Category Biology/Biotechnology

New research suggests the liver plays a previously unrecognized role in bone health, but only in males. A McGill University-led study published in Matrix Biology found that a protein made in the liver helps regulate bone growth in male mice, but not in females. The findings may help explain why men with liver disease are more likely to experience bone loss.

The protein, known as plasma fibronectin, is naturally present in blood at higher levels in men than in women, declines when the liver is damaged and builds up in bone to modulate bone formation...

This local biotech says it has found a way to trick cancer cells into destroying themselves with its molecular glue. Now it’s putting that claim to the test. After attracting global attention from researchers and billions of dollars from Big Pharma, Neomorph announced that it has begun its first clinical trial. The molecular glue aims to treat a form of kidney cancer.

The first trial will dose one patient with the molecular glue, NEO-811, to treat clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common kind of kidney cancer.

In San Diego County, roughly 500 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year—that’s more than one new case every day, according to the California Cancer Registry...

About 1 in 4 people suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. These include panic disorder with sudden, severe anxiety attacks; generalized anxiety disorder, in which sufferers worry about everyday things over a longer period of time that is difficult to control; and phobias of specific objects or situations. Despite their widespread prevalence, the biological basis of anxiety is still poorly understood.

More light is now being shed on the subject by an international research team that has conducted the largest genetic study on anxiety disorders to date...

Conventional lithium-ion batteries contain problematic substances such as nickel and cobalt, and the solvents used to coat the electrode materials are also toxic. Materials scientists at Saarland University are therefore working to develop environmentally friendly alternatives. By introducing finely dispersed iron oxide into tiny, highly porous, hollow carbon spheres developed by Professor Michael Elsaesser at the University of Salzburg, the Saarbrücken team has achieved some very promising results: higher storage capacities using materials that are both readily available and environmentally far less problematic. These results have now been published in Chemistry of Materials.

Anyone who has ever been to Sa...