Life Sciences

Found results: 11545

Nanotechnology

Will "uncharged" nanoparticles cure autoimmune diseases?

A few hours after the introduction of DNA-coated nanoparticles that do not carry any payload, scientists were surprised to note an increase in the expression of an enzyme that "calms" the immune response of the body in rheumatoid arthritis.

18.05.2012
Genetics

Humans and mutants

The reason why genetic diseases are becoming more common in the modern world is not only in the polluted environment. New, previously unseen mutations began to manifest only because there were more of us.

18.05.2012
Other life sciences

The world's oldest microorganisms

In the bottom sediments of the North Pacific Ocean, microbiologists have found bacteria that live without access to nutrients for up to 86 million years. They manage to maintain life during this time due to an extremely slow metabolism.

18.05.2012
Other life sciences

Cyber arm for the paralyzed

Two elderly people, paralyzed for many years, were able to drink coffee with the help of a mechanical arm controlled by signals from the brain.

17.05.2012
Biomedicine

Not exactly personal medicine

A personal medicine designed for a specific person is a myth. Personalized medicine focuses not on one patient or even hundreds of patients, but on subpopulations.

17.05.2012
Other life sciences

OraQuick HIV test: you can, but be careful

The FDA Advisory Commission unanimously approved the free sale of OraQuick test systems. At the same time, experts obliged the manufacturer to print a warning on the product packaging about possible errors in the diagnosis of HIV infection using OraQuick.

17.05.2012
Prolonging youth

Gene therapy increases life expectancy

The first attempt using genetic methods to induce the expression of telomerase in adult animal cells, an enzyme that restores the length of telomeres and thus slows down the "biological clock", was crowned with success.

16.05.2012
Genetics

Genetics of aging: lecture notes

At the end of April, the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the international scientific conference "Genetics of Aging and Life Expectancy", where leading researchers from around the world met. Scientists discussed the problems of life extension.

16.05.2012
Other life sciences

A personal HIV test is two percent short

In the clinic, the OraQuick test system determines the presence or absence of HIV infection with 99% accuracy. The accuracy of the test for self-use was 93%; according to the requirements of the FDA, this indicator should be at least 95%.

15.05.2012
Theories of aging

Another secret of longevity of naked diggers

The exceptionally long lifespan of naked diggers may also be due to the peculiarities of cellular mechanisms for processing proteins damaged by free radicals.

14.05.2012
Other life sciences

Optoelectronic retina without batteries

To create an artificial retina, scientists decided to use solar cells activated by an infrared ray, which made it possible to combine the transmission of visual information with the transmission of energy and simplify the device of the implant.

14.05.2012
Genetic engineering

Gene therapy against hearing loss

A good result has so far been achieved only in mice no older than two weeks. But the results obtained confirm the possibility of gene therapy for sensorineural hearing loss – hearing loss caused by a violation of the functions of hair cells.

14.05.2012
Genetics

Grandmothers saved us from breast cancer

The "breast cancer genes" BRCA1 and BRCA2 increase women's fertility by one and a half times, and without restraining factors, breast cancer would become a universal phenomenon. But without the care of a grandmother who died of cancer, the child was less likely to survive and pass the mutation to the next generation.

11.05.2012
Nanotechnology

Cyborg cells

The full title of the review article by the staff of the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology of KFU, published in the prestigious journal Chemical Society Reviews, reads as follows: "Cyborg cells: functionalization of living cells using polymers and nanomaterials."

10.05.2012
Biomedicine

How to incite T-lymphocytes on a tumor?

Modified T-cell receptors can selectively bind to tumor cells, marking them for destruction by T-lymphocytes, normally reacting to microorganisms, and not to cancer cells.

10.05.2012
Biomedicine

Epigenetics will detect breast cancer years before the onset of the disease

The authors of the technique hope that this is only the beginning of understanding the contribution of epigenetics to the development of breast cancer, and in the coming years they expect to find many more examples of the effect of gene modification on the risk of developing various diseases.

05.05.2012
Nanotechnology

Bandages and plasters, soluble without sediment

Unlike conventional patches and dressings made of starch nanofibers do not require peeling, they decompose directly on the skin and turn into glucose absorbed by the body.

05.05.2012
Other life sciences

Electronic retinas are being improved

A year ago, a great achievement was the "electronic retina" at 60 pixels. The newest electronic chips with a size of 3 sq.mm already contain 1.5 thousand photosensitive photodiodes.

05.05.2012