University of Pittsburgh

Strokes can leave lifelong lingering issues, as neurons are damaged and die. But now, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have identified a new drug that could help prevent damage even after a stroke, with tests in mice showing promise.

Imagine needing a liver transplant and, instead of waiting for a donor, a new one could just be grown from your own skin cells. In a big step towards this, mini human livers grown from stem cells have been successfully transplanted into rats.

Scientists have managed to copy one of cancer's strategies to hide from the immune system, and use it for good. They made new microparticles that permanently prevent transplanted tissue or even whole limbs from being rejected by the immune system.

Doctors are reporting a bizarre case of a woman who urinates alcohol. The woman showed none of the other regular signs of excessive alcohol consumption, leading them to conclude that yeast in her bladder was brewing the booze.

When someone has suffered a major nerve injury, there are two common treatments: a nerve graft, or a conduit to guide the regrowth of the nerve. While both approaches have their drawbacks, a new variation on the latter may succeed where they fail.

Although it's crucial that people get vaccinated against tuberculosis, the vaccine isn't always very effective – at least, not when injected through the skin. New research, however, shows that it works much better when delivered directly into a vein.

Although titanium implants are strong and light, they're subject to colonization by harmful microbes. Infections of the surrounding tissue can result. Now, however, research suggests that electrifying the titanium may provide a solution.

​We've already heard about water-repellant materials that copy the structure of the lotus leaf. Now, however, scientists have created a flexible optical plastic that wards off liquids even better, and it was inspired by something else – the humble Enoki mushroom.

The US Department of Defense has awarded contracts worth a total of US$7.2 million to develop an autonomous trauma care system called TRACIR that uses robotics, and artificial intelligence to autonomously treat battlefield casualties almost immediately.

With blinds in front of our windows, we usually have to choose between light and privacy, but “smart glass" can toggle its opacity as needed. Now a University of Pittsburgh team has developed a new type of glass that can switch between hazy and clear in seconds – just add water.

​Last year, a proof-of-concept study described how the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool could be used to eliminate HIV from infected cells. In a potential step towards a permanent cure, the team has shown that the technique keeps the virus from spreading, and in latent cases, rips it from its hideout.

​The CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system could help fight cancer, and now, researchers have used the tool to target what they call cancer’s command center, in a treatment that’s been shown in mice to shrink aggressive tumors and increase survival rates, without harming healthy cells.