Researchers have created a COVID-19 vaccine candidate from a replicating virus. This experimental vaccine has proven effective at preventing pneumonia in mice. «Unlike many of the other vaccines under development, this vaccine is made from a virus that is capable of spreading in a limited fashion inside the human body, which means it is likely…

Researchers provide high-resolution electron microscopy analysis of the molecular machinery within the respiratory chain. Oxygen and sugar are the basis of life for animals, plants, fungi and many bacteria. The metabolic process called respiration makes it possible to convert food into energy for the cells. Biochemist Prof. Dr. Carola Hunte and her team from the…

Researchers detail how a ubiquitous signaling molecule plays a critical role in male fertility, orchestrating key steps that promote sperm motility, survival and fertilization success. The first process is called capacitation, which alters the physiology of each spermatozoa, changing the membrane of the head to help it penetrate the hard, outer layer of an egg…

Scientists have designed and tested the first-of-its-kind synthetic DNA vaccine against Powassan virus (POWV), targeting portions of the virus envelope protein. Unlike the widely recognized Lyme disease, POWV causes a little known, potentially deadly infectious disease that is transmitted through tick bites during fall and spring seasons. POWV is an RNA virus belonging to the…

Researchers have created a version of COVID-19 in mice that shows how the disease damages organs other than the lungs. Using their model, the scientists discovered that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can shut down energy production in cells of the heart, kidneys, spleen and other organs. «This mouse model is a really powerful tool for studying…

An international team has discovered novel properties of the protein Gasdermin B that promotes repair of cells lining the gastrointestinal tract in people with chronic inflammatory disorders like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The new findings, recently published in the journal, Cell, are significant because the impact of Gasdermin B (GSDMB) on healing epithelium —…

Researchers have developed a new fluorescent label that gives a clearer picture of how DNA architecture is disrupted in cancer cells. The findings could improve cancer diagnoses for patients and classification of future cancer risk. Published today in Science Advances, the study found that the DNA-binding dye performed well in processed clinical tissue samples and…

A study including more than 22,000 female nurses in Denmark evaluated exposure over 15-20 years to air pollution and road traffic noise to evaluate the impact on heart failure. Exposure to small particulate matter and road traffic noise over three years was associated with an increased risk for heart failure. The risks were greater among…

Scientists have found a previously overlooked mutation in a subtype of pediatric leukemia that has implications for identifying high-risk patients. «We started broadly because it was clear that we didn’t have a deep enough understanding about why kids with AML relapse in the first place,» said co-corresponding author Jeffery Klco, M.D., Ph.D., St. Jude Department…

Injury or disease that afflicts a relatively small number of brain cells causes a chain reaction that stops activity across a vast network of neural circuits, according to new research. The study may help to explain why people can suffer from temporary but severe loss of cognitive function in cases of traumatic brain injury or…