news 2023

Researchers have developed a method to identify new targets for human disease, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. The discovery of protein phase separation opens up new opportunities for drug discovery Michele Vendruscolo The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, presented an approach to identify therapeutic targets for human diseases associated with a phenomenon known as protein phase separation, a recently discovered phenomenon widely present in cells that drives a variety of important biological functions.

A team of scientists from Bath and Bristol have identified a protein fragment that could be a template for new therapeutics for dementia. Published on Wednesday 27 September 2023 Last updated on Wednesday 27 September 2023 Scientists have identified a molecule that can prevent tangling of a brain protein that is linked to diseases such as Parkinson's.

With the ability to map dozens of biomarkers at once, a new method could transform testing for conditions including heart disease and cancer. Currently, many diseases are diagnosed from blood tests that look for one biomarker (such as a protein or other small molecule) or, at most, a couple of biomarkers of the same type.

A common research tool used to measure brain inflammation and test new dementia drugs may not be as helpful as scientists had hoped. In clinical research, scientists use a type of imaging called positron emission tomography (PET) to gain a detailed view of what's happening in the brain. One of the markers targeted by scans, called translocator protein (TSPO), has long been used to measure inflammation driven by microglia - the specialised immune cells in the brain which respond to damage and disease.

A study looking at the longer-term impact of COVID-19 has found that nearly a third of patients displayed abnormalities in multiple organs five months after infection, some of which have been shown through previous work to be evidence of tissue damage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of patients on the trial showed a higher burden of abnormal findings involving the lungs, brain and kidneys compared to controls.

Researchers have discovered the brain pathways involved in 'sleep preparatory behaviour' in mice, which is likely to also apply to humans. The team, led by Imperial College London researchers, uncovered the wiring in mouse brains that leads them to begin nesting in preparation for sleep. Published today in Nature Neuroscience , the study reveals that preparing properly for sleep is likely a hard-wired survival feature - one often neglected or overridden by humans.

X-rays of an ancient jawless fish shows earliest-known example of internal cartilage skull, unlike that of any other known vertebrate. A 455-million-year-old fossil fish provides a new perspective on how vertebrates evolved to protect their brains, a study has found. In a paper published in Nature today (Wednesday 20 September), researchers from the University of Birmingham, Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in Leiden, Netherlands; and the Natural History Museum have pieced together the skull of Eriptychius americanus.

A team of researchers led by Professor Bart De Strooper (UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, and VIB-KU Leuven) and Dr Sriram Balusu (VIB-KU Leuven) have discovered how neurons die in Alzheimer's disease. The breakthrough study, published in Science , illustrates how neurons initiate a programmed form of cell death, known as necroptosis, when they are exposed to amyloid plaques and tau tangles - the hallmark misfolded proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease.

One of the world's biggest ecological experiments, co-led by the University of Oxford on the island of Borneo, has revealed that replanting logged tropical forests with diverse mixtures of seedlings can significantly accelerate their recovery. The findings , published today in the journal Science Advances,  emphasise the importance of preserving biodiversity in pristine forests and restoring it in recovering logged forest.

A healthy lifestyle that involves moderate alcohol consumption, a healthy diet, regular physical activity, healthy sleep and frequent social connection, while avoiding smoking and too much sedentary behaviour, reduces the risk of depression, new research has found. Although our DNA - the genetic hand we've been dealt - can increase our risk of depression, we've shown that a healthy lifestyle is potentially more important.

The Conservatives have seized on cars as a political wedge - it's a bet on the public turning against climate action 07 Researchers at the University of Manchester are using MRI scans to better predict the progression of dementia In the UK, 5-20% of over 60s population experience mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a decline in one cognitive area, such as memory, language, spatial orientation, or forward planning, over time.

A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators finding flowers because it degrades the scent. A research team comprising the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Universities of Birmingham, Reading, Surrey and Southern Queensland, found that ozone substantially changes the size and scent of floral odour plumes given off by flowers, and that it reduced honeybees' ability to recognise odours by up to 90% from just a few metres away.

Study observing changes in healthy breast cells may explain why breast cancer might develop after pregnancy. A cell-based study has helped begin to disentangle the complex relationship between genetic mutations, pregnancy and breast cancer risk. Researchers from Imperial College London examined healthy breast cells from 29 women who had given birth at different ages and women who did not have any children, to look at genetic mutations and how cells divide.

A new study suggests boys who smoke in their early teens risk damaging the genes of their future children, increasing their chances of developing asthma, obesity and low lung function. Clinical Epigenetics is the first human study to reveal the biological mechanism behind the impact of fathers' early teenage smoking on their children.

The new platform, called -MN-predict-, will allow doctors and scientists to identify those at risk and to design new treatments to prevent them from developing these potentially lethal cancers. MN-predict makes it possible to identify at-risk individuals, and we hope it can become an essential part of future leukaemia prevention programmes.

A new study led by the University of Southampton has revealed why coral reefs can thrive in seemingly nutrient poor water, a phenomenon that has fascinated scientists since Charles Darwin. The research shows that corals farm and feed on their photosynthetic symbionts - microscopic algae that live inside their cells.

Markers that indicate the presence of Parkinson's disease in patients on average seven years before clinical presentation have been identified by a UCL and Moorfields Eye Hospital research team. This is the first time anyone has shown these findings several years before diagnosis, and these results were made possible by the largest study to date on retinal imaging in Parkinson's disease.

Fruit flies and humans don't just share a love of fruit in the warm summer months. We also share key genetic features, which scientists have been able to take advantage of in new research to better understand how diet affects health Fruit flies and humans don't just share a love of fruit in the warm summer months.

University of Oxford researchers have contributed to the first successful extraction of ancient DNA from a 2,900 year-old clay brick. The analysis, published today in Nature Scientific Reports , provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of plant species cultivated at that time and place, and could open the way to similar studies on clay material from different sites and time periods.

New research by Cardiff University has measured the impact of ant invasions on native species at a global scale for the first time - finding that the introduction of invasive ants into new environments can reduce species numbers by 53% through competition and predation. Ants play an important role in helping to maintain stable ecosystems, despite this some species of ants have been transported by humans globally and can cause major problems, even contributing to the extinction of some animal species.