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Category: biotech/medical – Page 85

After more than five decades of mystery, scientists have finally unveiled the detailed structure and function of a long-theorized molecular machine in our mitochondria — the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier.

This microscopic gatekeeper controls how cells fuel themselves by transporting pyruvate, a key energy source, across mitochondrial membranes. Now visualized using cryo-electron microscopy, the carrier’s lock-like mechanism could be the key to tackling diseases like cancer, diabetes, and even hair loss. By blocking or modifying this gateway, researchers believe we could reroute how cells generate energy and develop powerful, targeted treatments.

Unlocking a Mitochondrial Mystery.

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Measles, a highly contagious viral infection, continues to pose a significant public health threat worldwide. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, outbreaks persist, particularly in regions with low immunization rates. In 2023, the World Health Organization observed up to a 30-fold increase in measles cases in Europe. There are currently no treatment options for measles. Instead, patients must allow the virus to take its course and let the immune system naturally clear the infection.

Erica Ollmann Saphire, a structural biologist, and her research team at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology uncovered the structure of the measles glycoprotein and engineered a neutralizing antibody against it. This therapy could be implemented to manage measles outbreaks worldwide.

Researchers uncovered the structure of the measles fusion glycoprotein and identified a neutralizing antibody capable of decreasing its virulence.

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A new study has unveiled when chronic myeloid leukaemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, arises in life and how fast it grows. Researchers reveal explosive growth rates of cancerous cells years before diagnosis and variation in these rates of growth between patients. Such rapid growth rates had previously not been observed in most other cancers.

Researchers used whole genome sequencing to study when BCR::ABL1 – an abnormal fusion of the different genes called BCR and ABL1, which is known to cause chronic myeloid leukaemia. The team investigated when BCR::ABL1 first arises in a blood cell and how quickly these cells with this genetic change then multiply and expand to lead to a diagnosis of a type of leukaemia.

The research, published in Nature, contributes to the scientific understanding of how strong this abnormal fusion gene is in its ability to drive cancer.

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Mitochondrial diseases caused by POLG mutations vary in severity. In young children, these diseases can quickly result in brain damage and life-threatening liver problems while others suffer muscle weakness, epilepsy, and organ failure later in childhood. POLG mutations recently received media attention when Prince Frederik of Nassau in Luxembourg died in March 2025 at just 22 years of age.

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Could a tiny dose of gold restore sight? Researchers at Brown University have developed a groundbreaking retinal prosthesis using gold nanoparticles and infrared light to bypass damaged photoreceptors in retinal disorders like macular degeneration.

This minimally invasive method successfully activated the visual system in mice, offering promising early evidence for future clinical applications. Learn how this innovative fusion of nanotechnology and neuroscience could revolutionize treatment for millions suffering from vision loss.

#vision #visionloss #neuroscience #science

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As of October 2024, 3,000 patients had used Piction’s clinic. So far, it is available in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Washington. The service is covered by several major insurance companies, or patients can pay $119 out-of-pocket for each consultation.

Eleni Linos, a professor of dermatology and epidemiology who directs the Stanford Center for Digital Health, and who has no connection with Piction, says: “I’m really optimistic about how this technology can help patients get the best care they can get, while at the same time helping doctors.” — Esther Landhuis.

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A new study from Weill Cornell Medicine provides insights into how cells maintain the tiny end caps of chromosomes as they divide, a key process in keeping cells healthy. Using yeast, the researchers reveal protein interactions that could explain how the enzyme telomerase is tightly regulated to prevent cells from dividing uncontrollably or aging prematurely.

The preclinical study, published April 17 in Nucleic Acids Research, brings us closer to understanding the mechanisms behind aging and cancer.

Before cells divide, they replicate the double-stranded DNA of each chromosome. The does a good job of copying the nucleotide sequences until it gets to the telomeres, the end caps of chromosomes that safeguard the genetic material from damage and normally shorten with aging. That’s when telomerase steps in and produces an overhang in which one DNA strand is a little longer than the other.

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An international team of microbiologists from the Medical University of Graz, the DSMZ—German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (Braunschweig, Germany)—and the University of Illinois (U.S.) has identified and described a previously unknown species of methane-producing archaea in the human gut: Methanobrevibacter intestini sp. nov. (strain WWM1085).

In addition, a new variant of the species Methanobrevibacter smithii, which is referred to as GRAZ-2, was isolated. The scientists have thus taken another important step toward understanding the interaction between humans and the . The study is published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

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