Possible therapeutic approach to treat diabetic nerve damage discovered

Longitudinal sections of two injured nerves with regenerating nerve fibers. Both specimens are from diabetic animals; in the lower image, the animal was treated with a peptide. Regeneration can be seen in the green-stained nerve fibers.
Image Credit: Dietmar Fischer / University of Cologne

Researchers have decoded the signaling pathway that inhibits nerve regeneration in diabetes and have developed a therapeutic peptide that could transform the treatment—and possibly even the prevention—of diabetic nerve damage. 

Nerve damage is one of the most common and burdensome complications of diabetes. Millions of patients worldwide suffer from pain, numbness, and restricted movement, largely because damaged nerve fibers do not regenerate sufficiently. The reasons for this are unclear. A research team led by Professor Dr Dietmar Fischer, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Cologne’s Faculty of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Pharmacology at University Hospital Cologne, has now identified a central mechanism that explains limited regeneration in diabetes. Building on this, the researchers have developed a promising therapeutic approach that can be used to increase regeneration. Their findings were published in the ‘Science Translational Medicine’ journal under the title ‘Failure of nerve regeneration in mouse models of diabetes is caused by p35-mediated CDK5 hyperactivity’.

Seal milk more refined than breast milk

The Atlantic grey seal nurses its young for only 17 days. This means that the milk must be packed with good stuff to quickly prepare the seal pup for a tough life at sea. Researchers have analysed seal milk and discovered many new types of milk sugar.
Photo Credit: Patrick Pomeroy / contributing author

Researchers have discovered that milk from grey seals in the Atlantic Ocean may be more potent than breast milk. An analysis of seal milk found approximately 33 per cent more sugar molecules than in breast milk. Many of these sugars are unique and may pave the way for even better infant formulas for babies. 

During the 17 days that grey seal pups suckle, they need to get their digestive systems up and running and build up an immune system to protect them against diseases and other dangers they may encounter in the North Atlantic. It is reasonable to suspect that their mother's milk is extremely refined to accomplish this task. An international study with researchers from the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology in Nature Communications shows that this is indeed the case. 

“Our analysis shows that grey seal milk is extraordinary. We identified 332 different sugar molecules, or sugars, compared to about 250 in breast milk. Two-thirds were completely unknown previously. Some of these molecules had a previously unseen size of 28 sugar units, which exceeds the largest known sugar units in breast milk, which are 18 units in size,” says Daniel Bojar, senior lecturer in bioinformatics at the University of Gothenburg. 

Why the "gut brain" plays a central role for allergies

This tissue section, taken from the intestine of a mouse unable to produce the neuropeptide VIP, clearly shows the striking frequency with which certain cell types occur on the intestine's surface. These include villous cells (red), mucus-producing goblet cells (yellow), Paneth cells (pink) and stem cells (green).
Image Credit: © Charité | Luisa Barleben

The intestinal nervous system, often referred to as the "gut brain", is essential in controlling digestion and maintaining the intestinal barrier. This protective layer, made up of the intestinal mucosa, immune cells and the microbiome, shields the body from the contents of the gut. Its effectiveness depends on the delicate balance among these components. If this balance is disrupted, inflammation, allergies, or chronic intestinal diseases can arise. The intestinal mucosa serves as the body’s primary defense against pathogens. While previous studies have shown that the intestinal nervous system is involved in immune responses in addition to digestion, its role in the development of intestinal epithelial cells has remained largely unclear until now. 

Blood protein profiles can predict mortality

Photo Credit: Akram Huseyn

Elevated levels of five proteins in our blood can help predict risk of mortality, a new study from the University of Surrey finds. Scientists believe the proteins (PLAUR, SERPINA3, CRIM1, DDR1 and LTBP2), that play key roles in the development of diseases such as cancer and inflammation, may also contribute to the risk of dying. Findings could help clinicians identify individuals most at risk from mortality and lead to earlier medical interventions.   

The study also discovered 392 proteins associated with an increased risk of death within a 5-year timeframe and a further 377 proteins associated with dying within 10 years, even when adjusting for health and lifestyle factors, such as smoking or pre-existing disease diagnoses. Proteins perform a wide range of essential functions in the body and are vital for growth, development, and the structure of every cell.  

New stem cell medium creates contracting canine heart muscle cells

Canine iPS cells cultured in a newly developed medium successfully differentiated into functional cardiomyocytes
Image Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

Scientists obtained stem cells expressing cardiac muscle-specific genes and proteins. The cells displayed regular rhythmic contractions similar to a heart, confirming that they were functional cardiomyocyte cells.

In research, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are derived from skin, urine, or blood samples and developed into other cells, like heart tissue, that researchers want to study. Because of the similarities between certain dog and human diseases, canine iPS cells have potential uses in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. 

Subverting Plasmids To Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Two types of plasmids, colored red and blue, form intricate patterns as they compete for dominance in a bacterial colony.
Image Credit: Fernando Rossine

Researchers in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School have just opened a new window into understanding the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

The work not only reveals principles of evolutionary biology but also suggests a new strategy to combat the antibiotic resistance crisis, which kills an estimated 1.3 million people per year worldwide.

Members of the labs of Michael Baym, associate professor of biomedical informatics, and Johan Paulsson, professor of systems biology, devised a way to track the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance in individual bacteria by measuring competition among plasmids.

Microplastics hit male arteries hard

Changcheng Zhou Professor, Biomedical Sciences
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of California, Riverside

A mouse study led by University of California, Riverside biomedical scientists suggests that everyday exposure to microplastics — tiny fragments shed from packaging, clothing, and countless plastic products — may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, the artery-clogging process that leads to heart attacks and strokes. The harmful effects were seen only in male mice, offering new clues about how microplastics may affect cardiovascular health in humans.

“Our findings fit into a broader pattern seen in cardiovascular research, where males and females often respond differently,” said lead researcher Changcheng Zhou, a professor of biomedical sciences in the UCR School of Medicine. “Although the precise mechanism isn’t yet known, factors like sex chromosomes and hormones, particularly the protective effects of estrogen, may play a role.”

Researchers build bone marrow model entirely from human cells

Scanning electron microscopy image of the engineered 3D bone marrow tissue colonized with human blood cells (red).
Image Credit: Andrés García-García, University of Basel, Department of Biomedicine

Our body’s “blood factory” consists of specialized tissue made up of bone cells, blood vessels, nerves and other cell types. Now, researchers have succeeded for the first time in recreating this cellular complexity in the laboratory using only human cells. The novel system could reduce the need for animal experiments for many applications.

The bone marrow usually works quietly in the background. It only comes into focus when something goes wrong, such as in blood cancers. In these cases, understanding exactly how blood production in our body works, and how this process fails, becomes critical. 

Typically, bone marrow research relies heavily on animal models and oversimplified cell cultures in the laboratory. Now, researchers from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel have developed a realistic model of bone marrow engineered entirely from human cells. This model may become a valuable tool not only for blood cancer research, but also for drug testing and potentially for personalized therapies, as reported by a team of researchers led by Professor Ivan Martin and Dr Andrés García-García in the journal Cell Stem Cell. 

Wastewater from most countries favors non-resistant bacteria

Joakim Larsson, Professor at the Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, and director of CARe, Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research.
Photo Credit: Johan Wingborg

A global study led by researchers at the Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research (CARe) in Gothenburg, Sweden shows that municipal wastewater is not always the breeding ground for antibiotic resistance it is often thought to be. By testing wastewater from 47 countries, the team found that while some samples could select for resistant E. coli, the majority instead selected against resistance. These insights reshape our understanding of when and where resistance is likely to evolve and spread. 

Municipal wastewater contains a large range of excreted antibiotics and has therefore long been suspected to be a spawning ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now, a study published in Nature Communications led by a team from the University of Gothenburg provides a more nuanced picture. 

Biomedical: In-Depth Description

Photo Credit: Navy Medicine

Biomedical science is the broad field of applied biology that focuses on understanding health and disease. Its primary goal is to use biological principles and scientific research to develop new therapies, diagnostic tools, and strategies for preventing and treating human illnesses.

Researchers create simple method for viewing microscopic fibers

Computational scattered light imaging shows the orientation and organization of tissue fibers at micrometer resolution. The colors represent different fiber orientations.
Image Credit: Marios Georgiadis

Every tissue in the human body contains a network of microscopic fibers. Muscle fibers direct mechanical forces, intestinal fibers are involved in gut mobility, and brain fibers transmit signals and form the communication network to drive cognition. Together, these fibers shape how organs function and help maintain their structure.

Likewise, almost all diseases involve some form of degeneration or disruption of these fiber networks. In the brain, this translates to disturbances in neural connectivity that are found in all neurological disorders.

Despite their biological importance, these microscopic fibers have been difficult to study, as scientists have struggled to visualize their orientations within tissues.

Now, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have developed a simple, low-cost approach that makes those hidden structures visible in remarkable detail.

New study uncovers potential way to prevent breast cancer in premenopausal women

Photo Credit: Angiola Harry

A University of Manchester study funded by Breast Cancer Now and supported by Prevent Breast Cancer, reveals a drug approved for use in other conditions could be repurposed to prevent breast cancer in women before the menopause.

Researchers at the Manchester Breast Centre, based at The University of Manchester, found that blocking the effects of the hormone progesterone, using ulipristal acetate, a drug already used on the NHS, may reduce the risk of breast cancer developing in women before the menopause, with a strong family history of the disease.

Progesterone is a hormone that can drive breast cancer development. It promotes the growth of a type of breast cell, that has the potential to turn into breast cancer. It can also influence the environment inside the breast, making it easier for these healthy cells to transform into cancer cells.

Researchers decipher mechanism that prevents the loss of brown adipose tissue activity during ageing

From left to right, Tania Quesada-López, Francesc Villarroya, Albert Blasco-Roset, Marta Giralt, Alberto Mestres-Arenas, Joan Villarroya, Aleix Gavaldà-Navarro and Rubén Cereijo.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of Barcelona

As the body ages, brown adipose tissue activity decreases, fewer calories are burned, and this can contribute to obesity and certain chronic cardiovascular diseases that worsen with age. A study led by the University of Barcelona has identified a key molecular mechanism in the loss of brown fat activity during ageing. The study opens up new perspectives for designing strategies to boost the activity of this tissue and prevent chronic metabolic and cardiovascular diseases as the population ages.

The paper, published in the journal Science Advances, is led by Professor Joan Villarroya, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine of the UB (IBUB) — based at the Barcelona Science Park-UB  — and the CIBER Area for Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition  (CIBEROBN). Teams from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York (United States) are also collaborating.

“Atlas” of mouse microbiome strengthens reproducibility of animal testing

Prof. Dr. Bahtiyar Yilmaz, Research group leader at the Department for Biomedical Research (DBMR) of the University of Bern and Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital.
Photo Credit: © Courtesy of Bahtiyar Yilmaz

Laboratory mice are indispensable for biomedical discovery, yet even genetically identical mice can yield conflicting experimental results depending on their resident microbiota. The complex interplay between microbial communities and their associated metabolic functions in the intestine can profoundly influence experimental results, therapeutic interventions, and our understanding of various biological processes. Understanding the dynamics of the gut microbiome is therefore of paramount importance for biomedical research, as it plays a vital role in shaping health and disease outcomes. This groundbreaking study addresses a fundamental question in microbiome science: how does the composition of microbial communities affect their metabolic function? By exploring this relationship, the research aims to provide insights that could lead to more effective strategies for utilizing mouse models in biomedical studies. 

Led by researchers from the Department of Biomedical Research of the University of Bern and the Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine from the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, this collaborative effort involved a vast global consortium, that meticulously analyzed approximately 4,000 intestinal samples from mice. The study forms the geographically most comprehensive mouse microbiome dataset to date and revealed that, despite immense differences in bacterial species across facilities, metabolic outputs in the intestine are strikingly consistent. The findings represent a significant milestone in microbiome research and were recently published in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.

Bioinformatics Uncovers Regenerative Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

Human brain cells are notoriously difficult to culture in the lab, but UC San Diego researchers successfully grew human brain cells, shown here, in order to test a new treatment approach for spinal cord injury.
Photo Credit: Mark H. Tuszynski/UC San Diego Health Sciences

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a major unmet medical challenge, often resulting in permanent paralysis and disability with no effective treatments. Now, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have harnessed bioinformatics to fast-track the discovery of a promising new drug for SCI. The results will also make it easier for researchers around the world to translate their discoveries into treatments.

One of the reasons SCI results in permanent disability is that the neurons that form our brain and spinal cord cannot effectively regenerate. Encouraging neurons to regenerate with drugs offers a promising possibility for treating these severe injuries. 

The researchers found that under specific experimental conditions, some mouse neurons activate a specific pattern of genes related to neuronal growth and regeneration. To translate this fundamental discovery into a treatment, the researchers used data-driven bioinformatics approaches to compare their pattern to a vast database of compounds, looking for drugs that could activate these same genes and trigger neurons to regenerate.

New nanomedicine wipes out leukemia in animal study

The real-time cellular uptake of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) and fusion with leukemia cells’ lysosomes, where the SNAs degrade and release potent chemotherapeutics. SNAs are shown in red; cells’ cytoskeletons are green; and cells’ nuclei are blue.
Video Credit: Chad A. Mirkin Research Group

In a promising advance for cancer treatment, Northwestern University scientists have re-engineered the molecular structure of a common chemotherapy drug, making it dramatically more soluble and effective and less toxic.

In the new study, the team designed a new drug from the ground up as a spherical nucleic acid (SNA) — a nanostructure that weaves the drug directly into DNA strands coating tiny spheres. This design converts a poorly soluble, weakly performing drug into a powerful, targeted cancer killer that leaves healthy cells unharmed.

Missing nutrient in breast milk may explain health challenges in children of women with HIV

UCLA study finds tryptophan is depleted in breast milk of mothers living with HIV
Photo Credit: Julia Koblitz

A new UCLA study reveals that breast milk from women living with HIV contains significantly lower levels of tryptophan, an essential amino acid likely important for infant immune function, growth, and brain development. This discovery may help explain why children born to women living with HIV experience higher rates of illness and developmental challenges, even when the children themselves are not infected with the virus. 

Approximately 1.3 million children are born to women living with HIV annually worldwide. Even with effective antiretroviral therapy that prevents HIV transmission, these children who are exposed to HIV but not infected continue to face a 50% increase in mortality in low-income settings along with increased risks of infections, growth problems, and cognitive challenges. Prior to antiretroviral therapy, these children had mortality rates that were two to three times higher than infants not exposed to HIV. Understanding why these children remain vulnerable despite not being infected has been a critical gap in maternal and child health research. This study provides the first metabolic explanation for these persistent health disparities and points toward potential nutritional interventions that could protect vulnerable infants.

Rebalancing the Gut: How AI Solved a 25-Year Crohn’s Disease Mystery

Electron micrographs show how macrophages expressing girdin neutralize pathogens by fusing phagosomes (P) with the cell’s lysosomes (L) to form phagolysosomes (PL), compartments where pathogens and cellular debris are broken down (left). This process is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis. In the absence of girdin, this fusion fails, allowing pathogens to evade degradation and escape neutralization (right).
Image Credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences

The human gut contains two types of macrophages, or specialized white blood cells, that have very different but equally important roles in maintaining balance in the digestive system. Inflammatory macrophages fight microbial infections, while non-inflammatory macrophages repair damaged tissue. In Crohn’s disease — a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — an imbalance between these two types of macrophages can result in chronic gut inflammation, damaging the intestinal wall and causing pain and other symptoms. 

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new approach that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) with advanced molecular biology techniques to decode what determines whether a macrophage will become inflammatory or non-inflammatory. 

The study also resolves a longstanding mystery surrounding the role of a gene called NOD2 in this decision-making process. NOD2 was discovered in 2001 and is the first gene linked to a heightened risk for Crohn’s disease.

Researchers decipher a mechanism that determines the complexity of the glucocorticoid receptor

Above, from left to right, Pilar Montanyà-Vallugera, José Luis Torbado-Gardeazábal, Inés Montoya-Novoa and Montse Abella-Monleón. Below, from left to right, Alba Jiménez-Panizo, Pablo Fuentes-Prior, Eva Estébanez-Perpiñá and Andrea Alegre-Martí.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of Barcelona

Drugs to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases — such as asthma, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or Chrousos syndrome — act mainly through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). This essential protein regulates vital processes in various tissues, so understanding its structure and function at the molecular level is essential for designing more effective and safer drugs. Now, a study published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research (NAR) has revealed the mechanism of multimerization — the association of different molecules to form complex structures — of the glucocorticoid receptor, a process critical to its physiological function.

Deciphering how the GR forms oligomers — through the binding of several subunits — opens a crucial avenue for developing more selective drugs. These new drugs could modulate this association and thus minimize serious adverse effects, such as immunosuppression or bone loss.

Treating fibrosis with a chemical derived from Lawsonia inermis

Treatment with Lawsone converts a liver with fibrosis into a healthy liver.
Image Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

Lawsonia inermis is best known for making henna, a versatile dye that is used to change the color of skin and clothes. Now, researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have found another use for the pigments extracted from the dye: treating liver disease.

Specifically, they could treat liver fibrosis, a disease that causes excess fibrous scar tissue to build up in the liver as a result of chronic liver injury caused by lifestyle choices such as excessive drinking. Patients with liver fibrosis have increased risks of cirrhosis, liver failure, and cancer. Despite 3–4% of the population having the advanced form of the disease, treatment options remain limited.