of inflammation involving diverse cell types and disease pathways Understanding the disease at single-cell level may advance targeted drug development and treatment strategies Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation that leads to pain, joint damage, and disability, which affects approximately 18 million people worldwide. While RA therapies targeted to specific inflammatory pathways have emerged, only some patients’ symptoms improve with treatment, emphasizing the need for multiple ...

About The Study: In this study that included 3.4 million adults, co-administration of the BNT162b2 BA.4/5 bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) and seasonal influenza vaccine was associated with generally similar effectiveness in the community setting against COVID-19–related and seasonal influenza vaccine-related outcomes compared with giving each vaccine alone and may help improve uptake of both vaccines.  Authors: Leah J. McGrath, Ph.D., of Pfizer Inc., in New York, is the corresponding author. To ...

About The Study: Earlier onset of atrial fibrillation was associated with an elevated risk of subsequent all-cause dementia, Alzheimer disease, and vascular dementia in this study including 433,000 UK Biobank participants, highlighting the importance of monitoring cognitive function among patients with atrial fibrillation, especially those younger than 65 years at diagnosis.  Authors: Fanfan Zheng, Ph.D., of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, and Wuxiang Xie, Ph.D., of the Peking University First ...

Electrons move through a conducting material like commuters at the height of Manhattan rush hour. The charged particles may jostle and bump against each other, but for the most part they’re unconcerned with other electrons as they hurtle forward, each with their own energy.  But when a material’s electrons are trapped together, they can settle into the exact same energy state and start to behave as one. This collective, zombie-like state is what’s known in physics as an electronic “flat band,” and scientists predict that when electrons are in this state they can start to ...

A new self-assembling nanosheet could radically accelerate the development of functional and sustainable nanomaterials for electronics, energy storage, health and safety, and more. Developed by a team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the new self-assembling nanosheet could significantly extend the shelf life of consumer products. And because the new material is recyclable, it could also enable a sustainable manufacturing approach that keeps single-use packaging and electronics out of landfills. The ...

Memory, a fundamental tool for our survival, is closely linked with how we encode, recall, and respond to external stimuli. Over the past decade, extensive research has focused on memory-encoding cells, known as engram cells, and their synaptic connections. Most of this research has centered on excitatory neurons and the neurotransmitter glutamate, emphasizing their interaction between specific brain regions. To expand the understanding of memory, a research team led by KAANG Bong-Kiun (Seoul National University, Institute ...

Huntington’s disease causes involuntary movements and dementia, has no cure, and is fatal. For the first time, UC Riverside scientists have shown they can slow its progression in flies and worms, opening the door to human treatments. Key to understanding these advancements is the way that genetic information in cells is converted from DNA into RNA, and then into proteins. DNA is composed of chemicals called nucleotides: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). The order of these nucleotides determines what biological instructions are contained in a strand of DNA. On occasion, some DNA nucleotides repeat themselves, ...

Utrecht, November 8, 2023 - Researchers from the Center for Translational Immunology at University Medical Center Utrecht (the Netherlands) have identified that a transient inflammatory pain causes mitochondrial and redox changes in sensory neurons that persist beyond pain resolution. These changes appear to predispose to a failure in resolution of pain caused by a subsequent inflammation. Additionally, targeting the cellular redox balance prevents and treats chronic inflammatory pain in rodents. Pain often persists in patients with an ...

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU nanotechnology expert MinJun Kim and his team have been awarded a $1.8 million, R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research related to gene therapy – a technique that modifies a person’s genes to treat or cure disease. NIH R01 (Research Program) grants are extremely competitive, with fewer than 10 percent of applicants receiving one.  The four-year grant will allow Kim, the Robert C. Womack Chair in the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU (Southern Methodist University) and principal investigator ...

$200m Gift Propels Scientific Research in the Search for Life Beyond Earth Legacy of Franklin Antonio represents quantum leap for The SETI Institute November 8, 2023, Mountain View, CA – The SETI Institute, a non-profit scientific research organization, announced today a philanthropic gift of $200m from the estate of Franklin Antonio, a visionary supporter and catalyst of the work of the SETI Institute for more than 12 years. Co-founder of communications chip company, Qualcomm, Antonio passed away on May 13, 2022, leaving behind an extraordinary ...

(WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2023) – Using birth control pills and other hormone-based contraceptives is known to elevate the risk of blood clots about three-fold, but a new study suggests that this risk largely goes away within two to four weeks after one stops using these contraceptives, according to research published today in Blood. The findings – the first to provide such confirmatory guidance on the best timing to stop contraception – can help patients and doctors weigh the benefits and risks of hormonal contraceptives and guide when to stop using them ahead of events that could further increase the risk of dangerous clots, such as major surgery, ...

A new study published in Nutrients shows daily consumption of strawberries for 12 weeks reduced interference in memory and depressive symptoms among middle-aged, overweight adults with self-reported mild cognitive decline.  “Dementia is a general term that includes many different diseases, all without remedies,” says Robert Krikorian, Ph.D., principal investigator and professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center. “It is not clear when ...

Silicon (Si) is abundant in terrestrial environments and accounts for 0.1% to 10% of a plant’s dry weight. Certain plant species show high levels of Si accumulation, and research has identified high Si accumulation as a protective mechanism against abiotic (drought, cold, heat) and biotic stressors (living organisms). Oryza sativa (rice) can store Si to the tune of 10% of the dry weight of shoots (stem, leaves, flowers), and Si is vital for stable grain production. High degree of Si deposition is believed to mitigate against damage caused ...

The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Glenn Flores, MD, as the 2024 David G. Nichols Health Equity Award recipient. The David G. Nichols Health Equity Award, administered by the APS and endowed by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation, was created to recognize demonstrated excellence in advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity through quality improvement, advocacy, practice, or research. This award recognizes Dr. Flores’ outstanding contributions to advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity and the ...

Under the ocean’s surface, marine organisms are constantly releasing invisible molecules. Some of the chemical clues reveal which creatures are nearby, while others could be used someday as medications. Now, researchers in ACS Central Science report a proof-of-concept device that “sniffs” seawater, trapping dissolved compounds for analyses. The team showed that the system could easily concentrate molecules that are present in underwater caves and holds promise for drug discovery in fragile ecosystems, including coral reefs. A ...

By rapidly reversing the effects of an opioid overdose, naloxone saves lives ― if it’s available at the right time. To eliminate this element of chance, researchers are exploring ways to have the medication available in the body before it’s needed. In a proof-of-concept in ACS’ Nano Letters, a team has designed injectable nanoparticles that released naloxone when triggered by blue light. In experiments with mice, this system was activated a month after injection. Since it began more than two decades ago, the opioid epidemic has taken an enormous toll on people’s lives. In 2022 ...

In patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a rare connective tissue disease, interstitial lung disease contributes to 35 percent of deaths. Published recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the latest American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline makes a number of recommendations. One recommendation expands antifibrotic treatment to all patients with systemic sclerosis associated with ILD (SSc-ILD), not just those with progressive disease. Watch the explainer video. Lead guidelines chair and editor, Ganesh Raghu, M.D., ATSF, noted the timeliness of the recommendations given the many immune ...

Central diabetes insipidus (CDI), a rare condition involving the destruction or degeneration of neurons of the hypothalamic-posterior pituitary in the brain, has several likely underlying clinical causes. Patients with CDI experience excessive thirst and excessive urine production, owing to the decreased secretion of AVP. Moreover, in children and young adults with CDI, a malignant tumor known as a 'germinoma' may develop later in life. The diagnosis of these tumors is challenging, because biopsy in intracranial lesions is difficult.   Lymphocytic infundibulo-neurohypophysitis (LINH) or ...

General anesthesia evokes a dual mystery: How does it disrupt consciousness, including sensory perception, and what might that say about the nature of consciousness. A new study led by researchers at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT provides evidence in animals that consciousness depends on properly synchronized communication across the brain’s cortex and that the anesthetic drug propofol cancels sensory processing by cutting it off. In the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, researchers report clear evidence that in anesthetized animals, ...

Genetic information collected from seemingly healthy tissue near lung tumors may be a better predictor of whether cancer will come back after treatment than analysis of the tumors themselves, according to new research led by NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center. The new study focuses on lung adenocarcinoma, a cancer that forms in alveolar epithelial cells and accounts for about a third of all lung cancers in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most patients are cured if tumors are surgically removed early in the disease’s progression, but residual ...

UCLA scientists have developed a new method to engineer more powerful immune cells that can potentially be used for “off-the-shelf” cell therapy to treat challenging cancers. “Off-the-shelf” cell therapy, also known as allogenic therapy, uses immune cells derived from healthy donors instead of patients. The approach can bring cell therapies, like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, to more patients in a timelier manner, which is one of the major barriers in getting these life-saving treatments to patients. “Time is often of the essence when it comes to treating people with advanced cancers,” said Lili Yang, associate professor ...

A research team in Japan, led by Nagoya University’s Akira Yokoi, has developed an innovative technique using cellulose nanofiber (CNF) sheets derived from wood cellulose to capture extracellular vesicles (EVs) from fluid samples and even organs during surgery. EVs are small structures from cancerous cells that play a crucial role in cell-to-cell communication. Extracting and analyzing EVs using this new technology has the potential to revolutionize early cancer diagnosis and open the door to personalized medicine. The researchers published their findings in Nature Communications.  Cancer is notorious for its poor prognosis and in many cases goes undetected until its ...

Results from a new clinical trial suggest that a group of brain regions known as the “salience network” is activated after a drug is taken intravenously, but not when that same drug is taken orally. When drugs enter the brain quickly, such as through injection or smoking, they are more addictive than when they enter the brain more slowly, such as when they are taken orally. However, the brain circuits underlying these differences are not well understood. This study offers new information that helps explain what may be causing this difference. The study was published in Nature Communications and led by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National ...