Category Health/Medical

Gene therapy successfully treated a canine version of Best disease, a blinding disorder, the effects lasting more than five years. In these images of the retina of untreated (left) and treated (right) dogs, one can see that BEST1 gene expression (in red) was restored following treatment. In addition, the threrapy restored the structure of the RPE (green layer), a layer of cells that supports the light-sensing photoreceptor cells.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have developed a gene therapy that successfully treats a form of macular degeneration in a canine model. The work sets the stage for translating the findings into a human therapy for an inherited disease that results in a progressive loss of central vision and which is currently untreatable...

This is S. epidermidis growing on an agar plate. A strain of S. epidermidis was shown to produce a molecule that kills cancer cells and inhibits the development of skin tumors on mice. UC San Diego Health

Science continues to peel away layers of the skin microbiome to reveal its protective properties. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report a potential new role for some bacteria on the skin: protecting against cancer. “We have identified a strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis, common on healthy human skin, that exerts a selective ability to inhibit the growth of some cancers,” said Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine...

This illustration shows how four copies of computer-designed transmembrane protein assembled to form a rocket-shaped tetramer with a wide cytoplasmic base that funnels into eight transmembrane helices and which orients correctly in membrane. Credit: University of Washington Institute for Protein Design

Advance paves the way for the design of transmembrane proteins with useful, new functions. It is now possible to create complex, custom-designed transmembrane proteins from scratch, scientists report this week. The advance, led by molecular engineers at the University of Washington Institute for Protein Design, will enable researchers to create transmembrane proteins not found in nature to perform specific tasks.

In the living world, transmembrane proteins are found embedded in the membrane ...

Holding the hand of a loved one in pain can synchronize breathing, heart rate and brain wave patterns. The more empathy a comforting partner feels for a partner in pain, the more their brainwaves fall into sync. Increased brain synchronization is associated with less pain.

Reach for the hand of a loved one in pain and not only will your breathing and heart rate synchronize with theirs, your brain wave patterns will couple up too, according to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The study, by researchers with the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Haifa, also found that the more empathy a comforting partner feels for a partner in pain, the more their brainwaves fall into sync...