Increasingly, research links triclosan, an antimicrobial found in thousands of consumer products, with the gut microbiome and gut inflammation. A new study looks at the potential for combating damage to the intestine. The findings suggest new approaches for improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Increasingly, research links triclosan with the gut…

Obesity, diabetes and gastrointestinal cancer are frequently linked to an unhealthy diet. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this are not fully understood. Researchers have gained some new insights that help to better understand this connection. These findings provide an important basis for the development of non-invasive therapies. The molecular mechanisms behind this maladaptation are…

Defective mitochondria — the ‘batteries’ that power the cells of our bodies — could in future be repaired using gene-editing techniques. Scientists have now shown that it is possible to modify the mitochondrial genome in live mice, paving the way for new treatments for incurable mitochondrial disorders. Our cells contain mitochondria, which provide the energy…

Researchers have made a vital breakthrough in the understanding of a new facet of the immune response to malaria, which will help in the development of a vaccine. Malaria is caused by an infection with a deadly parasite species called Plasmodium falciparum and although it is one of the world’s most prevalent global diseases, efforts…

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second most common cause of death worldwide by an infectious pathogen (after Covid-19), but many aspects of its long history with humans remain controversial. Researchers found that ancient TB discovered in archaeological human remains from South America is most closely related to a variant of TB associated today with seals, but…

Investigators have employed mutant mice to study how the accumulation of genetic errors is managed during egg and sperm formation. That’s why Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI) researchers used a strain of mutant mice as a means to uncover new clues about the process of meiosis, which forms eggs and sperm (also known as germ cells).…

Researchers have examined what factors drive hair variation in a wild population of lemurs known as Indriidae. Specifically, the researchers aimed to assess the impacts of climate, body size and color vision on hair evolution. Researchers in the Primate Genomics Lab at the George Washington University examined what factors drive hair variation in a wild…

Using powerful tools and techniques developed in the field of structural biology, researchers have discovered new details about the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV. These detailed findings include 3D views of the structure and position of the virus’ envelope «spike» proteins (the Env protein, used when the virus binds with cells) in the context of the…

Our knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease has grown rapidly in the past few decades but it has proven difficult to translate fundamental discoveries about the disease into new treatments. Now researchers have developed a model of the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease in rhesus macaques. The macaque model could allow better testing of new treatments. The…

New research sheds light on the lifespans and location of the cells that are responsible for producing HIV, preventing its eradication. Understanding the cells’ dynamics may help scientists develop new ways to reduce their number with the ultimate goal of curing HIV infection. «When chronically HIV-1 infected individuals are put on potent antiretroviral drug therapy,…