Cells

Researchers have developed what they are calling “super-human red blood cells.” These are normal red blood cells loaded with synthetic drug molecules, creating a powerful hybrid cell designed to deliver drugs to targeted locations in the body.

The line between robots and living organisms is beginning to blur. Researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have now essentially created new creatures from frog cells, complete with programmable behaviors.

Research led by UCLA has uncovered a new process that may help explain how Type 2 diabetes develops. In tests on live mice and human cells, the team found a new mechanism that triggers pancreatic cells to begin overproducing insulin.

Cancer has a knack for deceiving the immune system, giving itself time to grow and spread. Now, researchers at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have identified one way it does so, and found a method to counter it in mouse tests.

New research from Harvard suggests some single-celled organisms may be capable of more complex decision-making than we give them credit for. In experiments, they were found to consult a hierarchy of options and be capable of “changing their minds.”

Exactly how do immune cells avoid wiping themselves out while attacking invaders? Researchers at Peter Mac and UCL have now found that they create a tough shield around themselves, and this discovery could lead to new cancer therapies.

All sorts of health problems arise when as you take humans out into space. New microgravity simulations show that our guts can become “leaky” after a stint in space, increasing the chances of certain infections and diseases for weeks afterwards.

New research from Tufts University may make it a little easier to manage diabetes. In mouse tests, the team implanted beta cells that produce more insulin on demand, when they’re activated by blue light.

Cancer cells are more metabolically active than normal cells, which helps them grow out of control – but this could also be their weakness. New research shows that leukemia is particularly vulnerable to a drug cocktail that targets mitochondria.

During and after nuclear bomb tests, levels of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 spiked in the atmosphere and in our bodies. Now, researchers have used that to carbon date our immune cells, helping solve a mystery about how our immune systems age.

In lab tests, researchers have identified a cellular “switch” that could be turned off to clear out HIV lying dormant inside cells.

Researchers have found a way to “reboot” the immune system, helping to treat and prevent diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis.