Category Biology/Biotechnology

A study led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a dietary form of a naturally occurring molecule called calcium alphaketoglutarate, or Ca-αKG, reduced lung tumor growth in female mice and activated genes associated with better outcomes in women with lung cancer. The researchers also found that Ca-αKG had the opposite effect in male mice, where it was associated with larger tumors and increased tumor-cell proliferation.

The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports, suggest that Ca-αKG may influence lung cancer primarily through epigenetic changes—chemical modifications that help control which genes are turned on or off—rather than by changing the ca...

A drug developed by a UVA Health scientist has not only stopped but reversed paralysis and vision loss in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The results are striking because existing MS treatments are designed to reduce future inflammatory attacks, not restore neurological function already lost.

The research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The drug, Kamuvudine K-9, is a derivative of HIVdrugs already approved for use in peop...

Engaging core muscles—through movement, exercise or even coughing—may be a key regulator of blood flow in the brain. When the body moves, the contraction of abdominal muscles increases pressure in blood vessels connected to the brain through the spinal column. A new study by researchers at Penn State shows that the increased pressure creates ultrafast constrictions of major veins in the brain, momentarily increasing blood flow.

Understanding how the regulation of blood flow in the brain is influenced by movement in the body could help explain the connection between exercise and brain health or why migraines and headaches can become more severe with movement, according to the research team.

The paper describing the research, which was conducted in mice, appears this week in t...

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown gene that causes resistance to a leading blood cancer drug, as well as several genes that accelerate lymphoma growth, using a powerful new CRISPR activation library.

Traditional CRISPR is a genetic engineering tool that allows scientists to easily delete specific genes in an organism’s DNA and assess their role and importance. It has become a cornerstone technology in cancer research.

A newer frontier is CRISPR activation, a technique that enables the activation of specific genes. It offers valuable insights into the roles of certain genes in cancer and other genetic disorders.

A team of researchers from the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), WEHI and Genentech, a member of t...