News Curated �鶹��ý Channel: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

UChicago lands $7.4 million grant to study how cells adapt to surroundings

University of Chicago Medical Center — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:05:55 EST

Eight-member team from UChicago and Northwestern will launch the Cellular Adaptation Lab to study how fundamental cellular behaviors are linked to disease and responses to climate change.

Research team makes surprising discovery of low-noise genes

Virginia Tech — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 10:40:11 EST

While engaging in cell division research, Silke Hauf and members of her lab made a surprisingly quiet discovery. When cells express RNA, there are always some fluctuations, or noise, in how much RNA is produced. Hauf's group found several genes whose noise dips below a previously established minimum threshold, known as the noise floor, during expression "We have solid data for this phenomenon," said Hauf, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech.

Nanozymes drive tumor-specific drug delivery while minimizing toxicity

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 10:35:16 EST

Nanozymes--artificial enzymes that can carry out pre-determined chemical reactions--could selectively activate a cancer drug within a tumor while minimizing damage to healthy tissue in a mouse model of triple negative breast cancer.

New RNA-based Therapy Combats Melanoma in Mouse Models

Mount Sinai Health System — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 11:00:00 EST

Investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have designed an innovative RNA-based strategy to activate dendritic cells--which play a key role in immune response--that eradicated tumors and prevented their recurrence in mouse models of melanoma.

Unraveling a protein that may inspire a new biotechnology tool

Ohio State University — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:30:08 EST

Scientists have unraveled the step-by-step activation process of a protein with a deep evolutionary history in all domains of life, opening the door to harnessing its functions for use as a biotechnology tool.

Let's see some ID: simulated molecular bouncer helps track protein movement across the nuclear membrane

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:00:59 EST

If the human cell is a nightclub, then the nucleus is a VIP lounge fiercely maintained by the nuclear pore complex. By modeling a dynamic simulation of the NPC, Beckman physicists have theorized as to why some proteins enter the nucleus more readily than others.

Proteins Predict Significant Step Toward Development of Diabetes

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 11:00:00 EST

Scientists have taken an important step forward in predicting who will develop Type 1 diabetes months before symptoms appear.

Exposure to "forever chemicals" during pregnancy linked to increased risk of obesity in kids

Brown University — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 20:00:01 EST

The risks of exposure to "forever chemicals" start even before birth, a new study confirms, potentially setting up children for future health issues.

The breakthrough that could lead to new obesity treatments

University of East Anglia — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 17:40:02 EST

Researchers at the University of East Anglia and the University of Cambridge have made an important discovery in the race to find treatments for obesity and related diseases, such as diabetes. A new study published today is the first to reveal the molecular structure of a protein called 'Uncoupling protein 1' (UCP1).

New Penn Medicine Study Uncovers Key Details of Fat Cells, Advancing Potential Treatments for Obesity, Diabetes

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — Wed, 31 May 2023 14:00:00 EST

New research has unlocked insights into how "good fat" tissue could potentially be harnessed to combat obesity and remove glucose from the blood, helping to control diabetes. Published today in Science Advances, the work is a collaboration between researchers with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Cambridge, Free University of Brussels and University of East Anglia.

Rethinking the Protein Inhibitor Approach to Cancer Therapy

Stony Brook University — Thu, 25 May 2023 12:05:52 EST

A new method than enables researchers to dial up or tone down the amount of a certain metastatic protein inhibitor (BACH1) within a cell could provide a new path in cancer research that reassesses the effectiveness of protein inhibitors to treat disease.

Study finds cancer cells use a new fuel in absence of sugar

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan — Wed, 17 May 2023 14:00:38 EST

Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have discovered a new nutrient source that pancreatic cancer cells use to grow. The molecule, uridine, offers insight into both biochemical processes and possible therapeutic pathways. The findings, published in Nature, show that cancer cells can adapt when they don't have access to glucose.

Scientists use X-ray beams to determine role of zinc in development of ovarian follicles

Argonne National Laboratory — Tue, 16 May 2023 17:15:51 EST

Researchers from Argonne, Michigan State University and Northwestern University used Argonne's Bionanoprobe beamline to look at the concentration of zinc in egg cells.

High School Students Learn the Basics of Base Editing to Cure "GFP-itis"

University of California San Diego — Thu, 04 May 2023 07:40:38 EST

Genome editing is used to modify the genes of living organisms to elicit certain traits, such as climate-resilient crops or treating human disease at the genetic level. It has become increasingly popular in agriculture, medicine and basic science research over the past decade, and will continue to be relevant and utilized well into the future.

Discovery suggests route to safer pain medications

Washington University in St. Louis — Wed, 03 May 2023 11:00:00 EST

Strategies to treat pain without triggering dangerous side effects such as euphoria and addiction have proven elusive. Now scientists at Washington University School of Medicine have identified a potential pathway to pain relief that neither triggers addiction nor causes hallucinations.

Even Worms Get the Munchies

University of Oregon — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 11:00:00 EST

A study, led by University of Oregon neuroscientist Shawn Lockery, points to worms as a useful tool for understanding more about the many roles that cannabinoids naturally play in the body. And it could help researchers develop better drugs that target this system.

Wayne State researcher receives $1.95 million NIH grant to study impact of inositol homeostasis on essential cellular functions

Wayne State University Division of Research — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 15:25:46 EST

A researcher from Wayne State University's Department of Biological Sciences has received a five-year, $1.95 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to identify mechanisms that regulate inositol synthesis in mammalian cells and determine the cellular consequences of inositol depletion.

AI Tool Predicts Colon Cancer Survival, Treatment Response

Harvard Medical School — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 18:25:21 EST

New AI tool accurately predicts both overall survival and disease-free survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis. The model uses visual markers on pathology images to glean insights into a tumor's genomic profile and predicts tumor behavior, disease progression, treatment response. The new model could help augment clinical decision-making. Because the AI tool relies on images alone, it could be particularly valuable for hospitals lacking the technology or expertise to perform sophisticated genomic profiling of tumor tissues.

Dissecting the Circadian Clock in Real Time

University of California San Diego — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:40:52 EST

Scientists have made progress in understanding the circadian clock, the 24-hour cycle that synchronizes with light-dark exposure, and how it functions. They developed a new way to study how the circadian clock synchronizes in real time, revealing surprises about the clock's mechanisms.

CHOP Researchers Identify Molecules that Optimize Immune Presentation of Antigens across the Human Population

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 14:00:00 EST

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have identified variants of a chaperone molecule that optimizes the binding and presentation of foreign antigens across the human population, which could open the door to numerous applications where robust presentation to the immune system is important, including cell therapy and immunization. The findings were published today in Science Advances.