Scientists have made an important advance in understanding how a subset of bacterial cells escape being killed by many antibiotics. Cells become "persisters" by entering a state in which they stop replicating and are able to tolerate antibiotics. Unlike antibiotic resistance, which arises because of genetic mutations and is passed on to later generations, this tolerant phase is only temporary, but it may contribute to the later development of resistance. In a new study in the journal Science, researchers from the MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection at Imperial College London have succeeded in visualising persister cells in infected tissues for the first time, and have identified signals that lead to their formation.
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Cancer drug protects against diabetes
New research shows that low doses of a cancer drug protect against the development of type 1 diabetes in mice. At the same time, the medicine protects the insulin-producing cells from being destroyed. The study is headed by researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, and has just been published in the distinguished scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).
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Marine bacteria to fight tough infections
Aggressive infections are a growing health problem all over the world. The development of resistant bacteria is rampant and, in the United States, resistant staphylococci cause more deaths than AIDS on an annual basis. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen are studying a new form of treatment based on marine bacteria. The results have been published in PLOS ONE. Staphylococci have been a big problem for hospitals all over the world since the 1940s and, for many years, the pharmaceutical industry has been able to develop new antibiotics to keep up with the emergence of the aggressive bacteria.
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Genetic variants linked with schizophrenia have impact in healthy carriers
Genetic variants associated with schizophrenia and autism still have an impact on cognitive skills and brain structure in people who carry the genes but do not suffer from these conditions. This is one of the main findings from new research published in the journal Nature by scientists from the NEWMEDS project, which is supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). The findings add to our understanding of the risk factors that contribute to these conditions and could make it easier to study the neural and biochemical foundations of cognitive abilities.
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University of East Anglia scientists make major advances important for cancer research
Scientists at the University of East Anglia have made a major advancement in understanding tissue development that has important implications for cancer. Findings published today in the journal Cell Science show how the protein EB2 is a key regulator of tube-like structures inside cells and critical for normal tissue development and function. The findings are an important step in the race to find cures for cancers including gut, breast and pancreatic cancer.
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Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights
New research by scientists at the University of Exeter has shown that cells demonstrate remarkable flexibility and versatility when it comes to how they divide - a finding with potential links to the underlying causes of many cancers. The study, published in Developmental Cell, describes a number of routes to the formation of a microtubule spindle - the tracks along which DNA moves when a cell divides in order to make two genetically identical cells. In order to understand the phenomenon, the authors, including Biosciences researchers Dr. James Wakefield, PhD student Daniel Hayward and Experimental Officer in Image Analysis, Dr. Jeremy Metz, combined highly detailed microscopy and image analysis with genetic and protein manipulation of fruit fly embryos.
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Breaking down cancer's defense mechanisms
A possible new method for treating pancreatic cancer which enables the body's immune system to attack and kill cancer cells has been developed by researchers. The method uses a drug which breaks down the protective barrier surrounding pancreatic cancer tumours, enabling cancer-attacking T cells to get through. The drug is used in combination with an antibody that blocks a second target, which improves the activity of these T cells. Initial tests of the combined treatment, carried out by researchers at the University's Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, resulted in almost complete elimination of cancer cells in one week. The findings, reported in the journal PNAS, mark the first time this has been achieved in any pancreatic cancer model.
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