Press monitoring
Nano-factories produce anti-cancer drugs from inside tumors
19.2.2018 | Press monitoring
Like the horse of Troy, scientists at the Technion have developed a way to sneak synthetic cells right into tumor tissue, where they then begin producing cancer-fighting proteins from the inside. The technique was tested in both cell cultures and in mice, and found to be an effective treatment in both cases. The Technion scientists loaded...
Cancer-fighting nanorobots programmed to seek and destroy tumors
16.2.2018 | Press monitoring
In a major advancement in nanomedicine, Arizona State University (ASU) scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have successfully programmed nanorobots to shrink tumors by cutting off their blood supply. "We have developed the first fully...
Organ-on-chip technology enters next stage as experts test hepatitis B virus
14.2.2018 | Press monitoring
Scientists at Imperial College London have become the first in the world to test how pathogens interact with artificial human organs. Artificial human organs, or organ-on-chip technologies, simulate a whole organ's cell make up and physiology. They act as alternatives to animal models in drug safety testing, but until now they have not been used...
Molecule behind Huntington\'s disease found to be cancer-killing super assassin
12.2.2018 | Press monitoring
For several years, scientists have noticed an unexplained reduced incidence of cancer in patients suffering from the devastating hereditary neurodegenerative condition Huntington's disease. Now a team at Northwestern Medicine has uncovered how the disease could be inadvertently killing cancer cells, and how this process could be harnessed for a...
Bacterial superheroes may save the day for crops
9.2.2018 | Press monitoring
The bacterium SA187 has been isolated from the root nodules of an indigenous desert plant that grows in Saudi Arabia. The KAUST team found it has many genes that promote plant growth in stressful environments. Their finding is part of a KAUST project called DARWIN21, which aims to explore the microbial diversity of desert plants and examine their...
Injection helps the immune system obliterate tumors, at least in mice
7.2.2018 | Press monitoring
Our immune cells can destroy tumors, but sometimes they need a kick in the pants to do the job. A study in mice describes a new way to incite these attacks by injecting an immune-stimulating mixture directly into tumors. The shots trigger the animals’ immune system to eliminate not only the injected tumors, but also other tumors in their...
To baldly grow: Japan scientists regrow hair at record rate
5.2.2018 | Press monitoring
Polished pates and thinning thatches may one day be a thing of the past, thanks to Japanese scientists who have developed a way to grow hair follicles at a record rate. The study used two kinds of cells placed in silicone containers to cultivate "hair follicle germs" - the sources of the tiny organs that grow and sustain hair. Led by professor...
Lab-on-a-chip for tracking single bacterial cells
2.2.2018 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, together with researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Dresden, have set up a novel lab-on-a-chip with accompanying automatic analysis software. As they report in Nature Communications, this integrated setup can be used to study gene regulation in single bacterial cells in response to...
Stealth virus for cancer therapy
31.1.2018 | Press monitoring
Scientists from the University of Zurich have redesigned an adenovirus for use in cancer therapy. To achieve this, they developed a new protein shield that hides the virus and protects it from elimination. Adapters on the surface of the virus enable the reconstructed virus to specifically infect tumor cells. Viruses have their own genetic...
Researchers explore anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin
29.1.2018 | Press monitoring
Extracts of the plant turmeric - the spice that gives Indian curries a yellow color - have been used as an anti-inflammatory treatment in traditional Asian medicine for centuries. Clinical trials of curcumin (the active chemical compound in turmeric), however, have produced mixed results. A molecular understanding of curcumin's biological effects...
