Technology Networks

Researchers have developed a potential new  approach against the highly drug resistant hospital fungus Candida auris. They have discovered that a synthetic sugar molecule that is a natural part of the cell wall of the fungus, but is not present in humans  could underpin a future vaccine, develop protective antibodies and form the basis of a  prototype for a rapid diagnostic test.

Read time: 3 minutes For more than a decade, CAR-T cell therapy has been one of the biggest breakthroughs in cancer medicine. By reprogramming a patient’s own immune cells to attack cancer, doctors have produced remarkable results against certain blood cancers, offering hope to patients who once had few treatment options. But that success has largely stopped at solid tumors, including cancers of the brain, liver, lung, breast and pancreas.

A compound produced by bacteria in most people’s digestive tract increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and speeds up cognitive decline in dementia patients, making it an attractive target for a treatment that could reduce Alzheimer’s risk, according to a new study.

Coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages, and previous research has linked its consumption to a lower risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the biological mechanisms behind these benefits remain unclear. A new Finnish study links habitual coffee consumption to healthier body composition and metabolic markers, while revealing distinct associations with sex hormones in men and women.

What do “epigenetic clocks” actually measure? These lab tests have become popular tools for studying biological aging, or how the body’s cellular function changes at a faster or slower rate than expected. However, the underlying biology behind each of these measurements has remained largely unknown until now. A recent USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology-led study published in npj Aging shows the variability in what five of the most widely used epigenetic clocks are actually measuring.

Read time: 3 minutes Could damage to the blood-brain barrier be detected before the first symptoms of neurological disease appear? This question remains one of the greatest challenges in modern neurology. A team of researchers, including scientists from Wroclaw Medical University, analyzed metabolomics studies from around the world and identified a group of chemical compounds that may serve as early biomarkers of damage to this vital structure.

In 2005, a research team led by University of Zurich economics professor Ernst Fehr published a study in the science journal Nature that provided evidence for the first time that intranasally administered oxytocin can increase trusting behavior in humans. Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter produced naturally in the body that influences social interactions, among other things. Further studies conducted in subsequent years did not deliver a uniform picture, however.

Rice University researchers have shown that tiny wrinkles in graphene can change the material’s electrical properties, providing evidence for flexoelectricity, a phenomenon in which a material generates an electric charge when it bends unevenly. The findings are published in Advanced Materials. The discovery suggests scientists may be able to control electricity in atomically thin materials by changing their shape instead of adding new chemicals or materials.

Spatial biology is changing what researchers can ask across virtually every area of tissue science by anchoring molecular data to exact positions within intact samples. The tumor microenvironment, the cellular organization of the brain, immune niches, and embryonic patterning are all yielding to methods that preserve positional context.

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