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Category: biotech/medical – Page 364

Mystery Solved: New Research Reveals Why a Key Protein Turns Deadly in Aging Bodies

These insights could drive the development of new drugs to treat transthyretin amyloidosis, a progressive and fatal disease.

Transthyretin, a small but crucial protein, plays a vital role in transporting hormones through the blood and spinal fluid. However, when it misfolds after secretion, it can lead to serious health problems. Misfolded transthyretin forms toxic clumps in the heart and along nerves, causing transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR)—a progressive and often fatal disease. ATTR affects up to 25% of men over 80, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.

In a breakthrough study, researchers at Scripps Research have revealed new structural insights into transthyretin. Their findings, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

Mapping of a gigantic salamander genome reveals secrets of regeneration

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with teams from Lund University and the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), have mapped the genome of the Iberian ribbed newt and revealed how the composition and organization of the DNA are linked to its ability to regenerate entire body parts.

The paper is published in the journal Cell Genomics.

Salamanders are known for their unique ability to regenerate entire body parts and for their resistance to tumor development. The behind these traits have been difficult to study due to a lack of knowledge about the composition of their genome. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now succeeded in mapping the genome of the Iberian ribbed newt, providing new insights into these fascinating processes.

Borrowing nature’s blueprint: Scientists replicate bone marrow

Hidden within our bones, marrow sustains life by producing billions of blood cells daily, from oxygen-carrying red cells to immune-boosting white cells. This vital function is often disrupted in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, which can damage the marrow and lead to dangerously low white cell counts, leaving patients vulnerable to infection.

Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering), Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a platform that emulates human marrow’s native environment. This breakthrough addresses a critical need in medical science, as animal studies often fail to fully replicate the complexities of human marrow.

Cancer-fighting virus T-VEC helps shrink tough-to-treat skin tumors

Neoadjuvant therapy with hedgehog inhibitors has an overall response rate (ORR) of 71%, but adverse events (AEs) like fatigue, muscle cramps, dysgeusia, and hair loss often lead to discontinuation and low compliance.

OVs represent a class of intratumoral therapeutics that might be a safe and effective neoadjuvant therapy for difficult-to-resect BCCs.

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an OV, a genetically engineered herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), approved for treating injectable, unresectable melanoma lesions in the United States and Europe. T-VEC has a dual mode of action and can alter the tumor microenvironment (TME) by activating adaptive and innate immunity.

Scientists map the mathematics behind how we create and innovate

A new study in Nature Communications explores the dynamics of higher-order novelties, identifying fascinating patterns in how we combine existing elements to create novelty, potentially reshaping our understanding of human creativity and innovation.

Novelties—a common part of human life—refer to one of two things. The first is the discovery of a single item, like a place, song, or an artist. The second covers discoveries new to everyone, such as technological developments or drug discoveries.

The researchers in this study aimed to understand how both kinds of novelties emerge. The team was led by Prof. Vito Latora from the Queen Mary University of London, who spoke to Phys.org about the work.

Scientists create new register with thousands of entangled nuclei to scale quantum networks

In an advance for quantum technologies, researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, have created a functional quantum register using the atoms inside a semiconductor quantum dot.

Published in Nature Physics, the work demonstrates the introduction of a new type of optically connected qubits—a critical advance in the development of quantum networks, where stable, scalable, and versatile quantum nodes are essential.

Quantum dots are nanoscale objects with unique optical and electronic properties that come from quantum mechanical effects. These systems are already used in technologies like display screens and , and their adoption in quantum communication has been mostly due to their ability to operate as bright single-photon sources.

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