Category Biology/Biotechnology

Researchers Discover New Bacterium that Causes Gut Immunodeficiency

Thaddeus Stappenbeck, M.D., Ph.D., (left) and Qiuhe Lu, Ph.D., in the lab.
Thaddeus Stappenbeck, M.D., Ph.D., (left) and Qiuhe Lu, Ph.D., in the lab.

Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered a new bacterium that weakens the immune system in the gut, potentially contributing to certain inflammatory and infectious gut diseases.

The team identified the bacterium, Tomasiella immunophila (T. immunophila), which plays a key role in breaking down a crucial immune component of the gut’s multi-faceted protective immune barrier.

Identifying this bacterium is the first step to developing new treatments for a variety of inflammatory and infectious gut diseases...

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Circadian Disruption, Gut Microbiome Changes linked to Colorectal Cancer Progression

Circadian disruption, gut microbiome changes linked to colorectal cancer progression
Clock disruption and cancer alter microbial structure. Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado1458

Research from the University of California, Irvine has revealed how disruption of the circadian clock, the body’s internal, 24-hour biological pacemaker, may accelerate the progression of colorectal cancer by affecting the gut microbiome and intestinal barrier function. This discovery offers new avenues for prevention and treatment strategies.

The study, published online today in the journal Science Advances, offers a more comprehensive understanding of how important changes occur in the function and composition of the gut microbiome when the circadian clock is disturbed in the presence of colorectal cancer.

“There is an alarming rise in early-onset colorectal can...

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AI could Predict Breast Cancer risk via ‘Zombie cells’

breast cancer
Three-dimensional culture of human breast cancer cells, with DNA stained blue and a protein in the cell surface membrane stained green. Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

Women worldwide could see better treatment with new AI technology, which enables better detection of damaged cells and more precisely predicts the risk of getting breast cancer, shows new research from the University of Copenhagen.

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. In 2022, the disease caused 670,000 deaths worldwide. Now, a new study from the University of Copenhagen shows that AI can help women with improved treatment by scanning for irregular-looking cells to give better risk assessment.

The study, published in The Lancet Dig...

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Spinning Artificial Spider Silk into Next-Generation Medical Materials

A microscope image of several small, pyramid shaped needles with thin strands being pulled from them.
Scientists are creating artificial spider silk by drawing strands from an array of tiny hollow needles, as shown here, similar to how arachnids do it.
Adapted from ACS Nano 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c08557

It’s almost time to dust off the Halloween decorations and adorn the house with all manner of spooky things, including the classic polyester spider webs. Scientists reporting in ACS Nano have made their own version of fake spider silk, but this one consists of proteins and heals wounds instead of haunting hallways. The artificial silk is strong enough to be woven into bandages that helped treat hoint injuries and skin lesions in mice.

Spider silk is one of the strongest materials on Earth, technically stronger than steel for a material of its size.

However, it’s tough to obtai...

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