When the Zika virus began making headlines several months ago, scientific knowledge of the virus and its potential impact on humans was relatively slim. Though the virus was discovered in Uganda in the 1940s, Zika did not become a significant research focus until the recent outbreak in Brazil, when the virus became linked to microcephaly
Researchers from the University of Vermont have developed synthetic peptides that offer a potential new therapeutic target for the treatment of hypertension, due to their ability to prevent the blood vessel constriction that results in high blood pressure. Because the peptides only seem to affect damaged arterial vessels, with no effect on healthy vessels, a
Jacobsen Syndrome, a rare genetic disease characterized by a deletion of chromosome 11, is associated with autism-like behaviors in about half of the children born with the disease. To better understand this connection, a group of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine in collaboration with researchers at the University of
Credit: UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Reprogrammed stem cells (green) chase down and kill glioblastoma cells (pink), potentially offering a new and more effective treatment option for a disease that has not had any in more than 30 years. A recent study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has identified
Researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases and Albert Einstein College of Medicine may have discovered a new treatment for Ebola, reported Stat. The research team produced antibodies that successfully protected lab mice from the Sudan and Zaire Ebola virus species. Collectively, these two versions of the virus are responsible for
At Kerafast, our mission is to create a global community of scientists advancing research by facilitating access to unique bioreagents. This February, as Leap Day approached, we began thinking about how scientific research will advance before the next Leap Year in 2020. We therefore asked the Kerafast community for input, posing the question: “What do
Algorithms power the background processes of modern life. They dictate action on the trading floor, guide motorists through morning traffic and unite unsuspecting soul mates. Soon, they will transform medicine. Over the past decade, medical researchers and computer scientists have slowly integrated the algorithm into clinical culture. Currently, they are commonly used to run large-scale
Every year, the last day in February is designated as Rare Disease Day in the United States to recognize the nearly 7,000 diseases that each affect less than 200,000 Americans annually. Though individually rare, when taken together, rare diseases affect nearly 30 million Americans – or about one in ten people. To celebrate Rare Disease
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a new technique for developing tissue via human stem cells, reported MIT News. The methodology, detailed in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, involves programming human stem cells to produce transplantable tissue on demand. Over the past decade, biomedical researchers have made major strides in
Dr. Challa Vijaya Kumar, a professor at the University of Connecticut, has spent his life investigating chemistry and trying to find ways to apply it to common problems. Earning his doctorate degree from the Indian Institute for Technology (Kanpur), he went on to complete a postdoctoral study at the University of Notre Dame where he