Diseases
Scientists decipher bacterial injection needles at atomic resolution
May 21, 2012 8:05 am | News | CommentsHundreds of tiny hollow needles stick out of the membrane of a bacteria that causes cholera. These are treacherous tools that makes bacterial pathogens so dangerous. Researchers in the U.S. and Germany have now seen this structure in 3D detail at atomic resolution. The images may help drug researchers.
Team discovers new way to stimulate immune cells
May 14, 2012 5:04 am | News | CommentsA research team at Rutgers University has been able to take a new pharmacological approach to activate the immune cells to prevent cancer growth through stimulation of the opiate receptors found on immune cells.
One-two punch knocks out aggressive breast cancer cells
May 11, 2012 3:50 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | News | CommentsDoctors have long known that treating patients with multiple cancer drugs often produces better results than treatment with just a single drug. Now, a study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that the order and timing of drug administration can have a dramatic effect.
Scientists invent superbug killers
May 10, 2012 9:10 am | News | CommentsThe superbugs have met their match. Conceived at Nanyang Technological University, it comes in the form of a coating which has a magnetic-like feature that attracts bacteria and kills them without the need for antibiotics.
Gene activation follows a circuitous route
May 10, 2012 6:30 am | News | CommentsIn order to reactivate silenced genes, a cell needs to remove certain “off” markers called methyl groups from the DNA. Scientists have recently shown that this process involves an intermediate step and an enzyme that also plays a role in the development of blood cancer. The finding could lead to new ideas for cancer-fighting therapies.
Researchers identify potential target for anthrax drug
May 9, 2012 6:10 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the University of Michigan have identified new targets for drugs that could potentially treat anthrax, the deadly infection caused by Bacillus anthracis . The team found a new way to block the bacteria's ability to capture iron, which is vital to its survival and its disease-causing properties.
FDA review favors first drug for HIV prevention
May 9, 2012 5:32 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsA pill that has long been used to treat HIV has moved one step closer to becoming the first drug approved to prevent healthy people from becoming infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that Gilead Sciences' Truvada appears to be safe and effective for HIV prevention.
Breathalyzer reveals signs of disease
May 7, 2012 4:29 am | by Miles O'Brien and Jon Baime, Science Nation | News | CommentsOne exhale and a new device from researchers at Stony Brook University in New York could screen for anything from diabetes to lung cancer. Based on a sensor chip built from electrospun nanowires that can detect minute amounts of chemical compounds, the device has yet to reach clinical trials. But its inventors anticipate the device to someday cost only $20.
Target: Drug-resistant bacteria
May 4, 2012 3:41 am | by Anne Trafton, News Office | News | CommentsOver the past several decades, scientists have faced challenges in developing new antibiotics even as bacteria have become increasingly resistant to existing drugs. One strategy that might combat such resistance would be to overwhelm bacterial defenses by using highly targeted nanoparticles to deliver large doses of existing antibiotics. In a step toward that goal, researchers have developed a nanoparticle designed to evade the immune system and home in on infection sites, then unleash a focused antibiotic attack.
Government to speed tracking of E. coli in meat
May 3, 2012 9:02 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsA new Agriculture Department program will begin tracing the source of potentially contaminated ground beef as soon as there is an initial positive test. Current procedures require USDA officials to wait until additional testing confirms E. coli before starting their investigation. Under the new process, the source could be traced 24 to 48 hours sooner.
Engineers put the squeeze on cells to diagnose disease
May 2, 2012 3:34 am | by Wileen Wong Kromhout and Matthew Chin | News | CommentsResearchers have taken advantage of cells' physical properties to develop a new instrument that slams cells against a wall of fluid and quickly analyzes the physical response, allowing for the identification of cancer and other cell states without expensive chemical tags.
Anti-malaria garment wards off infected bugs
May 1, 2012 2:53 pm | by Ted Boscia, Cornell University | News | CommentsTwo Cornell University innovators from Africa have created a body suit embedded at the molecular level with insecticides to ward off mosquitoes infected with deadly malaria. The outfit could provide daytime protection and the insecticide does not dissipate like skin- or net-based repellants.
Research breakthrough could allow drugs via the skin
April 26, 2012 6:47 am | News | CommentsA research team at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has solved the puzzle of the skin barrier: They have succeeded in describing the structure and function of the outermost layer of the skin—the stratum corneum—at a molecular level. This could enable large-scale delivery of drugs through the skin, or offer a deeper understanding of skin diseases.
Army researcher develops potential vaccine carrier
April 23, 2012 9:15 am | News | CommentsWhile microemulsions are now used for drug delivery, such as antibiotics and syrups, using them for vaccines is new area of research. A U.S. Army major has developed a microemulsion made from five ingredients that could be a stable, promising candidate delivering a variety of antigens against diseases such as influenza.
Pinpointing how antibiotics work
April 20, 2012 4:36 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | News | CommentsPenicillin and other antibiotics have revolutionized medicine, turning once-deadly diseases into easily treatable ailments. However, while antibiotics have been in use for more than 70 years, the exact mechanism by which they kill bacteria has remained a mystery. Now a new study reveals the killing mechanism behind all three major classes of antibiotics.
Computer-designed molecules point to new therapy for cystic fibrosis
April 19, 2012 6:24 pm | News | CommentsBy developing software that uses 3D models of proteins involved in cystic fibrosis, a team of scientists at Duke University has identified several new molecules that may ease the symptoms of the disease.
Kidney stone mystery solved
April 19, 2012 5:41 am | News | CommentsStriking an estimated 1 million Americans each year, kidney stones produce an excruciating pain that is among the worst known to man (or woman). Some are more prone to developing the condition than others, but until recent research on kidneys in mice the cause of the stones remained a mystery. The culprit is in the genes.
Licorice root found to contain anti-diabetic substance
April 17, 2012 4:58 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany have discovered promising anti-diabetic substance in the amorfrutin class of natural substances, which are found in licorice and Amorpha fruticosa bush found in North America. The binding of these molecules, the scientists say, reduces the plasma concentration of certain fatty acids and glucose associated with diabetes or fatty liver conditions.
Researchers find a way to detect “hypervirulent” Salmonella strains
April 13, 2012 4:56 am | News | CommentsAn international team of scientists conducting a global search for hypervirulent strains of Salmonella , the most common cause of infection, hospitalization, and death due to foodborne illness in the U.S., have developed a way to force the normally stealthy bacteria to reveal its biological weaponry before infection.
FDA wants limits on antibiotics given to animals
April 11, 2012 11:23 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsAntibiotics are mixed with animal feed to help livestock, pigs and chickens put on weight and stay healthy in crowded barns. Scientists have warned that this routine use leads to the growth of antibiotic-resistant germs that can be passed to humans. Now the Food and Drug Administration is weighing in on the matter, calling on drug companies to help limit the use antibiotics.
Scientists use nanotechnology to hunt for hidden pathogens
April 10, 2012 6:39 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a novel technique that may give doctors a faster and more sensitive tool to detect pathogens associated with inflammatory bowel disease. The new nanoparticle-based technique also may be used for detection of other microbes that have challenged scientists for centuries because they hide deep in human tissue and are able to reprogram cells to successfully evade the immune system.
'Nanobubbles' plus chemotherapy equals single-cell cancer targeting
April 9, 2012 7:03 am | News | CommentsUsing light-harvesting nanoparticles to convert laser energy into plasmonic nanobubbles, researchers at Rice University, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Baylor College of Medicine are developing new methods to inject drugs and genetic payloads directly into cancer cells. In tests on drug-resistant cancer cells, the researchers found that delivering chemotherapy drugs with nanobubbles was up to 30 times more deadly to cancer cells than traditional drug treatment.
Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation
April 5, 2012 9:55 am | by Brian Wallheimer, Purdue University | News | CommentsA compound found in red wine, grapes, and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential method to control obesity, according to a Purdue University study.
FDA rejects call to ban BPA from food packaging
April 3, 2012 10:27 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsDespite concern from some scientists who believe exposure to BPA can harm the reproductive and nervous systems of humans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has turned down a petition from environmentalists that would have banned the plastic-hardening chemical bisphenol-A from all food and drink packaging, including plastic bottles and canned food.
Artificial thymus tissue enables maturation of immune cells
April 2, 2012 5:02 am | News | CommentsUsing an artificial thymus built in a mouse embryo, researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Germany have succeeded in explaining the surprisingly simple control mechanism for this crucial organ in the body’s immune response. It was not previously known which combination of factors is responsible for the development of a particular progenitor cell type.
