Life Sciences

Alpha-synuclein – a marker for early diagnosis of parkinsonism

Scientists from Lancaster University have developed a simple test for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease at the earliest stages by the concentration of alpha-synuclein protein in the blood.

Gene therapy will help restore damaged nerves

Gene therapy will be able to successfully compete with existing methods of nerve restoration, scientists are sure. Significant results were obtained in Russian and foreign laboratories and confirmed during clinical trials.

How a low-calorie Diet Slows down Brain Aging

The fact that fasting prevents the aging of the brain and the development of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and many others has been known for a long time, but the molecular mechanism of this dependence remained unclear. It looks like it's starting to clear up a little bit now.

Treatment of burns: dextran hydrogel

The developers intended to supplement this material with stem cells and growth factors, but found that even without this, dextran hydrogel perfectly stimulates skin growth at the burn site.

Silk needles for injection

Scientists from the USA have developed a new drug delivery system using silk-based microneedles.

Embryonic stem cells – a cure for old age: literature

Embryonic stem cells – a cure for old age (5)

The use of adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, along with the benefits, has a number of limitations that can currently be circumvented by using human embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic Stem Cells – a cure for old age (4)

Issues of cultivation, differentiation, ensuring the safety of therapeutic use of human embryonic stem cells and possible solutions to these problems.

Embryonic stem cells – a cure for old age (3)

The most promising feature of embryonic stem cells is their ability to give rise to progenitor cells capable of differentiation into specialized cells suitable for use in cell therapy.

Embryonic stem cells – a cure for old age (2)

The unlimited potential of embryonic stem cells makes them particularly attractive for use in clinical practice, including for the treatment of age-related diseases.

Embryonic Stem Cells – a cure for old age (1)

Human embryonic stem cells, due to their unique ability to self-renew and pluripotency, are a promising therapeutic candidate for tools for the treatment of age-related diseases.

Antibodies against diabetes and obesity

Specialists from Genetech have created antibodies that activate brown adipose tissue, which helps to burn fat and normalize blood sugar levels. The only side effect: the experimental mice lost 10% weight.

Chimpanzees – to freedom!

The US National Institutes of Health has stopped funding new research using chimpanzees. Animal advocates are trying to ensure that the chimpanzees that are still with scientists are moved to nature reserves.

Stop Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists at the Salk Institute have synthesized a drug that prevents the progression of Alzheimer's disease. And Finnish researchers hope that within the next 3 years their method of early detection of this disease will be put into practice.

The fight against oncogenes: a way around

The oncogenic Myc protein has no binding sites with which compounds with medicinal properties could interact. American researchers have chosen a different approach – disabling not the oncogene itself, but its helper genes.

All stem cells are in one bank

In 2012, the unified Russian blood stem cell donor bank will open – a computer database that takes into account typed cell samples from different sources.

Low-calorie diet, life extension and AMP-dependent kinase

In addition to the previously known mechanisms, the effect of prolonging life with a low-calorie diet is also due to the activation of AMP–dependent kinase, an enzyme that promotes the normal completion of cell division.

High-capacity cancer vaccine

American scientists have managed to create a vaccine that, thanks to the activation of all three components of the immune system, provokes a very powerful immune response and is able to reduce the tumor size by 80% in mice with cancer.

Gene therapy of Duchenne myodystrophy is safe

During phase I clinical trials of a chimeric virus to deliver a gene for one of the key muscle proteins to the cells of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, scientists found no side effects. To be continued...

Sirtuins: take under the supervision of a psychiatrist!

An excess of life-extending sirtuin proteins can cause a state of anxiety, which is an evolutionary adaptation to nutrient deficiency.