Parvalbumin neurons—new insight into the workings of a superhero brain cell
Say you’re a scientist in a movie, and you want to find out what gives a superhero his powers. You’d investigate any special suits he wears, whether he drinks any potions and what they are, right? Real-life scientists are following the same strategy to understand a powerful group of specialized brain cells. Parvalbumin cells (PV-cells) ... Read More about Parvalbumin neurons—new insight into the workings of a superhero brain cell
Catching platelets with NETs: Neutrophils and deep vein thrombosis
Sea cucumbers have an unusual way of defending themselves. When threatened, they ensnare their foes with sticky threads. Some even expel their own internal organs to repel attackers. Immune system cells called neutrophils sometimes do much the same: When confronted with bacteria, they unravel and shoot out their chromatin—the tightly wound mix of DNA and proteins that ... Read More about Catching platelets with NETs: Neutrophils and deep vein thrombosis
Restoring muscle function in a rare, devastating disease: Part 1
Part 1 of a two-part series. (Read part 2.) Sixth-grader William Ward cruises the hallways at school with a thumb-driven power chair and participates in class with the help of a DynaVox speech device. Although born with a rare, muscle-weakening disease called X-linked myotubular myopathy, or MTM, leaving him virtually immobile, he hasn’t given up. Neither has Alan Beggs, ... Read More about Restoring muscle function in a rare, devastating disease: Part 1
Restoring muscle function in a rare, devastating disease: Part 2
Part 2 of a two-part series. (Read part 1.) Back in the 1990s, rheumatologist Richard Weisbart, MD, of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), was studying lupus in a mouse model and found that the mice were making an antibody that had the intriguing ability to get inside tissues and cells. Weisbart shifted his work away ... Read More about Restoring muscle function in a rare, devastating disease: Part 2
Inherited autism mutations found via genomic sequencing in Mideast families
Autism clearly runs in some families, yet few inherited genetic causes have been found. A major reason is that these causes are so varied that it’s hard to find enough people with a given mutation to establish a clear pattern. Now, three large Middle Eastern families with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have led the way ... Read More about Inherited autism mutations found via genomic sequencing in Mideast families
Building a body, one organ chip at a time
They don’t look like much sitting in your hand. A few pieces of clear plastic, each smaller than an Altoids tin, with channels visible inside and holes for plugging tubing into them. But fill them with cells and treat those cells the right way, and they turn into something amazing: tiny hearts, lungs, guts, kidneys. ... Read More about Building a body, one organ chip at a time
Not all brain tumors are made the same, and that’s important
When you look at an apple, no matter what variety, on the surface you can be pretty sure it’s actually an apple. From there, you can make lots of assumptions about it, like how it will taste when you bite into it and what will happen if you plant the seeds in your yard. With ... Read More about Not all brain tumors are made the same, and that’s important
Immune cells “sculpt” brain circuits — by eating excess connections
The image above and the movie below show an immune cell caught in the act of tending the brain. The cell below has just eaten away unnecessary connections, or synapses, between neurons. That’s not something these cells, known as microglia, were previously thought to do. As immune cells, it was thought that their job was ... Read More about Immune cells “sculpt” brain circuits — by eating excess connections
Gene-therapy trial will attempt to restore hearing in deaf mice
Sound waves produce the sensation of hearing by vibrating hair-like structures on the inner ear’s sensory hair cells. But how this mechanical motion gets converted into electrical signals that go to our brains has long been a mystery. Scientists have believed some undiscovered protein is involved. Such proteins have been identified for taste, smell and ... Read More about Gene-therapy trial will attempt to restore hearing in deaf mice
Avoiding the needle: Engineering blood vessels to secrete drugs
People who rely on protein-based drugs often have to endure IV hookups or frequent injections, sometimes several times a week. And protein drugs – like Factor VIII and Factor IX for patients with hemophilia, alpha interferon for hepatitis C, interferon beta for multiple sclerosis — are very expensive. What if they could be made by people’s own ... Read More about Avoiding the needle: Engineering blood vessels to secrete drugs