Wear and tear on plastic products releases small to nearly invisible plastic particles, which could impact people’s health when consumed or inhaled. To make these particles biodegradable, researchers created plastics from plant starch instead of petroleum. An initial study published in ACS’…
Category: 5. Health
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long-term effects of obesity on brain and cognitive health
With the global prevalence of obesity on the rise, it is crucial to explore the neural mechanisms linked to obesity and its influence on brain and cognitive health. However, the impact of obesity on the brain is complex and multilevel. To address this, Prof. Anqi QIU, Professor of the Department…
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Scientists complete largest wiring diagram and functional map of the brain to date
From a tiny sample of tissue no larger than a grain of sand, scientists have come within reach of a goal once thought unattainable: building a complete functional wiring diagram of a portion of the brain. In 1979, famed molecular biologist, Francis Crick, stated that it would be “[impossible] to…
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Treatment for mitochondrial diseases within reach
A medical breakthrough could result in the first treatment for rare but serious diseases in which genetic defects disrupt cellular energy production. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have identified a molecule that helps more mitochondria function properly.
Mitochondrial diseases…
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By re-creating neural pathway in dish, Stanford Medicine research may speed pain treatment
Stanford Medicine investigators have replicated, in a lab dish, one of humans’ most prominent nervous pathways for sensing pain. This nerve circuit transmits sensations from the body’s skin to the brain. Once further processed in the brain, these signals will translate into our subjective…
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A comprehensive map of the human cell
Scientists have attempted to map the human cell since the first microscope was invented more than 400 years ago. But many components of the cell still remain uncharted.
“We know each of the proteins that exist in our cells, but how they fit together to then carry out the function of a cell still…
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Osteoarthritis: Largest genome-wide association study uncovers drug targets and therapy opportunities
Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability and chronic pain worldwide, affecting an estimated 595 million people globally. Projections suggest that this number will rise to 1 billion by 2050. Despite its profound impact on individuals and societies, no disease-modifying treatments are…
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Researchers identify growing list of genetic disorders treatable before or immediately after birth
Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School and Duke University School of Medicine have identified nearly 300 genetic disorders that can be treated before or immediately after a baby is born. This “treatable fetal findings list” could improve the diagnosis of genetic conditions…
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Potential Alzheimer’s disease therapeutic target identified in brain immune cells
Tim-3 is an immune checkpoint molecule involved in immunity and inflammation recently linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but its role in the brain was unknown until now. In a paper published in Nature, researchers from Mass General Brigham used preclinical models to uncover Tim-3’s…
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New gene editing tool shows promise for treating diseases with multiple mutations
Investigators from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed STITCHR, a new gene editing tool that can insert therapeutic genes into specific locations without causing unwanted mutations. The system can be formulated completely as RNA, dramatically simplifying…
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