Just as roads allow for travel from point A to point B, blood vessels allow blood to travel throughout the human body, delivering the nutrients necessary to life. However, when they are blocked, they are no longer able to bring blood to all parts of the body, which is one of the leading causes of […]
FDA approves bioengineered blood vessels grown from human cells Read More »
The brain is constantly processing stimuli from our surroundings — sights, smells, sounds, and more — through organized structures designed particularly for their specific function. But what happens when the brain is at rest? When focus is not directed at a specific task or stimuli, the brain does not just shut down. Instead, it diverts
Decoding the DMN: The brain’s mysterious “resting-state” network Read More »
Claiming the lives of famous senators such as Ted Kennedy and John McCain, amongst many others, glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and fast-growing brain tumors. With a median survival rate of just 14 months after diagnosis, glioblastoma is known to be extremely treatment-resistant and highly malignant. Glioblastoma begins from glial cells, which surround
The unexpected ally: Can anti–seizure meds slow glioblastoma growth? Read More »
It is often said that there are no rules to creativity. This sentiment takes on an entirely new meaning in the context of microbial art, a rather avant-garde technique which dates back to the early 1900s. The practice originated in the laboratory of Alexander Fleming, who is credited with the discovery of penicillin and other
A new medium: Creating art with bacterial culture Read More »
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites composed of genetic material (either DNA or RNA) enclosed within a protein capsid and, in some cases, an additional outer lipid envelope. Exhibiting both living and non-living characteristics, viruses remain a microbiological enigma, with scientists continually debating their classification and origins. Some scientists argue that viruses are living due to
Apoptosis. Synonymous with the phrase “cell suicide,” it was initially discovered in 1842 by German scientist Carl Vogt. However, it wouldn’t be until 1972 that the now popularized term (from Greek, apo plus ptosis, or “falling off”) gained significance within the scientific community for the role it plays in fetal development, aging, and the formation
Death by design: Using apoptosis as a cancer treatment Read More »
Since the dawn of life, a relentless battle has raged between bacteria and bacteria-infecting viruses known as bacteriophages (or simply, “phages”). These primitive adversaries have fundamentally opposing goals. While bacteria seek to survive and reproduce, phages aim to hijack a bacterial cell’s inner machinery to replicate their own genes — killing the cell in the
Gene transfer agents: How bacteria have tamed their greatest enemy Read More »
What is the best way to discover how a gene works when it is on? In many cases, the answer is to turn it off. Gene silencing is the process by which gene expression, or the proper “effect” stimulated by the activation of a gene, is diminished or prevented completely. In plants and animals, this
“Turning off” select genes aids medicine Read More »
For nearly 1.7 million Americans affected by type 1 diabetes, the thought of being free from a lifetime of insulin therapy is unheard of. However, a recipient of a new stem cell–based therapy is producing her own insulin less than three months after the injections. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder that destroys
Stem cell therapy reverses diabetes Read More »