Microbiota are recognized as key regulators of the gut-brain axis, but whether brain neurons can directly sense bacterial components, and conversely, if bacteria are involved in modulating physiological processes via the brain, has not been demonstrated. Researchers at the Institute Pasteur in Paris have now shown that muropeptides directly inhibit the activity of neurons in the hypothalamus to regulate appetite, nesting behavior and body temperature in mice.
An interdisciplinary research team from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has developed a portable testing device that can detect the COVID-19 virus within 40 minutes.
The tumor microenvironment is critical for the ability of cancers to survive and grow, and some aspects of the microenvironment are studied, and targeted, accordingly. Tumor immunology is one of the most active areas of cancer research and has become a pillar of treatment. Others, not so much. “The nervous system is the last component of the microenvironment that people have left completely unrecognized,” Humsa Venkatesh told BioWorld. Even in brain tumors and metastases, where the presence of neurons is glaringly obvious, there has been little attention to how the two interact until recently.
“We’re still a far cry from reproducible, durable benefits” with CAR T cells targeting solid tumors, Crystal Mackall told the audience at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). But “we’re beginning to see some signals.” Mackall is the founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy.
Investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College have identified propionate metabolism as a contributor to the ability of cancer cells to establish metastases, establishing new basic insights into cancer metastases as well as potential therapeutic targets.
Researchers in China have discovered that bacteria promote cancer metastasis by bolstering the strength of host cells against mechanical stress in the bloodstream, promoting cell survival during tumor progression.
Investigators at Boston Children's Hospital have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection of blood monocytes and lung macrophages in the lung could kill the cells via pyroptosis, increasing inflammation and leading to severe COVID-19.
Neuro-Bio Ltd. has published animal data it says confirms its hypothesis about an underlying cause of Alzheimer's and showing its lead molecule NBP-14 decreases levels of brain amyloid and restores memory in a mouse model of the disease.
Investigators at Boston Children's Hospital have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection of blood monocytes and lung macrophages in the lung could kill the cells via pyroptosis, increasing inflammation and leading to severe COVID-19.