Bird flu is transmitted mainly by wild birds, like these snow geese. The H5N1 avian influenza virus is causing the largest bird flu outbreak in history, infecting millions of birds and a growing range of mammal species. Though human infection is currently rare, efficient transmission between farmed minks in Spain raises concerns about potential [...]
An international team led by scientists at the University of Sydney has demonstrated nanowire networks can exhibit both short- and long-term memory like the human brain. The research has been published today in the journal Science Advances, led by Dr. Alon Loeffler, who received his Ph.D. in the School of Physics, with collaborators [...]
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 [...]
