Rachel Sawyer, a communications manager who is 50 and lives in Anerley in south east London, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2000 and treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’. Although her condition is now under control, she supports other people who have Crohn’s and runs the Twitter account @Bottomline_IBD. She said: “One of the worst… Read More »
Ana Martin-Villalba and her research team at the German Cancer Research Center followed stem cells along the path to neurons. The scientists analyzed at every step which genes where switched on and which of them were actually turned into new proteins. They expected to find that stem cells would simply switch their stem cell genes… Read More »
Until now, researchers haven’t been able to accurately quantify a latent form of HIV that persists in patients’ immune cells. A new genetic technique is fast and 10 to 100 times more accurate than previous diagnostics. On HIV’s envelope (gray), proteins (red) help the virus bind to and enter host cells. Once the virus has… Read More »
Stem cells (so-called “master cells”) are unique and important in the body because they can do almost anything, and scientists have only begun to discover their potential. That’s why researchers’ use of them has created controversy, attracting the attention of scientists, policymakers, and bioethicists across the globe. Stem cells can transform into any of the… Read More »
Scientists have discovered that irisin, a hormone released by muscles during exercise, directly acts on key regulatory cells that control the breakdown and formation of bone. The researchers say this insight raises the prospect of new treatments for bone-thinning disorders such as osteoporosis. Reporting in Cell, Bruce Spiegelman and colleagues at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have for… Read More »