Category Health/Medical

3D Printing breakthrough heralds ‘New Era’ for Advanced Skin Models

Direct 3D cell-printing of human skin with functional transwell system. Biofabrication, 2017; 9 (2): 025034 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/aa71c8

Direct 3D cell-printing of human skin with functional transwell system. Biofabrication, 2017; 9 (2): 025034 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/aa71c8

Scientists in South Korea have come up with a new method for 3D printing human skin, which both shortens the process and reduces the cost. Reporting their results today in the journal Biofabrication, the team from Pohang University of Science and Technology demonstrate a new 3D cell printing strategy, for engineering a 3D human skin model in a single step process...

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Potential Mechanism for BCG Vaccine Reversal of Type 1 Diabetes

Immunologic history of type 1 diabetes.

Immunologic history of type 1 diabetes.

Data presented at American Diabetes Association meeting describes a potential new mechanism by which the BCG vaccine may restore the proper immune response to the insulin-secreting islet cells of the pancreas. Presented by Denise Faustman, MD, PhD, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Immunobiology Laboratory and principal investigator of the trial, the findings suggest that BCG may induce a permanent increase in expression of genes that restore the beneficial regulatory T cells (Tregs) that prevent the immune system from attacking the body’s own tissue.

“Many groups are looking at the ability of BCG vaccination to reverse autoimmunity,” says Faustman, who is an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School...

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Distinct Wiring mode found in Chandelier Cells

AIS but not off-target varicosities predominantly contain presynaptic markers. A, Immunohistochemical analysis of VGAT localization in ChC varicosities in Nkx2.1-CreER;LSL-tGFP mice. Confocal images of a single optical section showing varicosities (green), VGAT (red), and AISs visualized by AnkG immunostaining (blue) in a P16 brain. White and yellow arrowheads indicate AIS and off-target varicosities, respectively. Filled and empty arrowheads show VGAT+ and VGAT- varicosities in ChC axons, respectively. Scale bar, 5 μm. B, The average percentage of VGAT-containing AIS and off-target varicosities in P16 ChCs. The percentage of VGAT-containing AIS varicosities is significantly higher than that of VGAT-containing off-target varicosities (n = 7 ChCs for each; ≥3 brains per condition; Student’s t test: **p < 0.001)h. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. C, Localization of Syp-YFP puncta in varicosities of transplanted ChCs. Confocal images of a single optical section showing AIS visualized by AnkG immunostaining (blue), Syp-YFP (green), and varicosities along the axon (red) in an EP16 brain. White and yellow arrowheads indicate AIS and off-target varicosities, respectively. Filled and empty arrowheads show Syp-YFP+ and Syp-YFP- varicosities in ChC axons, respectively. Scale bar, 5 μm. D, The average percentage of Syp-YFP-containing AIS and off-target varicosities in EP16 ChCs. The percentage of Syp-YFP containing AIS varicosities is significantly higher than that of Syp-YFP containing off-target varicosities (n = 6 ChCs; ≥3 brains; Student’s t test: ***p < 0.001)l. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. E, The average percentage of VGAT-containing AIS and off-target varicosities in P28 ChCs. The percentage of VGAT-containing AIS varicosities is significantly higher than that of VGAT-containing off-target varicosities (n = 7 ChCs for each; ≥3 brains per condition; Student’s t test: ***p < 0.001)°. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.

AIS but not off-target varicosities predominantly contain presynaptic markers. A, Immunohistochemical analysis of VGAT localization in ChC varicosities in Nkx2.1-CreER;LSL-tGFP mice. Confocal images of a single optical section showing varicosities (green), VGAT (red), and AISs visualized by AnkG immunostaining (blue) in a P16 brain. White and yellow arrowheads indicate AIS and off-target varicosities, respectively. Filled and empty arrowheads show VGAT+ and VGAT- varicosities in ChC axons, respectively. Scale bar, 5 μm. B, The average percentage of VGAT-containing AIS and off-target varicosities in P16 ChCs...

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Could Removal of Aging Cells extend human life?

Clearance of SnCs by GCV reduces the development of post-traumatic OA. Credit: UNIST

Clearance of SnCs by GCV reduces the development of post-traumatic OA.
Credit: UNIST

A recent study, led by an international team confirms that targeted removal of senescent cells (SnCs), accumulated in many vertebrate tissues as we age, contribute significantly in delaying the onset of age-related pathologies. This breakthrough research has been led by Dr. Chaekyu Kim of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, now at UNIST, and Dr. Ok Hee Jeon of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in collaborations with the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the University Medical Center Groningen, Unity Biotechnology, Inc., and the University of California, Berkeley.

In the study, the team presented a novel pharmacologic candidate that alleviat...

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