News • mRNA-based strategy
Cystic fibrosis: new study identifies gene therapy
Now, a new study identified a gene therapy for individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) caused by a specific mutation and for whom there was no treatment available until now.
Search for: "mRNA" - 69 articles found
News • Reserach on side effects
Covid vaccine and decrease in childbirth: study debunks fertility-related rumours
Can a Covid-19 vaccination reduce fertility? A new study from Linköping University finds no evidence to back up rumours naming vaccinations as a cause behind a decrease in childbirth.
News • Targeted drug delivery
Wireless NFC implant delivers chemotherapy deep into tumors
Korean researchers have developed a wireless implantable drug delivery system that enable chemotherapy drugs to penetrate deep into solid tumors—without harming surrounding healthy tissue.
News • COVID-related acute kidney injury
COVID-19 vaccination lowers dialysis and mortality risk in patients with COVID-related acute kidney injury
COVID-19 vaccination reduces risk of dialysis and death in patients hospitalized with COVID-related acute kidney injury (AKI), new UCLA research shows. Vaccinated patients were less likely to require ongoing dialysis and more likely to survive after discharge than unvaccinated patients.
News • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
New insights on ALS onset opens paths to earlier treatment
New research shows that dysfunction in the mitochondria linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) occurs before the cells show other signs of disease, which was not previously known.
News • Combining spatial transcriptomics, pseudotime and machine learning
More precise than PSA: New biomarkers for prostate cancer found in urine
Using AI and extensive analyses of gene activity in tumours, researchers have found new, precise biomarkers to diagnose prostate cancer at an early stage through a simple urine sample.
News • Research into protein structures
New research findings on the interaction of the three large protein complexes
How do the three large protein complexes – the ribosome, the SKI complex and the exosome – interact? A team of scientists led by Elena Conti reveals this question in their current study.
News • Research on 'risk windows'
Covid vaccination reduces risk of serious cardiovascular disease, study finds
People who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 have a significantly lower risk of developing more severe cardiovascular conditions linked to Covid-19 infection, a new study shows.
News • Sars-CoV-2 research
Coronavirus produces 'dummy' proteins to fool the immune system
Brazilian researchers have identified a key mechanism of Sars-CoV-2 to manipulate its host’s immune defense. This discovery could pave the way for the development of novel therapies.
News • Women's health
Endometriosis: exploring promising diagnostic tools
Endometriosis can cause abdominal pain and cramping before, during and after menstruation, and may lead to infertility. Now, researchers identified promising approaches for better early diagnosis.
News • Circulating tumor extracellular vesicles
Metastatic prostate cancer: better monitoring with new liquid biopsy method
A new study shows that extracellular vesicles shed by prostate cancer cells contain tumor-derived material that can be used as biomarkers of therapy response and resistance in metastatic disease.
Article • Pharmaceutical research
Boosting biomarker detection with digital pathology
Digital pathology can be used to great effect in pharmaceutical research: it can accelerate analyses, give deeper insights into cellular mechanisms, and enable better understanding of their role into clinical development. This potentially offers clearer predictions on how patients may respond to treatment and lead to personalized therapies.
News • Research on Sars-CoV-2 antibody response
Study: Coronavirus infections last a long time (but so does vaccine protection)
New study results explore the long-term effects of infection with Sars-CoV-2, and challenge the idea that vaccine immunity fades quickly.
News • Promising study in mice
Exploring the potential of mRNA technology for rare diseases
Coronavirus vaccines have showcased the possibilities of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Now, a research team aims to put it to use against a rare inherited metabolic disorder.
News • Prognostic model
New urine-based test offers hope for bladder cancer patients
In a new study, researchers from Fudan University have developed a novel urine-based prognostic model that promises to transform the management and treatment of bladder cancer.
News • For discoveries leading to mRNA vaccines against Covid-19
Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman
For their contributions to developing mRNA vaccines to fight Covid-19, Katalin Karikó, PhD, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, have been jointly awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
News • Lentiviral vector-based approach
HPV-induced cancers: new vaccine candidate shows promise
A new onco-therapeutic vaccine candidate against human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced cancers, such as cervical and oropharyngeal cancers, has shown promising results in the preclinical phase.
News • T-cell activator shows promise
"CoVac-1": Coronavirus protection for immunocompromised patients
Patients with immunodeficiency cannot benefit from conventional Covid-19 vaccines and still at risk from infection. A promising new approach now brings hope for this patient group.
News • Infection in vaccinated patients
How coronavirus variant Omicron BA.1 remodels immune memory
Researchers in France identified changes to the immune memory after infection with the Omicron BA.1 variant in thrice-vaccinated patients. The remodeling actually works to the patients' benefit.
News • Molecular test for bacteria response
New method rapidly reveals antibiotic resistance
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a molecular method able to detect whether or not bacteria respond to antibiotics within minutes.
News • Booster shot frequency
Covid-19: Vaccination immunity wears off faster in obese people, study finds
Protection offered by Covid-19 vaccination declines more rapidly in people with severe obesity than in those with normal weight, scientists at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh have found.
News • Oncology & Immunology
Researchers find new IgE antibody targeting skin cancer
A new class of immunotherapy shows promising results for fighting the most aggressive form of skin cancer.
News • Vaccination & Biomedical Technology
Vaccines on demand - the mobile vaccine printer
Getting vaccines to people who need them isn't always easy. Many vaccines require cold storage, making it difficult to ship them to remote areas that don't have the necessary infrastructure.
News • Vaccination
Predicting mRNA degradation to improve vaccine stability
Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) as a therapeutic approach is gaining momentum due to its ability to be rapidly manufactured and its promising outcomes.
News • Nuclear imaging
New PET radiotracer to reduce false-positive cancer findings after Covid-19 vaccination
A novel imaging agent can reduce the number of false-positive PET/CT findings among cancer patients recently vaccinated for Covid-19. This may mitigate the issue of tracer uptake in lymph nodes associaed with the vaccine.
Article • Don't miss:
Talks and panel discussion at the Labmed forum
At this year's Medica tradefair, laboratory medicine, medical technology and life sciences give new impulses to the entire healthcare market - especially in times of the corona pandemic. An overview.
News • SARS-Cov-2 case study
Does time of day matter for Covid-19 vaccination? Probably not, study finds
A study in Japan finds antibody response to the Moderna Covid-19 mRNA vaccine does not vary depending on the time of day when the dose was received.
News • Heart muscle inflammation
Covid-19 infection increases myocarditis risk (a lot more than the vaccine does)
The overall risk of myocarditis is substantially higher immediately after being infected with Covid-19 than it is in the weeks following vaccination for the coronavirus, a large new study shows.
News • Blood sample
Paper test may predict Covid-19 immunity
The new test measures the level of neutralizing antibodies in a blood sample and could help people decide what protections they should take against infection.
News • Underrated helper
T-cells: key for a new type of Covid-19 vaccine?
Researchers propose a new Covid-19 vaccine that specifically instructs the immune system to produce T-cells rather than antibodies - a promising alternative for people with a weakened immune system.
News • Cardiology research
Covid-19 vaccine technique could also save tissue after heart attack
A method for delivering genetic material to the body that has proven useful in Covid-19 vaccination is now being tested as a way to repair damaged heart muscle after a heart attack.
News • Effective prevention
Covid-19 vaccination greatly reduces infectious viral load
By comparing the infectious viral load caused by ancestral SARS-CoV-2 as well as by the Delta and Omicron variants, scientists highlight the benefits of vaccination.
News • Genetic dystrophy repair
Using mRNA to improve muscle strength
An ECRC research team has introduced CRISPR-Cas9 into human muscle stem cells for the first time using mRNA, thus discovering a method suitable for therapeutic applications.
News • Alternative to injection
Inhaled vaccine delivers broad protection against SARS-CoV-2
Scientists have confirmed that an inhaled form of COVID vaccine can provide broad, long-lasting protection against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern.
News • Heart failure and organ fibrosis
RNA therapeutics: potential far beyond Covid-19
RNA has already been making an impact in the context of the vaccine program, but the potential of RNA-based compounds is far from being fully tapped, as RNA allows for entirely new therapeutic approaches.
News • Multiple tumor tissue biomarkers
MOSAICA: next-generation biopsy technology
A new biopsy tool will enable scientists and clinicians to simultaneously profile many biomarkers in cells and tissues.
News • New study
Antibodies can neutralize omicron
An international team of scientists have identified antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
News • Immune response study
Is a "natural" Covid-19 infection better than vaccination? It's complicated
Hope for a future without fear of Covid-19 comes down to circulating antibodies and memory B cells. Unlike circulating antibodies, which peak soon after vaccination or infection only to fade a few months later, memory B cells can stick around to prevent severe disease for decades. And they evolve over time, learning to produce successively more potent “memory antibodies” that are better at…
News • Resource management
Automated filling machine could stave off Covid-19 vaccine shortage
Researchers in Thailand have developed a device to get the most out of vaccine supplies: The automated vaccine filling machine from the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University can fill AstraZeneca vaccine into syringes with precision, speed, and safety, helping to increase the number of vaccinated people by 20 percent. The prototype is now operating at Chula Vaccination Center and more…
News • Thromboembolic misunderstandings
Covid-19, not vaccination, presents biggest blood clot risks
Researchers from the University of Oxford have announced the results of a study into thrombocytopenia (a condition with low platelet counts) and thromboembolic events (blood clots) following vaccination for Covid-19, some of the same events which have led to restricted use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in a number of countries.
News • Cell delivery vehicles
Bio-inspired nanocontainers could enter cells and release their medical cargo
Nanocontainers can transport substances into cells where they can then take effect. This is the method used in, for example, the mRNA vaccines currently being employed against Covid-19 as well as certain cancer drugs. In research, similar transporters can also be used to deliver labelled substances into cells in order to study basic cellular functions. To take advantage of their full potential,…
News • Rethinking recommendations
Delay between Covid-19 vaccine doses improves antibody response
A novel study published in AACC’s The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine shows that delaying the second Covid-19 vaccine dose for more than the recommended 3-4 weeks results in higher antibody levels. This finding could play a vital role in shaping vaccine distribution strategies that increase access to the vaccine around the globe.
News • Immune response determined
How Covid-19 vaccines prepare our immune system for the virus
In view of the continuing high numbers of infections, vaccination offers important protection against severe Covid-19 disease. Scientists from the Faculty of Medicine – University of Freiburg have now been able to determine in detail at what time point initial immune protection is established after vaccination with an mRNA-based vaccine and how the reactions of the various components of the…
News • CVT risk evaluation
Thrombosis risk after Covid vaccination: actual infection far more dangerous, say experts
Researchers at the University of Oxford report that the risk of the rare blood clotting known as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) following Covid-19 infection is around 100 times greater than normal, several times higher than it is post-vaccination or following influenza. The study authors, led by Professor Paul Harrison and Dr Maxime Taquet from Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry and…
News • Immune response in pregnant and lactating women
Mothers pass on Covid-19 protection to their babies after vaccination
In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard have found the new mRNA Covid-19 vaccines to be highly effective in producing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in pregnant and lactating women. They also demonstrated the vaccines confer protective immunity to newborns…
News • Malignant paediatric cancer
Neuroblastoma: sending tumour cells on a collision course
With two commercially available inhibitors, the cell cycle of the cancer cells in neuroblastomas can be disrupted at a key point causing tumour cell death. Neuroblastomas are malignant solid tumours that occur mainly in early childhood. Inhibiting the MYCN oncogene or its function could be a promising therapeutic opportunity.
News • Frequently Asked Questions
What patients want to know about Covid-19 vaccine
This FAQ from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology is provided to help answer patient questions about COVID-19 vaccines. These recommendations are based on best knowledge to date, but could change at any time, pending new information and further guidance from the FDA or CDC.
News • Five things you need to know
Delaying the gap between COVID-19 vaccine doses
As the first coronavirus vaccines started to be rolled out at the end of a tumultuous 2020, UK officials unexpectedly endorsed stretching the gap between the first and second vaccine dose by up to three months – an approach also considered by other countries.
News • The role of the MLL4 gene
New insights on the Kabuki syndrome
Scientists have known for years that mutations in the MLL4 gene can cause Kabuki syndrome, a rare developmental disorder. How exactly this happens remeained a mystery for long. Now, a new study illuminates new details. The research suggests that MLL4 controls the production of neurons that secrete growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. Mice without…
News • Messenger RNA vaccines explained
Busting 8 common myths about Covid-19 vaccines
Even those who understand the scientific process, trust medical experts and know how important vaccines are for fighting infectious diseases might still have some questions or concerns about the new Covid-19 vaccines. Here, Thaddeus Stappenbeck, MD, PhD, helps set the record straight on 8 common questions, concerns and myths that have emerged about Covid-19 vaccines.
News • Promising candidate
Single-dose nanoparticle vaccine for Covid-19 in development
Before the pandemic, the lab of Stanford University biochemist Peter S. Kim focused on developing vaccines for HIV, Ebola and pandemic influenza. But, within days of closing their campus lab space as part of Covid-19 precautions, they turned their attention to a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Although the coronavirus was outside the lab’s specific area of expertise,…
News • Genome editing system
CRISPR-based treatment destroys cancer cells
Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is very effective in treating metastatic cancers, a significant step on the way to finding a cure for cancer.
Video • Immune system sabotage
SARS-CoV-2 induces shutdown of protein synthesis
Although its name is relatively unspecific and indeed opaque, the Nonstructural Protein 1 (Nsp1) encoded by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for the current pandemic, has now been shown to have a devastating effect on host cells. Nsp1 is in fact one of the central weapons used by the virus to ensure its own replication and propagation in human hosts. Nsp1 was identified as a…
Interview • Chronic inflammations
GATA-3: 'Switching off' allergies and asthma
Chronic inflammatory diseases, such as allergies and asthma, are not only an acute problem but also a major research and prevention challenge. We spoke with Professor Harald Renz, Director of the Institute for Laboratory Medicine at the University Hospital Gießen/Marburg, Germany, and discussed the major reason for increases in the number of these widespread diseases.
Article • Immuno-oncological biomarkers
Seeking to augment the value of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes
Measuring tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is gaining importance in immunotherapy, but other variables must also be considered to boost prognosis and prediction accuracy, a leading pathologist argued at EBCC 11 last March in Barcelona. When it comes to prognosis and prediction for immunotherapy, a potentially new variable is emerging – TILs – white blood cells that have left the blood…
News • Glioblastoma
New actively personalized therapeutic vaccine for brain cancer
The prospect of an actively personalized approach to the treatment of glioblastoma has moved a step closer with the recent publication in Nature of favorable data from the phase 1 study GAPVAC-101, testing a novel therapeutic concept tailored to specific characteristics of patients’ individual tumors and immune systems. For the first time, the feasibility of such a highly personalized form of…
News • Groundbreaking technique
Noninvasive brain tumor biopsy on the horizon
Taking a biopsy of a brain tumor is a complicated and invasive surgical process, but a team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis is developing a way that allows them to detect tumor biomarkers through a simple blood test. Hong Chen, a biomedical engineer, and Eric C. Leuthardt, MD, a neurosurgeon, led a team of engineers, physicians and researchers who have developed a…
News • Monitoring CML therapy
Bio-Rad releases first CE-IVD digital PCR test
Bio-Rad Laboratories announces the launch of the "QXDx BCR-ABL %IS" Kit, the first CE-IVD digital PCR test that can monitor the molecular response of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) to therapy.
News • Innovative approach
New “Swiss Army Knife” nanovaccine to battle tumors
Scientists are using their increasing knowledge of the complex interaction between cancer and the immune system to engineer increasingly potent anti-cancer vaccines. Now researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a synergistic nanovaccine packing DNA and RNA sequences that modulate the immune response, along with anti-tumor antigens, into…
Novel DNA repair mechanism brings new horizons
A group of researchers, lead by Vasily M. Studitsky, professor at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, discovered a new mechanism of DNA repair, which opens up new perspectives for the treatment and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. The article describing their discovery is published in AAAS' first open access online-only journal Science Advances.
Schizophrenia gene discovered
Working independently from different perspectives, geneticists from Finland and biochemists from Würzburg have researched the molecular mechanisms of schizophrenia and cognitive impairment.
The MIRACLE begins
Detection of circulating and disseminated tumour cells in blood is a promising method to diagnose cancer dissemination, or to follow up cancer patients during therapy. Today’s methods and involve time-consuming (more than a day) sample processing and cell isolation steps -- all labour intensive and expensive. A lab-on-chip that could integrate those processing steps would enable faster,…
Cancer screening made simple
Current cervical cancer screening is time consuming and expensive, but now new breakthrough technology developed by European researchers should allow large-range screening by non-medical personnel with almost immediate results and at a much lower cost.
Cheap and fast cancer diagnosis
t the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference (EMBC) in Buenos Aires (Argentina), imec and its project partners announce the launch of the European Seventh Framework Project MIRACLE. The MIRACLE project aims at developing an operational lab-on-chip for the isolation and detection of circulating and disseminated tumor cells (CTCs and DTCs) in blood. The new lab-on-chip is an essential step…
Study unravels the hidden genomic complexity of the giant mimivirus
A study published online today in the journal Genome Research offers surprising new clues into the genomic complexity of the giant Mimivirus, the largest known virus in the world. Previous studies have shown that unlike most viruses, the Mimivirus has more genes than many bacteria and performs functions that normally occur only in cellular organisms. The results of the most recent study, led by a…
Simpler tests for gastrointestinal cancers
Colorectal cancer occurs in approximately one in every 17 people during their lifetime and is the second leading cause of cancer death in Europe. Two new blood tests could aid in the early identification of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The tests will make GI cancer detection simpler, cost-effective, and more acceptable to patients than current methods, the researchers say.
Ireland's Institute of Molecular Medicine
Since the completion of the 13-year human genome project in 2003, molecular scientists have been delving deeper into the world of cells.
Broccoli against lung disease?
Experts starts to identify nutrition's components that might support the fight against diseases. Recently researchers from John Hopkins Medical School found that a decrease in lung concentrations of NFR2-dependent antioxidants, key components of the lung's defense system, is linked to the severity of chronic obstructive pulmany disease (COPD) in smokers.
How small RNA molecules impact biomedical research
The discovery of small RNA molecules and their relevance for gene regulation has dramatically changed our understanding of many essential cellular processes — and provides the opportunity to develop new ways for treating various diseases. By selectively inhibiting gene expression and thereby “silencing” genes involved in pathogenesis, the RNA molecules constitute a unique tool to treat…
