A team of researchers at Utah State University has successfully created an in vitro model of Bruch's membrane, a layer in the retina that deteriorates with age. The model uses hagfish slime proteins to replicate the natural aging process and disease progression, providing a valuable tool for studying age-related macular degeneration.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a way to replace diseased and aged brain cells with new ones, which could lead to treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's disease and multiple sclerosis. The study used humanized mice models to test the effectiveness of glial cell transplantation.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology has found that the unique checkerboard pattern of cells in the organ of Corti is essential for proper hearing. The researchers discovered that when hair cells adhere to each other abnormally, it leads to apoptosis and a decrease in hair cell numbers, resulting in h...
Researchers are studying COVID-19's impact on the sense of smell, finding that SARS-CoV-2 attacks support cells in the nose, leading to olfactory disorders. Potential treatments include gene scrambling fixes, platelet-rich plasma injections, and olfactory implants.
A study by researchers at Uppsala University found that crocodiles can regenerate their hair cells due to the activation of support cells and efferent nerves. This discovery may lead to new treatments for people with impaired hearing, who affect over 1.2 billion worldwide.
Researchers have discovered an alternative route that pluripotent and endoderm extra-embryonic stem cells can use to form intestinal organs in the lab. This finding could lead to improved cell development and potentially treat diseases, but further function testing is needed.
Researchers at WashU Medicine identified a drug that helps sensory neurons regrow after spinal cord injury. The drug, fenofibrate, activated support cells and improved recovery by about twice as much as a placebo. This finding offers potential for repurposing an FDA-approved compound to restore sensory function.
The Buck Institute has been awarded a $14.3 million grant from the NIH to study cellular senescence, a hallmark of aging, as a driver of Alzheimer's disease and other age-related dementias. Researchers will investigate new mechanisms that can be developed into interventions to treat patients.
A study led by Penn Medicine researchers identified a new genetic cause of hearing loss and its link to the GAS2 protein's role in amplifying sound waves. The researchers found that the absence of functional GAS2 leads to severe hearing impairment in mice, highlighting the importance of this protein for normal hearing.
Researchers identified a previously unknown subset of Type III cells that are broadly responsive to different tastes, revolutionizing our knowledge of taste detection. This discovery provides new insights into how taste information is sent to the brain and suggests that taste buds are more complex than initially thought.
Researchers found that factors produced by bone marrow support cells helped leukemia cells survive treatment with quizartinib, a type of tyrosine kinase inhibitor. However, when quizartinib was combined with another TKI called dasatinib, the alternative survival pathways were shut down, leading to more effective leukemia cell death.
A new study reveals that pectin filaments in plant cell walls drive morphological changes by swelling, contradicting current theories on turgor pressure. This discovery could lead to the development of smart materials mimicking plant cell expansion.
Scientists discovered that blood stem cells acquire energy from bone marrow support cells in response to salmonella infection, enabling them to produce millions of bacteria-fighting white blood cells. This discovery could lead to new approaches to treating people with salmonella and other bacterial illnesses.
Researchers have identified glial and vascular cells as contributing to the development of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the elderly. The study provides new insights into the disease, highlighting potential targets for novel therapies.
Researchers created a living blood-brain barrier that functions as in the human body, opening new avenues for studying brain disorders and predicting drug effectiveness. The breakthrough uses induced pluripotent stem cells and Organ-Chips technology.
Research found that astrocytes from children with autism exhibit innate inflammation, contributing to neuronal dysfunction. However, when normal astrocytes were co-cultured with autistic neurons, the latter reverted to normal functioning.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered that astroglia, or astrocytes, help set the pace of the suprachiasmatic nuclei to schedule a mouse's day. Altering astrocyte clocks slowed mice's sense of time, highlighting their influence on daily behavior and physiological processes.
A UCLA study has identified a small cluster of brain cells that malfunction in Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and Tourette syndrome. These support cells play a crucial role in encoding Pavlovian response and may hold the key to diagnosing and treating these disorders.
Engineers at the University of Toronto have developed a biocompatible scaffold that allows sheets of beating heart cells to snap together like Velcro. This technology enables the creation of layered tissues with varying configurations, including tiny checkerboards, and could be used to repair damaged hearts.
Researchers studied zebrafish to understand how support cells contribute to hair cell regeneration after damage or death. Approximately half of the dividing support cells differentiated into hair cells, while the rest self-renewed, maintaining a reserve force for regenerative action.
Researchers discovered a mutation in adult fruit flies that prevents testicular cells from transforming into ovaries, maintaining sex identity. The study's findings have implications for understanding cell fate conversions and may lead to new therapeutic approaches.
A review article by scientists from VIB and KU Leuven suggests that thorough research into the cell metabolism of stromal cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells could result in new treatment options for these diseases. This would also improve current cancer treatments.
A new study has developed a scaffold of carbon nanotubes that allows for the safe growth of human stem cells in the laboratory. This breakthrough technology could pave the way for revolutionary treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes, and heart disease.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a method to build robust blood vessels using adult stem cells, which may lead to new treatments for circulatory diseases such as diabetes. The technique involves injecting endothelial cells and support cells into a scaffolding carrier, resulting in mature, functional capillaries.
Researchers from Louisiana Tech University will showcase their study on astrocyte effects on calcium dynamics, exploring how brain cells respond to injury and disease. The presentation aims to provide insights into signal processing in the brain.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet discovered that D-serine improves memory in 'depressed' rats by increasing brain plasticity. This finding suggests a potential treatment approach for depression, targeting the support cells' functionality.
Scientists discover that genetic dysfunction in multiple cell types contributes to SCA7, a devastating neurological disorder. Targeting specific cell types may improve treatment and slow disease progression.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered how stem cells and other cells repair damaged spinal cord tissue in mice. The study identified ependymal cells as a key player in this process, which is crucial for developing therapies for spinal cord injury.
A new £800,000 research programme aims to unlock the secrets of motor neuron disease by studying human motor neurons and support cells from donors. The programme will investigate whether support cells are injurious or protective to motor neurons, and may lead to promising new treatment strategies.
Researchers at Brown University have developed a method to create plastic replicas of real cells, which can support cell growth and potentially be used in laboratories and hospitals. The replicas could help scientists understand nerve growth and repair damaged tissue, and may eventually be used to regenerate nerves in patients.
Researchers have discovered that specific proteins in the fruit fly eye play a crucial role in organ development, including kidney formation. These proteins, Roughest and Hibris, are also found in human kidneys and are essential for proper filtration and filtering of unwanted molecules.
Researchers have identified a novel mechanism for activating G-proteins without external stimulation, which supports cellular polarity in asymmetrically dividing cells. This discovery has significant implications for understanding disease mechanisms and developing novel therapies.