Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are novel therapeutics that can be used to treat a wide range of diseases. This has led to a growing demand for selective, efficient, and safe ways of delivering siRNA in cells. Now, in a cooperation between the Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden, researchers have developed dedicated molecular nanocages for [...]

This is the most detailed image ever taken of a brain - 64 million times sharper than current technology allows. The picture was taken of a mouse brain using a high-powered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device with an unprecedented level of detail. Scientists have yet to repeat the highly detailed scans on human brains, which [...]

A new rapid test for the early diagnosis of preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening complication of pregnancy, has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The test is significantly faster and more accurate than current methods. Preeclampsia is a condition that affects around 4%–8% of all pregnancies and [...]

A team of global biomedical researchers, co-led by Alexander Bick, MD, Ph.D. of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has found a new method for assessing the growth rate of of precancerous clones of blood stem cells. This breakthrough has the potential to assist physicians in reducing their patients’ probability of developing blood cancer in the future. [...]

A Lancet study finds that natural immunity against severe COVID-19 is strong and long-lasting for all variants in previously infected individuals. However, protection against Omicron BA.1 reinfection is reduced for those with past pre-Omicron infections. Researchers stress that vaccination is still the safest way to acquire immunity. Largest review and meta-analysis assessing the extent of protection [...]

A virtual workshop in November 2022 highlighted the importance of developing mucosal vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 that could reduce transmission and infection. Participants discussed challenges and priorities, such as identifying protection correlates, improving animal models, and determining delivery methods. Though no COVID-19 mucosal vaccines have been authorized in the US or Europe, the workshop concluded that research in this [...]

The fungus, a type of yeast called Candida auris, or C. auris, can cause severe illness in people with weakened immune systems. A drug-resistant and potentially deadly fungus has been spreading rapidly through U.S. health care facilities, a new government study finds. The fungus, a type of yeast called Candida auris, or C. auris, [...]

Researchers have used a nanoplasmonics approach to observe the real-time production of cell secretions, including proteins and antibodies; an advancement that could aid in the development of cancer treatments, vaccines, and other therapies. A new optical imaging method from researchers at the University of Geneva and the BIOnanophotonic Systems Laboratory offers a 4D view [...]

Studying blood plasma samples from COVID-19 patients, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified specific proteins that may help predict which patients may need to be placed on ventilators to breathe and which are most likely to die of the virus. "Identifying harmful proteins may be helpful as we [...]

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers assessed the infectious capacity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in plasma and red blood cells (RBCs), ascertaining its role in SARS-CoV-2 dissemination. Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a multisystemic illness affecting respiratory and non-respiratory organs. Studies have reported that SARS-CoV-2 [...]