Bacterial evolution reveals method to fight antibacterial resistance Different types of bacteria have evolved to develop unique mechanisms for achieving the same antibacterial function -- a finding that could lead to new ways to combat antibacterial resistance, according to scientists from Trinity College Dublin. They tested their findings using methicillin-resistant Staphylococcusaureus in a study that was published in Nature Communications on January 9.Read More
Nanoparticles direct 'suicide genes' to treat brain tumors in children Researchers from Johns Hopkins University report a bioengineered nanoparticle that successfully delivers a "suicide gene" to pediatric brain tumor cells implanted in the brains of mice. Details of the nanoparticle treatment were published in the January 2020 edition of Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine.Read More
Improving melanoma immunotherapies by regulating Treg proliferation A new pathway to regulating anti-tumor immunity and increasing the effectiveness of PD-1 therapies was identified by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. The results were published in Nature Communications on January 7.Read More
Precision medicine and molecular understanding of illness The current era of scientific research is seen by many as a golden age of discovery in genetics, due to rapid progress in numerous areas of science and technology. While healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry traditionally have directed their attention to symptoms rather than underlying causes, the new advances are creating opportunities to better exploit a rapidly expanding mechanistic understanding of disease. The challenges are significant and complex, and the current models of discovery and translation do not provide an obvious path toward an economically sustainable way to integrate data-intensive biology with medicine.Read More
New drug target identified in malaria transmission Australian researchers from the University of Melborne and Griffith University in Queensland have confirmed their findings of a new drug target that blocks the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum in mosquitos. The results were published in Cell Reports on December 17.Read More
Adenosine bandages improve tissue repair Researchers at Duke University have engineered a bandage that captures and holds a pro-healing molecule at the site of a bone break to accelerate and improve the natural healing process. The proof-of-concept experiment was conducted in mice, and the results were published on December 12, in Advanced Materials.Read More
Scientists develop a first-of-its-kind in vitro 3D neural tissue model Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have successfully used stem cells to engineer nerve tissues as 3D models of neural networks to study brain function. The work was published in the December 3 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Read More
Scientists use antibodies to build nanostructures Researchers from the University of Rome, Tor Vergata demonstrate a new model to control the construction of nanostructures using antibodies. The findings were published in Nature Communications on December 3.Read More
New chemistry technique builds more precise nanoparticles New research published in Nature Communications on November 27th demonstrates a new chemical technique that provides researchers enhanced control over the size and shape of nanoparticles used in drug delivery systems.Read More