A genetic twist in Ashkenazi Jewish men may both heighten cancer risk and unlock better treatment options.
Category: biotech/medical
The antibody PLT012 targets the fat transporter CD36 to restore immune responses in tumors, offering a new and promising approach to treating immunotherapy-resistant cancers. A new study from Ludwig Cancer Research has uncovered a key mechanism by which immune cells within tumors take up fat, a p
Scientists have discovered “barcodes” within DNA that reveal how blood ages, potentially paving the way for preventing age-related illnesses like blood can
In women with dense breasts (breasts with relatively low levels of fatty tissue) and a negative mammogram, supplemental imaging techniques detect early-stage cancers, with imaging techniques three times more effective than ultrasound, finds a Phase III randomized control trial published in The Lancet.
Women with extremely dense breasts, about 10% of those aged 50–70 years in the UK, face a fourfold increased risk of breast cancer compared to those with the least dense breasts.
Mammograms are less effective for detecting early-stage cancer in dense breasts, as the tissue can hide tumors on the breast X-rays. Previous studies have shown MRI and ultrasound are effective supplementary imaging methods, but this study is the first to compare them with contrast mammography in women with normal mammograms and dense breast tissue.
A newly discovered silicone variant is a semiconductor, University of Michigan researchers have discovered—upending assumptions that the material class is exclusively insulating.
“The material opens up the opportunity for new types of flat-panel displays, flexible photovoltaics, wearable sensors or even clothing that can display different patterns or images,” said Richard Laine, U-M professor of materials science and engineering and macromolecular science and engineering and corresponding author of the study recently published in Macromolecular Rapid Communications.
Silicone oils and rubbers—polysiloxanes and silsesquioxanes—are traditionally insulating materials, meaning they resist the flow of electricity or heat. Their water-resistant properties make them useful in biomedical devices, sealants, electronic coatings and more.
Researchers have developed a new CRISPR-based technology that transports RNA to exact locations within neurons, where it can trigger repair and regrowth—offering hope for treating neurological diseases and injuries.
DNA is the genetic code that provides the biological instructions for every living species, but not every bit of DNA helps the species survive. Some pieces of DNA are more like parasites, along for the ride and their own survival.
To translate DNA into proteins, the building blocks of life, many of these selfish DNA elements have to be removed from the genetic code. Doing so enables the body to produce the wide diversity of proteins that allow for complex life, but the process can also lead to health problems, like some kinds of cancer.
University of California, Santa Cruz researchers are studying the ways that these genetic elements hide and make copies of themselves, so they can propagate within a species’ DNA, or even hop from one species to an unrelated one in a process called horizontal gene transfer.
Scientists have engineered dozens of adeno-associated virus (AAV) systems that ferry genes to specific neuron and glial subtypes in the brain and spinal cord with unprecedented accuracy.
Neuroscientists and materials scientists have created contact lenses that enable infrared vision in both humans and mice by converting infrared light into visible light. Unlike infrared night vision goggles, the contact lenses, described in the journal Cell, do not require a power source—and they enable the wearer to perceive multiple infrared wavelengths. Because they’re transparent, users can see both infrared and visible light simultaneously, though infrared vision was enhanced when participants had their eyes closed.
“Our research opens up the potential for noninvasive wearable devices to give people super-vision,” says senior author Tian Xue, a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China. “There are many potential applications right away for this material. For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings.”
The contact lens technology uses nanoparticles that absorb infrared light and convert it into wavelengths that are visible to mammalian eyes (e.g., electromagnetic radiation in the 400–700 nm range). The nanoparticles specifically enable the detection of “near-infrared light,” which is infrared light in the 800‑1600 nm range, just beyond what humans can already see.
New 3D printing technique makes it possible to heal injuries and damaged tissues from inside without surgery.