Genetic analysis backs a neuroimmune view of schizophrenia: Complement gone amok
A deep genetic analysis, involving nearly 65,000 people, finds a surprising risk factor for schizophrenia: variation in an immune molecule best known for its role in containing infection, known as complement component 4 or C4. The findings, published this week in Nature, also support the emerging idea that schizophrenia is a disease of synaptic pruning, ... Read More about Genetic analysis backs a neuroimmune view of schizophrenia: Complement gone amok
Drug ‘cocktail’ could restore vision in optic nerve injury
When Zhigang He, PhD, started a lab at Boston Children’s Hospital 15 years ago, he hoped to find a way to regenerate nerve fibers in people with spinal cord injury. As a proxy, he studied optic nerve injury, which causes blindness in glaucoma — a condition affecting more than four million Americans — and sometimes ... Read More about Drug ‘cocktail’ could restore vision in optic nerve injury
Respiratory illness in children with gastroesophageal reflux: Are acid blockers part of the problem?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), in which stomach acids back up into the esophagus, is increasingly diagnosed in children. One study based on insurance-claims data found that GERD diagnoses in infants more than tripled between 2000 and 2005 (from 3.4 to 12.3 percent). In addition to heartburn and chest pain, GERD has been implicated in cough, wheezing ... Read More about Respiratory illness in children with gastroesophageal reflux: Are acid blockers part of the problem?
Supercharged marrow transplant: Zebrafish reveal drugs that aid engraftment
Bone marrow transplantation, a.k.a. stem cell transplantation, can offer a cure for certain cancers, blood disorders, immune deficiencies and even metabolic disorders. But it’s a highly toxic procedure, especially when a closely matched marrow donor can’t be found. Using stem cells from umbilical cord blood banked after childbirth could open up many more matching possibilities, ... Read More about Supercharged marrow transplant: Zebrafish reveal drugs that aid engraftment
Gene therapy restores hearing in deaf mice
More than 70 different genes are known to cause deafness when mutated. Jeffrey Holt, PhD, envisions a day when patients with hearing loss have their genome sequenced and their hearing restored by gene therapy. A proof-of-principle study published today by the journal Science Translational Medicine takes a clear step in that direction, restoring hearing in deaf mice. “Our gene ... Read More about Gene therapy restores hearing in deaf mice
How our neutrophils might sabotage wound healing in diabetes
When you get a cut or a scrape, your body jumps into action, mobilizing a complicated array of cells and factors to stem bleeding, keep the wound bacteria-free and launch the healing process. For most of us, that process is complete in a couple of weeks. But for many people with type 1 and type ... Read More about How our neutrophils might sabotage wound healing in diabetes
Fruit flies’ love lives could clarify brain cells’ role in motivation
If you have children present, you might want to click out of this post. But if you want to understand motivation, you’ll want to know about the sexual behavior of fruit flies. In the brain, motivational states are nature’s way of matching our behaviors to our needs and priorities. But motivation can go awry, and ... Read More about Fruit flies’ love lives could clarify brain cells’ role in motivation
New Human Neuron Core to analyze ‘disease in a dish’
Last week was a good week for neuroscience. Boston Children’s Hospital received nearly $2.2 million from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to create a Human Neuron Core. The facility will allow researchers at Boston Children’s and beyond to study neurodevelopmental, psychiatric and neurological disorders directly in living, functioning neurons made from patients with these ... Read More about New Human Neuron Core to analyze ‘disease in a dish’
A simpler way to measure complex biochemical interactions
Life teems with interactions. Proteins bind. Bonds form between atoms, and break. Enzymes cut. Drugs attach to cell receptors. DNA hybridizes. Those interactions make the processes of life work, and capturing them has led to many medical advances. “Determining which molecules interact, and measuring the strength of these interactions is fundamental for many areas of ... Read More about A simpler way to measure complex biochemical interactions
Frozen poop pill offers a less invasive treatment option for emerging infectious disease
The fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) movement is catching the attention of scientists, researchers and the media nationwide. Currently, fecal transplantation delivers pre-screened, healthy human donor stool to a patient via colonoscopy or by nasogastric tube. It’s prescribed as an effective alternative to long-term antibiotic use in treating debilitating infectious diseases such as Clostridium difficile, also known ... Read More about Frozen poop pill offers a less invasive treatment option for emerging infectious disease