Researchers rebuilt long-extinct versions of a crucial enzyme that helps make nitrogen available to life, offering an unprecedented glimpse into Earth’s distant past. The breakthrough could aid the search for extraterrestrial life while helping scientists tackle future food-production challenges on Earth and beyond. Scientists have recreated ancient nitrogen-fixing enzymes, opening a rare window into the biology of Earth’s earliest life. Nitrogen is essential for every known form of life on…
Read MoreScientists found a surprising cancer fighter hiding inside tumors
Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have turned an unlikely source into a potential new weapon against cancer: bacteria that naturally live inside tumors. They developed a peptide called aurB, inspired by a bacterial protein, that infiltrates cancer cells and effectively cuts off their energy supply by targeting the mitochondria, the cells’ power plants. Scientists turned tumor-dwelling bacteria into a powerful cancer-fighting therapy that effectively cuts off tumors’ energy…
Read MoreMelanoma’s secret to cheating death has finally been revealed
Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery by discovering the missing genetic ingredient that helps melanoma cells become effectively immortal. The breakthrough could open the door to new treatments aimed at disrupting one of cancer’s most important survival strategies. Scientists have uncovered the hidden genetic trick that helps melanoma cells cheat death, revealing a promising new target for fighting skin cancer. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have…
Read MoreGenetic Breakthrough as “Longevity Gene” Successfully Extends Lifespan in Mammals
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In a groundbreaking study that could redefine the future of aging research, scientists at the University of Rochester have successfully transferred a longevity gene from naked mole rats to mice. The result is a significant improvement in health and a notable extension of the mice’s lifespan. Scientists borrowed a longevity secret from naked mole rats and used it to make mice healthier and live longer. Naked mole…
Read MoreSeal Adaptation Boosts Reproductive Health
Wild animals that have acquired adaptions to maximize their reproductive output in some of the world’s most extreme conditions may provide answers to some of the most pressing problems in the field of human reproductive health. A newly published article by Michelle Shero, assistant scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) Biology Department, examines how the study of seals in particular can benefit human health, and it integrates various…
Read MoreChallenges of Tuberculosis in Iran
Abstract Background: Despite the implementation of the national control program, tuberculosis is one of the greatest health problems in Iran. The prevalence of different strains in specific ethnic populations suggests that Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission has been limited and restricted to close contact. Objectives: In the present review, we describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis in Iran. Methods: In this review article, databases including Scopus, PubMed, and Google scholar were used to search for…
Read MoreWeighing Cancer Cells To Personalize Drug Choices and Help With Treatment Decision-Making
A new study shows a link between patient survival and changes in tumor cell mass after glioblastoma treatment. Researchers at MIT and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have developed a new way to determine whether individual patients will respond to a specific cancer drug or not. This kind of test could help doctors to choose alternative therapies for patients who don’t respond to the therapies normally used to treat their cancer. The…
Read MoreBio-Inspired Slow-Release System: Mimicking Nature To Provide Long-Lasting Local Anesthesia
Bio-inspired slow-release system for site 1 sodium channel blockers mimics the anesthetics’ natural receptors in the body. Site 1 sodium channel blockers such as tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin are small-molecule drugs with powerful local anesthetic properties. They provide pain relief without toxic effects on local nerves and muscles, and are an attractive alternative to opioids. But injected by themselves, they can easily float away, causing severe systemic toxicity. Encapsulating these drugs…
Read More“Mini” CRISPR Genetic Editing System Engineered – Easier To Deliver Into Human Cells for Gene Therapy
Bioengineers have repurposed a “non-working” CRISPR system to make a smaller version of the genome engineering tool. Its diminutive size should make it easier to deliver into human cells, tissues, and the body for gene therapy. The common analogy for CRISPR gene editing is that it works like molecular scissors, cutting out select sections of DNA. Stanley Qi, assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, likes that analogy, but he…
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