IMMUNOLOGY

CLINICAL & MOLECULAR DX
The Genetics of Skin Inflammation, Seen With Unprecedented Clarity

A recent study published in Immunity details MIT scientists’ exploration of the underlying mechanisms of inflammatory skin conditions using a new RNA sequencing technology. The process of single-cell sequencing allows scientists to extract genetic information from individual cells using next-generation … 
A Super Sensitive Alzheimer’s Test Powered by Nanozymes

Simple tasks are now uphill struggles, social situations aren’t fun, and the house keys are missing again. By the time these symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease begin to take a toll on a patient’s quality of life, the damage is done — there is already severe neurodegeneration. Scientists at …
 

CANCER

CANCER
Investigating the Receptor Protein FPR1 in Brain Cancer
Amongst the more common targets for cancer therapies are cell surface receptors. These receptors are proteins – usually involved in transmitting signals into the cell – and are key signal gateways. Therefore, blocking a single receptor could stop whole signal pathways in the cell and maybe even stop … 
Attacking leukemia trojan horse style

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry have developed a new approach to targeting leukemic stem cells, the cells that grow into leukemia. The approach is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and works by removing leukemic stem cells from where they reside in the bone …

EARTH & THE ENVIRONMENT

GENETICS & GENOMICS
Is more iron a good thing for the oceans even if it comes from coal power plants?
A team of researchers from USC, Columbia University, University of Washington, MIT and the University of Hawaii, have found that emissions from coal-fired power plants in China are fertilizing the North Pacific Ocean with iron. Their findings, published in the … 


Does a ‘Mismatch’ Between Diet and Biology Cause Poor Health?
People that eat a ‘paleo’ diet operate under the idea that we should be eating more like our ancestors, and that metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity are related to a mismatch between the foods our bodies should eat, and what we actually consume. The ‘mismatch hypothesis’ suggests that our … 

CHEMISTRY & PHYSICS

IMMUNOLOGY
Fighting mesothelioma with gold nanotubes

New research published in the journal Small details how gold nanotubes could be used to treat mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos and over 2,600 people are diagnosed with the disease annually in the UK despite the banning of asbestos in 1999. There is concern that continued usage of … 
Gearing up for Life: The First 7 Days of the Immune System
The mother’s placenta serves as a shield for the developing fetus inside the womb, protecting it from the constant barrage of environmental pathogens and foreign bodies. This immunological bubble bursts as soon as the baby is born, when they are thrust into a world teeming with potentially pathogenic …