Blood

Impressive new research has discovered a set of biomarkers that can predict when a pregnant woman will go into labor several weeks in advance. The breakthrough findings are hoped to be translated into a predictive blood test within the next few years.

Researchers are closer to an objective blood test for mood disorders, with a new study describing a panel of blood-based biomarkers that can distinguish between depression and bipolar disorder, and measure the future risk of developing these conditions.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an intriguing new way to fight cancer by combining two types of experimental therapies. Their secret ingredient is creating a feedback loop using modified blood platelets.

A clinical trial run by the NIH exploring the efficacy of convalescent plasma in treating mild to moderate COVID-19 patients has been halted. In a similar conclusion to prior trials, the once-promising treatment was deemed unlikely to be of any benefit.

Heart failure often requires a transplant of the whole organ. Now scientists at EPFL have developed an artificial aorta that can help pump blood, taking some of the pressure off the heart to reduce or even eliminate the need for a transplant.

Like weeds that grow back if you don’t remove the roots, cancer can keep returning thanks to stem cells. A new “designer” DNA molecule eradicates these cancer stem cells, with tests in mice showing promising early results in preventing relapse.

A new systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal has concluded adhering to a low-carbohydrate diet for six months is the most effective dietary strategy to put type type 2 diabetes into remission.

Early findings from a clinical trial suggest severely ill COVID-19 patients do not benefit from a therapy involving infusions of plasma from those recovered from the disease. The trial continues to investigate the therapy in moderately ill patients.

Blood clots can be dangerous, and blood thinning drugs aren’t always enough to clear them out. Now, researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated an ultrasonic “drill” that can break clots apart with the help of tiny nanodroplets.

Scientists have distinguished six different subtypes of prediabetes, a condition that precedes the onset of type 2 diabetes. The subtypes should allow clinicians more precise identification of those patients most likely to develop diabetes.

Research into a rare type of dementia has uncovered a genetic mutation that results in dysfunctional white blood cells and a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, a mechanism that may play a role in common types of dementia such as Alzheimer's.

Continuous blood monitoring would be a transformative advance for doctors and a new study brings that reality closer. New research describes a device that can detect real-time changes in blood levels of any molecule a doctor would need to monitor.