News of Note

Collection by National Institutes of Health

207

Pins

•

13k

Followers

National Institutes of Health

A patient tormented by suicidal thoughts gives his psychiatrist a few strands of his hair. She derives stem cells from them to grow budding brain tissue harboring the secrets of his unique illness in a petri dish. She uses the information to genetically engineer a personalized treatment to correct his brain circuit functioning. Just Sci-fi? Yes, but...

A patient’s budding cortex — in a dish?

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, has appointed five new members to its advisory council. The council comprises scientific and lay members who have expertise in the mission areas of the institute. Council members provide advice to the institute on broad policy issues, and make recommendations on research proposals.

Five named to NIAMS Advisory Council

Scientists at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida created a novel mouse that exhibits the symptoms and neurodegeneration associated with the most common genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease), both of which are caused by a mutation in the a gene called C9ORF72. The study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the journal Science.

Scientists create mice with a major genetic cause of ALS and FTD

When animals are present, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have lower readings on a device that detects anxiety and other forms of social arousal when interacting with their peers.

Animals’ presence may ease social anxiety in kids with autism

Researchers have developed a microfluidic chip that can capture rare clusters of circulating tumor cells, which could yield important new insights into how cancer spreads.

Microchip captures clusters of circulating tumor cells - NIH study

New findings suggest that MRI machines (such as the one pictured above) may help quickly screen stroke patients for acute treatment. Image courtesy of the National Institutes of Health.

A SMARTer approach to stroke care

Driving down the highway, you encounter ever-changing signs — speed limits, exits, food and gas options. Seeing these roadside markers may cause you to slow down, change lanes or start thinking about lunch. In a similar way, cellular structures called microtubules are tagged with a variety of chemical markers that can influence cell functions. The pattern of these markers makes up the “tubulin code” and according to a paper published in Cell, scientists at National Institutes of Health’s…

Scientists unravel the mystery of the tubulin code

Lead researchers Drs. Martin Reinhardt and Susanne Votruba stand next to the carbon dioxide and oxygen analyzers, and outside the whole-room indirect calorimeter. The analyzers measured the study participants’ energy expenditure while they were inside the calorimeter. Credit: Enrique Diaz

Ease of weight loss influenced by individual biology

A new study shows that it is possible to use an imaging technique called cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to view, in near-atomic detail, the architecture of a metabolic enzyme bound to a drug that blocks its activity. This advance provides a new path for solving molecular structures that may revolutionize drug development, noted the researchers.

Near-atomic resolution of protein structure by electron microscopy holds promise for drug discovery

Imaging with cryo-electron microscopy in near-atomic detail showing the architecture of a metabolic enzyme bound to a drug that blocks its activity.

Near-atomic resolution of protein structure by electron microscopy holds promise for drug discovery

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have solved a long-standing mystery about the origin of one of the cell types that make up the ovary. The team also discovered how ovarian cells share information during development of an ovarian follicle, which holds the maturing egg. Researchers believe this new information on basic ovarian biology will help them better understand the cause of ovarian disorders, such as premature ovarian failure and polycystic ovarian syndrome, conditions…

NIH study solves ovarian cell mystery, shedding new light on reproductive disorders

Searching for brain cancer treatments - Scientists found that the drug panobinostat may be effective at treating diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas, the leading cause of pediatric brain cancer death. Courtesy of Monje lab, Stanford University, California

Study points to possible treatment for lethal pediatric brain cancer

Michelle Monje, M.D., Ph.D., discusses pediatric brain cancer and her efforts to find new treatments. Video courtesy of NINDS.

Study points to possible treatment for lethal pediatric brain cancer

Gene therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), an inherited disorder that causes vision loss starting in childhood, improved patients’ eyesight and the sensitivity of the retina within weeks of treatment. Both of these benefits, however, peaked one to three years after treatment and then diminished, according to results from an ongoing clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

NIH-funded study points way forward for retinal disease gene therapy

Artist’s rendering of neural activity in the retina: Light that enters the eye activates rod and cone photoreceptors, which in turn activate retinal ganglion cells. Signals travel to the brain via retinal ganglion cell axons. Photo credit: National Eye Institute.

NIH launches research to gaze deeply into your eyes

Neuroscientists have perfected a chemical-genetic remote control for brain circuitry and behavior. This evolving technology can now sequentially switch the same neurons — and the behaviors they mediate — on-and-off in mice, say researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. Such bidirectional control is pivotal for decoding the brain workings of complex behaviors. The findings are the first to be published from the first wave of NIH grants awarded last fall under the BRAIN…

Souped-up remote control switches behaviors on-and-off in mice

Pinterest