News by Subject Biology

Genetic mutations that give cancers a metabolic boost may also leave them vulnerable to drugs that promote a particular form of cell death, Sloan Kettering Institute researchers have found.

Millions of sperm enter the race to fertilize, but only one wins the sprint to the egg. Now Yale researchers have discovered that these winning sperm possess a few key molecular characteristics that differentiate them from those left behind, they report Dec. 1 in the journal eLife.

Tumors with mutations in the BRCA2 cancer-predisposition gene respond better to checkpoint blockade immunotherapy than tumors with mutations in BRCA1, scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering have found.

Scientists at CeMM have now discovered that the previously uncharacterized protein SLC25A51 acts as a transporter into the mitochondria for the coenzyme NAD. This molecule has already been associated with processes such as aging, neurological diseases and the metabolism of cancer cells. Therefore, the results of this study not only open up new possibilities to study the biological role of NAD but also potentially provide the basis for new therapeutic approaches.

Just a few doses of an experimental drug can reverse age-related declines in memory and mental flexibility in mice, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists. The drug, called ISRIB, has already been shown in laboratory studies to restore memory function months after traumatic brain injury (TBI), reverse cognitive impairments in Down Syndrome, prevent noise-related hearing loss, fight certain types of prostate cancer, and even enhance cognition in healthy animals.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have shown that the skin fibrosis seen in chronic graft-versus-host disease is mediated by transforming growth factor-β1 expressed by epidermal cells undergoing programmed death when they are stimulated by interferon-γ. Further investigations elucidate the sclerodermatous changes characteristic of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions such as systemic sclerosis, discoid lupus erythematosus and toxic epidermal necrolysis, thus opening up research avenues in pharmacotherapeutics based on targeting apoptosis and interferon-γ.

The role of a protein in detecting the common cold virus and kickstarting an immune response to fight infection has been uncovered by a team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the National University of Singapore.

One of world's earliest examples of art, the enigmatic `Venus' figurines carved some 30,000 years ago, have intrigued and puzzled scientists for nearly two centuries. Now a researcher from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus believes he's gathered enough evidence to solve the mystery behind these curious totems.