news 2021

The placenta from mothers of healthy newborns could one day be used to reduce brain injury in growth-restricted babies, according to University of Queensland research. Dr Julie Wixey from UQ's Centre for Clinical Research said the study found stem cells sourced from a healthy placenta may reduce damaging inflammation in these babies after only three days.

A gene linked to intellectural disability and epilepsy might also be playing havoc with some patients' senses, including sight and hearing, a new UdeM-led study suggests. The SYNGAP1 gene, recently recognized for its role in intellectual disability and epilepsy, may also affect the sensory system of patients with a genetic mutation linked to this gene.

The cover of this week's edition of Nature , with the eye-catching title "Matters of the heart", features a basic research study carried out exclusively by the Research Group on Evolution and Development (Evo-Devo) of the Genetics Section of the Faculty of Biology of the UB. The study deciphers one of the remaining enigmas about the transition between free and sedentary lifestyle in the ancestors of our own phylum: chordates.

The bodies of animals and humans are innervated by a network of nerve cells which are connected through long extensions. The nerve cells use these so-called axons and dendrites to communicate with one another. During early development, nerve cells grow a large number of axons and dendrites. To make the connections specific, redundant extensions are removed at a later stage in a process called "pruning".

A new study from EPFL reveals novel insights into the ultrastructure and biochemical composition of huntingtin aggregates, the mark of Huntington's disease, pointing to new avenues for treatment strategies. Huntington's disease is a progressively debilitating brain disease that causes uncontrolled movements, psychological problems, and loss of cognition.

Using stem cell engineering and organoid technology, researchers produce large quantities of powerful cancer-fighting iNKT cells Using stem cell engineering and organoid technology, researchers produce large quantities of powerful cancer-fighting iNKT cells Immunotherapies, which harness the body's natural defenses to combat disease, have revolutionized the treatment of aggressive and deadly cancers.

When a team of doctors, scientists and engineers at Addenbrooke's Hospital and the placed an air filtration machine in COVID-19 wards, they found that it removed almost all traces of airborne SARS-CoV-2. Reducing airborne transmission of the coronavirus is extremely important for the safety of both patients and staff Vilas Navapurkar While the discovery could have implications for improving the safety of repurposed 'surge wards', the researchers say it also opens up the possibility of being able to set standards for cleaner air to reduce the risk of airborne transmission of infections.

Certain regulatory genes in the placenta may be linked to the varying severity of febrile seizures during fever episodes in babies and toddlers, a new study co-led by UdeM's Sarah Lippé suggests. For the first time, a Quebec research team is studying the expression of three families of genes in the placenta and the incidence of febrile seizures in children.

Phages are viruses that infect bacteria. They are an important part of many of the Earth's ecosystems and can also play a role in the fight against antibiotic resistant pathogens. A research team from the University of Basel's Biozentrum has now compiled a significant phage collection. It is available to scientists around the world for research purposes, as a biotech tool or to explore which phages are most suitable for therapy.

A novel clot-busting drug formulated and tested by University of Manchester scientists is able to effectively restore blood flow in the brains of mice, opening the door for a safer and more effective stroke treatment. The compound - an enzyme called caADAMTS13 -could dissolve clots in patients that are resistant to current treatment, according to the study published in the journal Blood today (15/11/21).

Dr. Francesco Catania is head of the working group "Evolutionary Cell Biology" at the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity at the University of Münster. His group uses bioinformatics and experimental approaches to investigate how the interaction of cells and organisms with their environment leads to the emergence of new properties.

Chemical modifications of histones, the small proteins around which DNA is wrapped, are known to affect gene expression. In a study conducted in C. elegans , researchers from the Gasser group show that the defining modification of the tightly packed form of DNA called heterochromatin selectively blocks the expression of genes in differentiated tissues.

The EPFL Blue Brain Project has created the first digital reconstruction of the Neuro-Glia-Vascular Architecture providing a new framework to study brain function in health and disease. The study, published in Cerebral Cortex, represents a major milestone: researchers can now reconstruct the architecture of non-neuronal entities such as blood vessels and the supporting cells called glia.

Bacteria need to constantly adapt to compete against other species for nutrient sources and to survive against threats such as antibiotics and toxins. In an effort to understand how bacteria control and regulate this adaptation, University of Michigan researchers are examining how RNA polymerase-the enzyme that transcribes genetic information from DNA onto RNA-slows during transcription in a process called transcriptional pausing.

In an unprecedented atlas, researchers begin to map how genes are turned on or off in different cells, a step toward better understanding the connections between genetics and disease Researchers at University of California San Diego have produced a single-cell chromatin atlas for the human genome. Chromatin is a complex of DNA and protein found in eukaryotic cells; regions of chromatin at key gene regulatory elements appear in open configurations within certain cell nuclei.

In one of the mysteries of mammalian development, every cell in the early female embryo shuts down one of its two copies of the X chromosome, leaving just one functional. For years, the mechanics behind this X chromosome inactivation have been murky, but scientists from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have now taken a major step forward in understanding the process.

A new Australian collaborative Autism CRC study, led by Mater Research and The University of Queensland, has challenged the growing popular belief that the gut microbiome drives autism. The study's findings may put the brakes on the experimental use of microbiome-based interventions such as faecal microbiota transplants and probiotics, that some believe may treat or minimise autistic behaviours.

UB researchers Montserrat Sanz and Joan Daura have studied the only remains of a calf in Europe, a species known as the straight-tusked elephant: Palaeoloxodon antiquus . The study has been carried out jointly with Maria Rita Palombo, of the Sapienza University of Rome and researcher at the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).

UC Berkeley engineers attached SARS-CoV-2 "spike" proteins to the surface of liposomes, creating lab-made mimics of the deadly virus called "spike-liposomes," which, when paired with a new DNA-patterning technique, could enable efficient testing of antibody therapies.

Human-caused bird extinctions are driving losses of functional diversity on islands worldwide, and the gaps they leave behind are not being filled by introduced (alien) species, finds a new study led by UCL and University of Gothenburg researchers. The study, published in Science Advances , shows how human impacts such as habitat destruction and climate change are impoverishing ecosystems, even on islands where alien birds actually outnumber the species that have gone extinct.