Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Diagnosing celiac disease often means exposure to the thing that makes you sick, which can be debilitating. It may soon be simpler and pain-free, with a first-of-a-kind test that can detect and gauge the severity of the disease in a test tube instead.

A new study has found that after just a few days of eating a high-fat diet, the gut’s defenses are broken down, and an asymptomatic inflammation is triggered that can develop into a long-term problem. Importantly, the effects were reversible.

In a new study, researchers have identified a way to stop cells from dying, opening the door to developing treatments that slow the progression of neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease.

Scientists have finally pinned down a protein that’s largely responsible for Parkinson’s disease. Known as PINK1, the protein has been linked to the disease for decades but its structure and how to switch it back on have remained elusive – until now.

Researchers created model tumors using the tissues of patients with bowel cancer and used them to predict how the disease will respond to specific drugs with 83% accuracy. The pioneering approach could ensure patients get the most effective treatment.

Researchers identified the cells that can lead to breast cancer in women with mutated BRCA2 gene and uncovered their vulnerability. Targeting them with an existing drug slowed tumor progression, opening the door to a new breast cancer prevention strategy.

A new study has identified, for the first time, how the mutated protein p53, present in half of all human cancers, drives tumor growth. The discovery will not only facilitate a rethink of the way cancer is treated but may lead to new therapeutics.

Researchers have found that millions worldwide carry a gene variant that controls ‘explosive’ cell death and is linked to inflammation. They say it may explain why some people are prone to developing inflammatory diseases.

An existing blood cancer drug has been used to eliminate dormant HIV-infected cells that can cause the infection to reactivate when suppressive antiretroviral treatment is interrupted. The drug could remove the current need for lifelong medication.

We may be one step closer to developing a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, thanks to new Australian research that has discovered how a protein called optineurin works in a distinct way to clear damaged mitochondria from the brain.

Scientists in Australia have opened up some new possibilities around oral insulin, by identifying a molecule that activates receptors in a similar way to the hormone, thereby laying new foundations to explore digestible drugs that mimic its effects.

A new discovery around inflammation and excessive cell death in the body illuminates the key role a certain enzyme plays in the process, and how targeting a "sugar tag" could lead to treatments for a wide range of conditions.