Scientists spot mitochondria traveling through “bridges” into nearby cancer cells
Category: biotech/medical – Page 4
Mimicking the benefits of exercise with a single molecule
Capital Medical University, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reports that betaine, a molecule produced in the kidney and enhanced through sustained exercise, operates as a potent inhibitor of inflammatory and aging-related pathways.
Regular physical activity boosts health across cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological systems. Scientists have traced improvements in immune function, insulin sensitivity, clearing of senescent cells and tissue regeneration to consistent physical activity. Earlier animal studies suggested that long-term exercise can delay aging processes and reduce vulnerability to chronic disease.
Precise molecular explanations for how sustained exercise reshapes human biology remain incomplete. Many investigations have focused on single biomarkers or isolated tissues, leaving a need for systematic maps that can connect exercise to measurable physiological benefits. Specific factors capable of mimicking exercise’s protective effects without requiring continuous physical exertion have remained unclear.
Blood stem cell mutations linked to lower risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease
A study published in Cell Stem Cell reveals that some mutations in blood stem cells might help protect against late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
A team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that both a mouse model and people carrying blood stem cells with mutations in the gene TET2, but not in the gene DNMT3A, had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Their study proposes a mechanism that can protect against the disease and opens new avenues for potential strategies to control the emergence and progression of this devastating condition.
“Our lab has long been studying blood stem cells, also called hematopoietic stem cells,” said lead author Dr. Katherine King, professor of pediatrics— infectious diseases and a member of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy and the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor. She is also part of Texas Children’s Hospital.
Wearable X-ray-detecting fabric offers a flexible alternative to current imaging tech
Since their discovery by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895, X-rays have become a staple of modern medical care, from imaging teeth and broken bones to screening for the early signs of breast cancer.
The most common type of X-ray detector used in medical imaging today utilizes materials known as scintillators, which are made of inorganic and rigid compounds. This inherent lack of flexibility limits their applications and often requires patients to contort their bodies to accommodate unyielding medical equipment.
This rigidity has created a demand among researchers and the medical community for scintillating materials that are robust, efficient, and flexible. Past attempts to meet this demand, however, have had to sacrifice durability and efficiency for flexibility. An innovative fabric made of flexible inorganic fibers shows remarkable promise and may meet all three requirements.
Lab-grown ‘tiny hearts’ bring hope for children and adults with genetic heart disease
Scientists from QIMR Berghofer’s Cardiac Bioengineering Lab have developed lab-grown, three-dimensional heart tissues known as cardiac organoids that mimic the structure and function of real adult human heart muscle.
To create these tissues, the researchers use special cells called human pluripotent stem cells (which can turn into any cell in the body). However, when these stem cells become heart cells, they usually stay immature and more like the heart tissue found in a developing baby. This immaturity can limit their usefulness to model diseases that present in childhood or as an adult.
In the study, researchers activated two key biological pathways to mimic the effects of exercise in order to mature these cells, making them behave more like genuine adult heart tissue. This breakthrough means scientists can now use these lab-grown heart tissues to test new drugs that could help people with heart conditions. The findings have been published in Nature Cardiovascular Research.
New AI system uncovers hidden cell subtypes, boosts precision medicine
In this view of cHL (classic Hodgkin Lymphoma) tissue, CellLENS identified subtle but distinct CD4 T cell subpopulations infiltrating a tumor, lingering at tumor boundaries, and found at a distance from tumors. CellLENS enables the potential precision therapy strategies against specific immune cell populations in the tissue environment.
Image courtesy of the researchers.
