blood vessel

Biology Audio available

How food dye may have unlocked 3D printable organs for transplant

Michael Irving May 5, 2019

3D printing organs is going through some teething issues. Now researchers have found a surprisingly simple answer to the complex problem of printing detailed vascular networks, and shown it off with a dramatic model of a breathing lung that passes oxygen into surrounding blood vessels.

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Medical

New hypothesis to explain Alzheimer’s disease and age-related dementia

Rich Haridy February 6, 2019

Building on recent research finding associations between a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier and the onset of cognitive impairment, a new study has homed in on a specific blood-clotting protein that can trigger synaptic damage after leaking into the brain.

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Mexican drug cartels hinder "wonder drug” research into vampire bat venom

Rich Haridy January 20, 2019

​New research has described a novel peptide found in the venom of vampire bats could pave the way for an entirely new class of blood-pressure “wonder drugs”. However, the study is being stifled by drug cartels taking over the research site in Mexico.​

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Lab-grown human blood vessels promise breakthroughs in the fight against diabetes

Dario Borghino January 18, 2019

Stem cell researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have successfully managed to grow human blood vessels in the lab. The finding could mark a giant leap forward in the fight against vascular diseases.

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Medical

Wireless blood-flow sensor dissolves when its job is done

Ben Coxworth January 8, 2019

​When someone has had blood vessel surgery, it's important for doctors to check that the vessel doesn't become blocked as it heals. Such blockages could someday be detected earlier and more easily than ever, thanks to an experimental new biodegradable blood flow sensor.

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Non-invasive neck scan shows promise for detecting cognitive decline years in advance

Rich Haridy November 13, 2018

New research from University College London suggests a quick ultrasound scan examining blood vessels in the neck may be able to effectively predict a person's risk of developing cognitive decline more than 10 years before symptoms appear.

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Medical

Blowing bubbles in the blood could kill cancer with both barrels

Michael Irving June 6, 2018

Gas embolotherapy involves creating tiny bubbles in tumor blood vessels, which block the blood supply and starve the cancer out. Now, researchers from China and France have found that the technique could also deal a second blow as a drug delivery system.

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Medical

New type of stem cell produces two tissues for the price of one

Michael Irving February 27, 2018

If you wind back the clock on the different cells in our bodies, they’d all start life as one of just a few types of stem cells. Now, researchers have wound back the clock even further, and discovered a new type of dual stem cell that can produce certain tissues with built-in blood vessels.

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Health & Wellbeing

No sweat: Yoda1 molecule activates the body's exercise sensor

Michael Franco August 24, 2017

Researchers have taken us a step closer to the idea of "exercise in a pill" by examining a protein they call the body's "exercise sensor" and learning how to activate it with a molecule named after a Star Wars character.

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Biology

Lab-made mini-brains are sprouting their own blood vessels

Michael Irving February 5, 2017

“Mini-brains,” models created from 3D cultures of neural cells, could help reduce our reliance on animal testing. Now researchers have discovered the neural cells are growing their own blood vessels too, opening the door for better studies of stroke, Alzheimer’s and concussion.

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