Researchers have discovered that the visual cortex of mice contains a region of enhanced visual sensitivity dubbed the ‘focea’, making the mouse a better model of human vision than previously expected. A specialization for high resolution vision The fovea is a region in the human retina in which the light-sensitive cells are more closely packed…

Potentially dangerous genes embedded within human DNA were once thought to be locked down by helpful DNA structures called heterochromatin. A researcher disputes that belief and hopes to change the paradigm even further. Human chromosomes are made up of DNA, about half of which includes ancient remnants of a type of virus called transposons. Also…

The Zika outbreak of 2015 and 2016 is having lasting impacts on children whose mothers became infected with the virus while they were pregnant. Zika virus is a kind of flavivirus, and other flavivirus family members include dengue, West Nile, and yellow fever virus. To protect against these and other pathogens, «we have the ability…

By activating just eight genes for transcription factors, researchers have directly converted mouse stem cells into oocyte-like cells that mature and can even be fertilized like egg cells. In addition to giving new insight into egg cell development, the research may lead to a simple route for generating large amounts of oocyte cytoplasm for use…

Scientists determined that 9/11 first responders to the World Trade Center have increased levels of mutations that escalate their risk for blood cancers or cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. The researchers determined that a significantly higher percentage of World Trade Center responders have an increased mutational burden when compared to blood sample data…

No vaccines exist that protect people against infections by coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, or the ones that cause SARS and MERS. As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc, many labs around the world have developed a laser-like focus on understanding the virus and finding the best strategy for stopping it. Researchers now suggest that…

A collaborative study has discovered a new immune checkpoint that may be exploited for cancer therapy. The study shows that by inhibiting the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B in T cells, the body’s immune response to cancer can be mobilized, helping to repress tumor growth. The study shows that by inhibiting the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B…

Normally, bird flu viruses do not spread easily from person to person. But if this does happen, it could trigger a pandemic. Researchers have now explained what makes the leap from animals to humans less likely. Whenever people suddenly become infected with a bird flu virus such as H5N1, H7N9, and H5N6, the World Health…

A new study has identified a new potential pathway for developing therapeutics that target Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). «We identified two cellular proteins that are important to folding the EBV genome.» said Italo Tempera, Ph.D., associate professor in the Gene Expression & Regulation Program at The Wistar Institute and corresponding author on the paper. «There are…

Researchers further refine the organization of cells within key regions of the mouse brain and the organization of transcriptomic, epigenomic and regulatory factors that provide these brain cells with function and purpose. In recent years, however, transformative advances in imaging, sequencing and computational technologies have opened the possibility of mapping a human brain truly at…