Were viruses around on Earth before living cells emerged? A microbiologist explains

Fossil evidence of how the earliest life on Earth came to be is hard to come by. But scientists have come up with a few theories based on the microbes, viruses and prions existing today.

Kenneth Noll, Professor Emeritus of Microbiology, University of Connecticut • conversation
Feb. 20, 2023 • ~7 min

What is gene editing and how could it shape our future?

Gene editing promises everything from treatments for serious conditions like sickle cell disease to the resurrection of the dodo.

Gavin Bowen-Metcalf, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University • conversation
Feb. 14, 2023 • ~6 min

Cells routinely self-cannibalize to take out their trash, aiding in survival and disease prevention

Cells degrade and recycle damaged parts of themselves through a process called autophagy. When this “self-devouring” goes awry, it may promote cancer and neurodegenerative disease.

Justin Quiles, Postdoctoral Scholar of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, University of California, San Diego • conversation
Feb. 8, 2023 • ~9 min

Higher mortality rate for pregnancy with sickle cell remains

The mortality rate for pregnant people with sickle cell disease is 26 times higher than the national average, research finds.

Maura Kinney-Johns Hopkins • futurity
Feb. 8, 2023 • ~8 min

Microbes in your food can help or hinder your body's defenses against cancer – how diet influences the conflict between cell 'cooperators' and 'cheaters'

Cancer cells are ‘cheaters’ that do not cooperate with the rest of the body. Certain microbes in your diet can either protect against or promote tumor formation by influencing cell cooperation.

Athena Aktipis, Associate Professor of Psychology, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University • conversation
Jan. 31, 2023 • ~7 min

“Spleen-on-a-chip” yields insight into sickle cell disease

With this microfluidic device, researchers modeled how sickled blood cells clog the spleen’s filters, leading to a potentially life-threatening condition.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 30, 2023 • ~7 min

Fresh insights into inflammation, aging brains

Harvard scientists’ research on mice suggests chain reaction may be involved in the brain's aging process.

Clea Simon • harvard
Jan. 17, 2023 • ~7 min

Moderna's experimental cancer vaccine treats but doesn't prevent melanoma – a biochemist explains how it works

Preventive and therapeutic vaccines both train the immune system to fight disease, but they are used in different ways.

Mark R. O'Brian, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo • conversation
Jan. 17, 2023 • ~8 min

Stopping the cancer cells that thrive on chemotherapy – research into how pancreatic tumors adapt to stress could lead to a new treatment approach

Some cancers are notoriously resistant to chemotherapy and not curable with surgery. Stopping tumors from adapting to the harsh microenvironments of the body could be a potential treatment avenue.

Sara Weis, Senior Scientist in Pathology, University of California, San Diego • conversation
Jan. 16, 2023 • ~8 min

Enzyme “atlas” helps researchers decipher cellular pathways

Biologists have mapped out more than 300 protein kinases and their targets, which they hope could yield new leads for cancer drugs.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 11, 2023 • ~7 min

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