Bacteria found in children’s upper respiratory systems could help fight chronic middle ear infections, the leading cause of preventable hearing loss and deafness in Indigenous communities. The University of Queensland’s Dr. Seweryn Bialasiewicz said this discovery helped explain a long-held…
Read MoreDiscovery of potential new combination therapy for leukemia
WEHI researchers have discovered why some leukemia cells are resistant to new “SMAC-mimetic’ anti-cancer agents, a finding which could improve the use of these drugs in the clinic. The team discovered that the ‘drug pump’ protein MDR1 makes acute myeloid…
Read MoreDiscovery illuminates how thyroid hormone ‘dims’ metabolism
It has been known for some time that the thyroid gland is a strong regulator of the body’s metabolism, making it key to many health conditions. But the molecular details of how thyroid hormone acts on cells in the body…
Read MoreInsights into the role of DNA repair and Huntington’s disease gene mutation open new avenues for drug discovery
Recent genetic data from patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) show that DNA repair is an important factor that determines how early or late the disease occurs in individuals who carry the expanded CAG repeat in the HTT gene that causes…
Read MoreDiscovery of a new drug for diabetic retinopathy
A potentially effective treatment for diabetic retinopathy, a disease that swells and scars the retina, has been developed by an Université de Montréal scientist and investigator at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre (MRH-RC). Working with research scientist Pam Tsuruda of the…
Read MoreDNA discovery could advance degenerative disease treatments
New research on the structure and dynamics of a branched form of DNA called a three-way junction could lead to more effectively targeted treatments for degenerative disorders like Huntington’s Disease, scientists say. In a new paper published in the journal…
Read MoreGenetic discovery could lead to better prediction of suicide risk within families
Every 11 minutes, an American dies by suicide. That’s 132 people a day or more than 48,000 annually. For those left behind, the haunting question is why. One emerging factor is family history. Perhaps the most famous example is Ernest…
Read MoreMalaria discovery could expedite antiviral treatment for COVID-19
The study, conducted by an international team and led by RMIT University’s Professor Christian Doerig, outlines a strategy that could save years of drug discovery research and millions of dollars in drug development by repurposing existing treatments designed for other…
Read MoreDiscovery of new immune targets inside flu virus offers hope for universal vaccine
New markers hidden inside the influenza virus have been discovered by scientists at Cardiff University. The researchers from the School of Medicine worked with an international team of experts—including collaborators in Moscow, Russia and Melbourne, Australia—to look at how people’s…
Read MoreDiscovery of new step in how brain cells work could lead to new therapies for epilepsy
Researchers have identified a critical new step in how brain cells function in people with one of the most common forms of epilepsy. This could lead to new treatment approaches for people with drug-resistant epilepsy. The study was led by…
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