Cart is empty A promising therapy for a range of brain diseases involves antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)—specialized molecules that can modulate RNA and alter protein production—directly injected into the cerebrospinal fluid, in the space around the brain and spinal cord. Unfortunately, when ASOs are injected like this, they often cause severe side effects.
Researchers identify novel genes that may increase risk for schizophrenia
Researchers have identified two previously unknown genes linked to schizophrenia and newly implicated a third gene as carrying risk for both schizophrenia and autism. Led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the multi-center study further demonstrated that the schizophrenia risk conferred by these rare damaging variants is conserved across ethnicities. The study may also point to new therapeutics.
Scientists discover a new way to prevent secondary breast cancer
Scientists have discovered why breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs may “wake up” following years of sleep, forming incurable secondary tumors.
Mental fatigue can impair physical performance
People subjected to mentally demanding tasks are likely to find it harder to go on to perform physical exercise, a new study shows.
Early CTE disease process found to be mechanistically different than what occurs in late stages
Millions of people, including athletes who play contact sports, members of the military and victims of domestic violence, are exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHI), which is the primary risk factor for developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Symptoms of CTE often manifest years to decades after exposure to RHI and very little is known about what happens in the brain in the interim.
UK: Tens of thousands of doctors kick off 3-day strike
Tens of thousands of junior doctors went on strike across England on Monday to demand better pay, kicking off three days of widespread disruption at the U.K.’s state-funded hospitals and health clinics.
Pfizer buys biotech firm Seagen for $43 billion
US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Monday that it had reached a deal to buy biotech firm Seagen, specializing in innovative cancer treatment, for $43 billion.
Immune cells hold clues to vitamin D absorption, study suggests
Vitamin D plays an integral role in regulating immune function, and Penn State researchers have identified immune cells in mice that can be differentiated by whether or not they have vitamin D receptors—a finding that could lead to a better understanding of the link between vitamin D status and autoimmune diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Q&A: The preclinical research origin of the first drug to treat Rett syndrome
Rett syndrome is a devastating developmental disorder, principally occurring in girls, caused by mutations in the gene MECP2 that leads to severe cognitive, motor and other symptoms. That’s why the March 12 approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the first-ever treatment for the disorder, a drug called Trofinetide based on the natural protein IGF-1, brings new hope to patients and their families.
The negative impact of continued exclusion of racial groups from research on cancer genomics
New research in the March 2023 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network highlights how the lack of genomic research for people with African ancestry, particularly those from the Sub-Saharan region, is hampering efforts to reduce disparities for people with cancer. In a first-of-its-kind study, the researchers evaluated molecular genetic results for 113 Black South African men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer to find evidence for increased and potentially unique genetic testing recommendations.