Medical

Medical science has come a long way from tribal shaman dispensing herbs and roots. Having already cured many diseases and conditions that were once a death sentence, medical researchers continue to strive to help us live longer and healthier lives. Great advances are being made in regrowing damaged organs, turning back our biological clocks, and the big one – finding a cure for cancer.

Medical Audio available

New CRISPR technique could prevent obesity without cutting or editing a genome

Rich Haridy December 13, 2018

An exciting new study has demonstrated how a new kind of CRISPR technique can increase the expression of certain genes, instead of the more traditional approach of cutting or editing DNA. The method was tested in mice, targeting genes associated with hunger, and stopped the animals becoming obese.

A new technique called CRISPRa can increase the expression of a single gene without cutting or ...

Medical

Bluetooth-equipped capsule communicates from the gut

Ben Coxworth December 13, 2018

It was just last month that we heard the latest about a multi-dose capsule that stays in the stomach for up to two weeks, gradually releasing medication. The scientists that created it have now taken things further, with a similar capsule that can communicate from within the body using Bluetooth.

The capsule was 3D-printed in alternating layers of stiff and flexible polymers, helping it to withstand ...

Medical Audio available

Intriguing study suggests Alzheimer's-like brain damage can be "caught"

Rich Haridy December 13, 2018

A new study is adding weight to the hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease is somewhat transmissible, providing experimental evidence that in the past amyloid beta plaques may have been seeded in a patient's brain through contaminated samples of human growth hormone.

A new study reveals old, human-derived growth hormone may have indirectly seeded Alzheimer's-like pathologies in the ...

Medical Audio available

Unlikely drug pair combine to cut off cancer's energy supply

Nick Lavars December 11, 2018

Cancer cells are a hungry bunch, calling on relatively huge amounts of energy to feed their demanding metabolisms. New research out of the University of Basel describes a drug cocktail that shuts down this process, leaving the cancer cells to wither and die instead.

An electron microscopy image of a cancer cell produced at the University of Basel

Medical Audio available

A single molecule could forecast what type of dementia a person will develop

Rich Haridy December 11, 2018

Researchers at UT Southwestern are continuing their discoveries into the neurological origins of dementia, revealing a strategy that could potentially forecast what form of dementia a person may develop long before any symptoms of cognitive decline appear by studying a single molecule in the brain.

A new discovery could make it possible to diagnose dementia before it damages the brain, and ...

Medical Audio available

Harvard's 3D-printed heart valves open the door to a perfect fit

Nick Lavars December 10, 2018

Scientists at Harvard University have broken new ground in applying 3D printing technology to the problem of damaged hearts, providing a potential new tool to keep blocked arteries open and the blood pumping freely.

Scientists have used 3D printed models of individual heart valves and calcium buildup to help carve ...

Medical Audio available

Novel nano-gel promises to help kill leftover cancer cells after surgery

Rich Haridy December 10, 2018

The first step in many cancer treatments is to surgically remove the tumor, however this often isn’t enough. As long as a few cancer cells remain the tumors often grow back, but a new innovative spray gel, administered onto a cancerous site during surgery, may help prevent the tumors recurring.

The gel helps the immune system target and kill any cancer cells that remain after tumor-removal ...

Medical Audio available

New 3D-printed electrodes may boost "jab-less" blood glucose monitoring

Ben Coxworth December 7, 2018

Daily finger-prick blood glucose tests are an unpleasant part of life for diabetics, which is why various groups have developed non-invasive glucose-monitoring sensors. Such devices may be becoming more effective and affordable, thanks to a project presently underway at Washington State University.

The research is being led by Asst. Prof. Arda Gozen (pictured) and Prof. Yuehe Lin

Medical

Compelling link between vitamin D deficiency in newborns and schizophrenia discovered

Rich Haridy December 6, 2018

A new study has revealed an intriguing link between babies born with a vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. Although the discovery stems from observational research, the scientists suggest vitamin D plays a major role in fetal brain development.

A new study has found that vitamin D deficiency at birth could increase the risk of ...

Medical

Queen bee's secret sauce uncovers a key ingredient that keeps stem cells young

Nick Lavars December 5, 2018

Royal jelly is a substance that separates queen bees from rest. For the first time, scientists have not only zeroed on the protein behind its incredible growth spurts, they’ve used its structure to identify a similar protein in mammals.

Research into the royal jelly secreted by bees as led scientists to a protein in humans ...