Medical

Researchers at Salk Institute have uncovered a mechanism by which stem cells can help regenerate muscles. The discovery could provide a new drug target for repairing muscles after injury or rebuilding muscle mass lost during the normal aging process.

When someone has a problematic skin condition, the affected skin is typically either stiffer or softer than normal. A new sensor has been shown to detect such differences, potentially allowing doctors to diagnose problems more quickly and easily.

Everyone responds to general anesthetics differently, which can make administering the correct dose tricky. A new device is designed to help, by continuously monitoring anesthetic levels in patients' bloodstreams during surgical procedures.

Why do some people benefit from some types of exercise more than others? Scientists investigating this question have demonstrated how profiles of certain proteins in the blood can predict a person's "trainability."

Patients don't like getting needles, nor do clinicians like having to keep protein-based vaccines cold at all times. A new polymer wafer – which dissolves when placed under the tongue – could address both issues.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified an enzyme that may naturally protect the brain from damage caused by oxygen deprivation. This could be a potential drug target to prevent issues arising from strokes or heart attacks.

A new proof of concept study has demonstrated how certain types of protective gut bacteria can help negate the damaging side effects of toxic chemotherapy drugs, raising the prospect of future probiotics designed to enhance gut health in cancer patients.

Researchers have identified an entirely new neural circuit that can be targeted to trigger satiation in mice, and even found that an already-approved ADHD drug confers its weight loss effects through this same pathway.

Although there are implants that gradually release medication at specific sites within the body, it can be difficult to control their rate of release. An experimental new device, however, dispenses drugs when externally activated by a shockwave.

A new technology developed at Duke University could automate the process of analyzing stools for signs of disease, by working in existing toilet systems and using artificial intelligence to scan and classify feces as they are flushed through.

Scientists at King's College London have used experiments in mice to demonstrate how fasting can also improve long-term memory and tackle age-related cognitive impairment, by boosting expression of what's known as the "longevity gene."

In a major breakthrough for regenerative medicine, scientists have partially restored vision in a blind man using an emerging technique called optogenetics, which enabled the patient to locate and identify objects for the first time in decades.