Computational Biology

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A dendritic cell (large) & T-cell (small) in cancer immunotherapy. Image source: Science Learning Hub. Image: Kate Angel, Rod Dunbar, Stephen Edgar

Aiding Cancer Therapy by Mathematically Modelling Tumour-immune Interactions

Cancer Research 2 days ago

Philadelphia, PA (Scicasts) - Cancer is one of the five leading causes of death. And yet, despite decades of research, there is no standardized first-line treatment for most cancers. In addition, disappointing results from predominant second-line treatments like chemotherapy have established the need for alternative methods.

This artist's conception illustrates how the new atomic hard X-ray laser is created. A powerful X-ray laser pulse from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's Linac Coherent Light Source comes up from the lower-left corner (shown as green) and hits a neon atom (center). This intense incoming light energizes an electron from an inner orbit (or shell) closest to the neon nucleus (center, brown), knocking it totally out of the atom (upper-left, foreground). In some cases, an outer electron will drop down into the vacated inner orbit (orange starburst near the nucleus) and release a short-wavelength, high-energy (i.e.,

World's First Atomic X-ray Laser Created

Lab Technology 2 days ago

Menlo Park, CA (Scicasts) - Scientists working at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have created the shortest, purest X-ray laser pulses ever achieved, fulfilling a 45-year-old prediction and opening the door to a new range of scientific discovery, according to a report from the Institute.

Dr. J.C. Barnes is an assistant professor of criminology in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UT Dallas

Research Shows Genes Influence Criminal Behaviour

Genetics 2 days ago

Richardson, TX (Scicasts) - Your genes could be a strong predictor of whether you stray into a life of crime, according to a research paper co-written by UT Dallas criminologist Dr. J.C. Barnes.

Stem-cell-derived neurons, made from patients with Alzheimer’s disease, provide a new tool for unraveling the mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative disease. In this image, DNA is shown in blue, dendrites and cell bodies in red and endosomal markers Rab5 and EEA1 in green and orange, respectively.

Alzheimer's Neurons Induced from Pluripotent Stem Cells

Bioresearch 3 days ago

La Jolla, CA (Scicasts) - Led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, scientists have created stem cell-derived, in vitro models of sporadic and hereditary Alzheimer's disease (AD), using induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with the much-dreaded neurodegenerative disorder.

Recently Discovered Protein in the Brain Could Be Key Target in Controlling Alzheimer’s

Bioresearch 3 days ago

Philadelphia, PA (Scicasts) - According to researchers at Temple University’s School of Medicine, a protein recently discovered in the brain could play a key role in regulating the creation of amyloid beta, the major component of plaques implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Staff scientist Gang Ren (standing) and is postdoc colleague Lei Zhang can checking images of individual proteins from their cryo-electron microscope at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry.

Electron Microscope Used to View 3-D Image of an Individual Protein

Imaging & Simulation 3 days ago

Berkeley, CA (Scicasts) - When Gang Ren whirls the controls of his cryo-electron microscope, he compares it to fine-tuning the gearshift and brakes of a racing bicycle. But this machine at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is a bit more complex. It costs nearly $1.5 million, operates at the frigid temperature of liquid nitrogen, and it is allowing scientists to see what no one has seen before.

Micah Mazurek, MU researcher, found that most adolescents with autism spend their free time watching TV and playing video and computer games and are less likely to use email and social media. Image: University of Missouri

Children with Autism More Fascinated by Screen-based Media

Bioresearch 3 days ago

Columbia, MO (Scicasts) – Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to be fascinated by screen-based technology, according to a new study by a University of Missouri researcher. The study has found that adolescents with autism spend the majority of their free time using non-social media, including television and video-games.

Exploding chromosome Image: EMBL/P.Riedinger

Inherited Mutation Links Exploding Chromosomes to Cancer

Genetics 4 days ago

Heidelberg, Germany (Scicasts) – An inherited mutation in a gene known as the guardian of the genome is likely the link between exploding chromosomes and some particularly aggressive types of cancer, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) and the University Hospital, all in Heidelberg, Germany, have discovered.

Sarah Nelson, PhD, the Margaret Hart Surbeck Distinguished Professor in Advanced Imaging at UCSF and a professor in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging

Researchers Discover Way to Image Brain Tumours and Predict Recurrence

Imaging & Simulation 4 days ago

San Francisco, CA (Scicasts) - After people with low-grade glioma, a type of brain cancer, undergo neurosurgery to remove the tumours, they face variable odds of survival — depending largely on how rapidly the cancer recurs. Even though their doctors monitor the tumour closely with sophisticated imaging, it is difficult to determine with certainty whether cancer has returned in a more malignant state that requires aggressive treatment.

Cocoa is an excellent source of phytochemical compounds that have potential health benefits. Image: Anjuli Ayer

Eating Chocolate Could Help Prevent Colon Cancer

Cancer Research 4 days ago

Madrid, Spain (Scicasts) - A new study on living animals has shown that eating cocoa (the raw material in chocolate) can help to prevent intestinal complaints linked to oxidative stress, including colon carcinogenesis onset caused by chemical substances.

A new gene therapy method developed by University of Florida researchers, William W. Hauswirth, Ph.D. and Alfred S. Lewin, Ph.D., has the potential to reverse a common form of blindness that strikes young children.

Gene Therapy That Could Correct a Common Form of Blindness Developed

Healthcare Tech. 4 days ago

Gainesville, FL (Scicasts) - Scientists at the University of Florida have developed a new gene therapy method which, they believe, has the potential to treat a common form of blindness that strikes both youngsters and adults.

Each plasmonic interferometer -- thousands of them per square millimeter -- consists of a slit flanked by two grooves etched in a silver metal film. The schematic shows glucose molecules

Scientists Develop Biochip to Measures Glucose in Saliva

Nanotechnology 5 days ago

Providence, RI (Scicasts) - For the 26 million Americans with diabetes, drawing blood is the most prevalent way to check glucose levels. It is invasive and at least minimally painful. Researchers at Brown University are working on a new sensor that can check blood sugar levels by measuring glucose concentrations in saliva instead.