Medical

In big news for the millions who suffer from chronic lower back pain due to degraded disks, scientists have made a potentially huge breakthrough in understanding its cause at a microscopic level, paving the way for effective cell therapy to relieve it.

Researchers discovered that a modification to the synthetic mRNA used in therapeutics can cause the cell’s machinery to misread its instructions, leading to unintended immune responses. Importantly, they’ve also discovered a solution to the problem.

Scientists have solved the mystery of which protein triggers the onset of many cases of frontotemporal dementia, paving the way for more effective early diagnosis of the degenerative disease and the development of potentially life-changing treatment.

Researchers have developed a bubble microrobot capable of being guided around the tiny complex blood vessels of the brain using ultrasound. The ‘microvehicle’ holds potential as a means of delivering drugs to treat brain cancer and stroke.

Researchers have analyzed blood proteins to estimate the biological - as opposed to the chronological - age of bodily organs to predict a person’s risk of disease. The approach may lead to the earlier detection of disease in apparently healthy people.

If you've ever tried pulling a mussel off a rock, you'll know that they're good at holding on. The secret to their success is a natural adhesive, which has been replicated in a glue that could help keep orthopedic implants attached to bone tissue.

A world-first clinical trial has found that a drug commonly prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis preserved the pancreatic cells’ ability to produce insulin and slowed the progression of type 1 diabetes in those recently diagnosed with the condition.

Researchers developed a technique to implant a device containing insulin-secreting cells in a pocket under the skin, reversing diabetes in mice without the need for anti-rejection drugs. It could one day provide an alternative to insulin injections.

In what has already been tagged as a “game-changer” for cancer treatment, the potent once-a-day tablet known as divarasib has continued to impress at Phase 1b trial stage, outperforming not just current therapies but its previous trial results.

Researchers have genetically engineered stem cells to transform into greater numbers of the neurons needed for effective Parkinson’s disease cell therapy. The method could be used to generate other types of brain cells to treat a range of disorders.

Research has found that non-invasively applying a mild electrical current to the brain twice a day for six weeks improved cognitive functioning and plasticity, the ability of the brain to ‘rewire’ itself, in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers have revealed how regular ketamine use produces divergent changes in parts of the brain that produce the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter, dopamine. The discovery could have significant implications for the treatment of mental illness.

A groundbreaking study has mapped dopamine, deep inside the brain, in real time. Surprising researchers, the "pleasure neurotransmitter" is more complex than earlier thought, shaping our brain to make better decisions based on prior experience.

A study has found that placing older adults in a simulated high-altitude environment for a week before major surgery greatly improved their hemoglobin levels, addressing a common preoperative problem, anemia, that can lead to surgical complications.

Researchers have identified a way of selectively eliminating the ‘bad’ immune cells that contribute to autoimmune skin diseases like psoriasis while leaving the ‘good’ cells intact. The discovery could lead to longer-lasting, more targeted treatments.