New Transgenic Model of Parkinson’s Illuminates Disease Biology
Laser-capture Method Investigates Parkinson’s and Psychiatric Diseases
Dopamine neurons are located in the midbrain, but their tendril-like axons can branch far into the higher cortical areas, influencing how we move and how we feel. New genetic evidence has revealed that these specialized cells may also have far-reaching effects, implicating them in conditions that range from Parkinson’s disease to schizophrenia. Using a new…
Rapid Zika Detection Test Uses Smartphone Technology
Surgical Technique Improves Sensation, Control of Prosthetic Limb
3D Human ‘Mini-Brains’ Shed New Light on Genetic Underpinnings of Major Mental Illness
Blood Test May Predict Future Risk of Cardiovascular Events
Sex Matters in Nanomedicine
Important biological differences between men and women exist — right down to the cellular level. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and colleagues at Stanford University, McGill University, and University of California, Berkeley wanted to determine if differences between male versus female cells may influence how well cells uptake nanoparticles — a key vehicle for…
New Congenital Heart Disease Genes Uncovered
Online Team-Based Game Helps Patients With Diabetes Lower Blood Glucose
Study Finds Imatinib Improves Symptoms for Patients with Severe Asthma
Wireless Power Can Drive Tiny Electronic Devices in GI Tract
Imagers, gastric pacemakers and other diagnostic and therapeutic tools could someday transform the way diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are measured and treated. But in order for these electronic devices to work, they need a power source. Traditional power sources, such as batteries, can be incompatible with the mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal tract and…
An Intriguing New Gene Candidate in the Search for Alzheimer’s Therapies
Tau pathology is one of the defining features of Alzheimer disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia in older age. While symptomatic treatments exist, there are currently no preventive therapies for AD. Investigators at BWH and Rush University Medical Center reported the discovery of a new gene that is associated with Tau…
Organ-On-a-Chip Model Offers Insights into Premature Aging and Vascular Disease
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is an extremely rare genetic condition that causes premature and accelerated aging. Recently, researchers have been able to generate induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with HGPS to better understand the mechanisms of aging and look for new treatments. HGPS primarily affects vascular cells, which undergo biomechanical strains in blood vessels.…
Deadly Thyroid Cancer Attacked with Nanoparticle Therapy
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer, has a mortality rate of nearly 100 percent and a median survival time of three to five months. One promising strategy for the treatment of these solid tumors and others is RNA interference (RNAi) nanotechnology, but delivering RNAi agents to the sites of tumors…