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Category: biotech/medical

‘Universal’ Cancer Vaccine Destroys Resistant Tumors in Mice

Scientists are making encouraging progress in developing vaccines to treat cancer, but so far the therapies have been restricted to specific types of tumor. Now new research points the way to a universal vaccine that could attack a wider range of cancers.

The research led by a team at the University of Florida focuses on “waking up” the immune system to better respond to more types of cancerous cell – tumors that would otherwise be missed for a variety of reasons.

“What we found is by using a vaccine designed not to target cancer specifically but rather to stimulate a strong immunologic response, we could elicit a very strong anti-cancer reaction,” says neuroscientist Duane Mitchell.

Microglia gene activity shifts across Alzheimer’s stages, revealing possible therapy targets

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive memory loss and a decline in mental (i.e., cognitive) abilities. Statistics suggest that between 500,000 and 900,000 people are diagnosed with this disease every year, while several hundreds of thousands experience dementia or other aging-related cognitive decline.

While there are some available treatments designed to delay cognitive decline in individuals with mild or moderate AD symptoms, a cure for the disease has not yet been identified. A better understanding of the neural, genetic, cellular and that contribute to the disease’s progression, as well as to neurodegeneration in general, could thus be highly valuable, as it could inform the future development of alternative treatments.

Past neuroscience research has identified the key role of microglia in AD. These are specialized that monitor the environment in the brain, clearing out , debris and pathogens. The dysregulation of these cells has been linked to neurodegeneration and to the progression of AD.

The AI breakthrough that uses almost no power to create images

From creating art and writing code to drafting emails and designing new drugs, generative AI tools are becoming increasingly indispensable for both business and personal use. As demand increases, they will require even more computing power, memory and, therefore, energy. That’s got scientists looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption.

In a paper published in the journal Nature, Aydogan Ozcan, from the University of California Los Angeles, and his colleagues describe the development of an AI image generator that consumes almost no power.

AI image generators use a process called diffusion to generate images from text. First, they are trained on a large dataset of images and repeatedly add a statistical noise, a kind of digital static, until the image has disappeared.

The anti-Kronos effect: How bacterial viruses protect their offspring to maximize spread

University of Toronto researchers have uncovered how bacterial viruses protect their progeny in order to maximize their reach. The phenomenon, described in a study published in Nature, relies on viral proteins to fine-tune structures on the surface of the bacterial host cell and is widely conserved—pointing to a previously unknown parallel between microbial and human immunity.

The researchers dubbed their discovery the anti-Kronos effect, after the Greek god who ate his children.

Researchers have long known that once a cell is infected by a , it can block subsequent reinfection by the same or closely related viruses. This process, called superinfection exclusion, was first described in bacteriophages, the viruses that infect .

Biomarker brings ER+ breast cancer patients one step closer to more personalized therapy

A new study by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine brings hope for a more personalized approach to treating estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, the most common type of this cancer. The team identified a biomarker in preclinical ER+ breast cancer models that indicates that the tumor is more likely to respond to treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors.

The findings support further clinical studies to determine whether this marker may help identify patients who could benefit from CDK4/6 inhibitors. The study appears in Science Translational Medicine.

ER+ breast cancers rely on estrogen to grow and are typically treated by endocrine therapies that block the effects of estrogen. To improve outcomes, drugs called CDK4/6 inhibitors, such as abemaciclib and ribociclib, are added to endocrine therapy to prevent relapse.

A single gene may explain why immune responses differ between men and women

A new study has uncovered a key difference between the immune system of males and females—and it comes down to a single gene. The study is published in The Journal of Immunology.

It is known that biological sex affects the function of the immune system, with women often being more severely affected by autoimmune conditions or allergic diseases.

Scientists from the University of York have now identified the gene Malat1 as a critical player in regulating immune responses in female immune cells, but not in males.

Harnessing mechanobiology to combat kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million people in the U.S., and for many, there is no cure. But a new research project at Washington University in St. Louis seeks to change that by uncovering the mechanical basis of kidney cell injury.

To tackle chronic kidney disease, Guy Genin, the Harold and Kathleen Faught Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the WashU McKelvey School of Engineering, and Jeffrey Miner, the Eduardo and Judith Slatopolsky Professor of Medicine in Nephrology at WashU Medicine, teamed up with Hani Suleiman, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The interdisciplinary team, with expertise spanning medicine, cell biology, genetics and engineering, received a five-year $4 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

With the NIH’s support, the team plans to study the mechanobiology of podocytes, specialized cells in the kidney that help filter blood.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have received a $4 million grant to study specialized cells that could help treat kidney disease.

Challenging Over 150 Years of Immunotherapy: Scientists Unveil New Weapon That Kills Cancer Without the Immune System

Two bacteria working in harmony show powerful antitumor effects. The approach could transform treatment for immunocompromised patients. A research team led by Professor Eijiro Miyako at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), working in collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo Co

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