News by Subject Biology

In a new study in cells, University of Illinois researchers have adapted CRISPR gene-editing technology to cause the cell's internal machinery to skip over a small portion of a gene when transcribing it into a template for protein building. Such targeted editing could one day be useful for treating genetic diseases caused by mutations in the genome, such as Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease or some cancers.

A group of researchers from the Gladstone Institutes, UC San Francisco (UCSF), and UC Berkeley used a systematic approach to get an entirely new look at the way tuberculosis infects people. Their study, published in the scientific journal Molecular Cell, uncovered interactions between tuberculosis and human proteins that could provide new approaches to combat infection.

University of Colorado Cancer Center clinical trial results describe a promising strategy to remove one of melanoma's most powerful defenses: By adding retinoic acid to standard-of-care treatment, researchers were able to turn off myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that turn off the immune system, leading to more immune system activity directed at melanoma.

In a spectacular new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a method of diagnosing a broad range of cancers at their early stages by utilizing a particular malaria protein, which sticks to cancer cells in blood samples. The researchers hope that this method can be used in cancer screenings in the near future.

The protein CPEB4, which coordinates the expression of hundreds of genes required for neuronal activity, is altered in the brains of individuals with autism.

Brief exposures to stressors can be beneficial by prompting cells to trigger sustained production of antioxidants, molecules that help get rid of toxic cellular buildup related to normal metabolism -- findings with potential relevance for age-related diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease.