Washington University in St. Louis

Scientists hope to use brain implants as a way of better understanding brain circuitry, and ultimately treating neurological conditions

Medical

Plug-and-play brain implant uses replaceable cartridges for continuous drug delivery

Hooking our brains up to machines could mean new forms of treatment for brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A new device shows promises in this regard, with an ability to be loaded up with different cartridges depending on the treatment needed and triggered remotely with a smartphone.

Scientists have discovered a new way to weaponize the immune system against a historically crafty foe – pancreatic cancer

Medical

Compound puts pancreatic cancer in immunotherapy's sights

Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that seeks to supercharge the body’s natural immune defenses, but pancreatic cancer is one that has so far been able to evade its advances. Scientists are now reporting a discovery that might help the immune system regain the upper hand.

A new compound could knock out tuberculosis bacteria's resistance to antibiotics

Medical

New compound reverses drug resistance in tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is currently curable, but the bacteria responsible for it are fast evolving resistance to our antibiotics, thwarting attempts to keep the disease under control. Scientists have found a new compound that can boost the power of existing antibiotics and even reverse the bugs’ resistance.

Created from induced pluripotent stem cells, these new beta cells are already producing insulin, which could serve as a functional cure for diabetes

Biology

Turning stem cells into insulin-producing cells could lead to "functional" diabetes cure

A possible diabetes cure could be found by replenishing a patient’s own supply of beta cells, which naturally produce insulin. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are a step closer to that kind of treatment, after tweaking the recipe for turning stem cells into beta cells.

Researchers have used bacteria to build a new water filter that kills other bacteria

Materials

Traitor bacteria help build graphene water filter that kills other bacteria

Water filters get less effective as bacteria builds up on their surface. Now, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new type of membrane that reduces such biofouling by actively killing bacteria with graphene – and in an interesting twist, it’s built by bacteria.

Currently a proof-of-concept, the research could lead to preventing bacteria from spreading antibiotic resistance to each other

Biology

"Out-of-the-box" new method stops bacteria spreading antibiotic resistance – without killing them

We might be losing the war against bacteria, as they rapidly develop resistance to our best drugs. Now researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have found a way to potentially prevent bacteria from spreading antibiotic resistance to each other.

Seismic activity at the Mariana plate is dragging far more water into the Earth's mantle than previously thought

Environment

Earth is "drinking" more seawater through the Mariana Trench than previously thought

A new study suggests that the mantle is home to much more water than was previously believed. Seismic activity around the Mariana Trench have revealed that subducting tectonic plates are dragging more water deeper into the Earth, which could change our understanding of the global water cycle.

Drug nanoparticles could be delivered directly to the brain through a nasal spray, which is then further targeted to the right area by ultrasound waves

Medical

Nasal spray and ultrasound team up for direct-to-brain drug delivery

The blood-brain barrier is an effective shield against infection, but it’s not so helpful when you’re trying to get drugs in there. Nasal sprays could bypass the barrier, and now researchers have developed a way to use ultrasound pulses to drive the drugs to where in the brain they’re needed.

A comparison of the livers of different groups of mice – left is a healthy mouse liver, middle shows the fatty deposits (red) left by a high-fat/cholesterol diet over 12 weeks, and the right image shows that same high-fat diet in mice with high levels of Aloxe3 expression

Medical

The natural sugar that reduces the risk of diabetes in mice

Researchers have discovered a new way to reduce the risk of diabetes – sugar. Trehalose is a natural sugar that has now been found to deprive the liver of glucose and activate a gene that improves insulin sensitivity and triggers the burning of more fat.

Spun up with larger proteins, a new biosynthetic spider silk has been found to match the natural stuff in several key metrics

Materials

Bacteria build stronger biosynthetic spider silk, protein by protein

Strong as steel and tougher than Kevlar, spider silk is one of nature’s most impressive materials. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have now engineered bacteria to produce biosynthetic spider silk that they say performs as well as the real stuff.

Researchers have engineered bacteria to absorb nitrogen from the air, with the eventual goal of developing plants that can do the same

Science

Hungry plants could learn a thing or two from nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Nitrogen is a vital nutrient for plants, but they can't pull it out of the air, hence the need for artificial fertilizer. But now, researchers have engineered bacteria that can efficiently suck nitrogen out of the air, and the long-term goal is to develop crops that can do the same.

Researchers have found that activating "grandmother" neurons can help reset the body's natural clock

Biology

Activating "grandmother neurons" could reset body clock

Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have isolated a small cluster of “grandmother” neurons that tell the rest of the brain when to go to bed, and found that stimulating those could help combat jet lag.