New malaria vaccine trial in Malawi marks 'an innovation milestone', declares UN health agency
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Monday, April 29, 2019
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Heart patch could limit muscle damage in heart attack aftermath: Study
indiablooms
Researchers develop adhesive patch to reduce heart attack damage
Odisha Television Ltd.
Heart patch could limit muscle damage in heart attack aftermath: Study
New York, Apr 20 (IBNS): Researchers have designed a new type of
adhesive patch that can be placed directly on the heart and may one day
help to reduce the stretching of heart muscle that often occurs after a
heart attack.
The patch, made from a water-based hydrogel material, was developed
using computer simulations of heart function in order to fine tune the
material’s mechanical properties. A study in rats showed that the patch
was effective in preventing left ventricle remodeling — a stretching of
the heart muscle that’s common after a heart attack and can reduce the
function of the heart’s main pumping chamber. The research also showed
that the computer-optimized patch outperformed patches whose mechanical
properties had been selected on an ad hoc basis.
The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, was a collaboration between computer modeling and mechanics researchers in Brown University’s School of Engineering, cardiology researchers from Fudan University and material scientists from Soochow University.
“Part of the reason that it’s hard for the heart to recover after a heart attack is that it has to keep pumping,” said Huajian Gao, a professor of engineering at Brown and a co-author on the paper. “The idea here is to provide mechanical support for damaged tissue, which hopefully gives it a chance to heal.”
Prior research had shown that mechanical patches could be effective, the researchers say, but no one had done any research on what the optimum mechanical properties of such a patch might be. As a result, the thickness and stiffness of potential patches varies widely. And getting those properties right is important, Gao says.
“If the material is to hard or stiff, then you could confine the movement of the heart so that it can’t expand to the volume it needs to,” he said. “But if the material is too soft, then it won’t provide enough support. So we needed some mechanical principles to guide us.”
To develop those principles, the researchers developed a computer model of a beating heart, which captured the mechanical dynamics of both the heart itself and the patch when fixed to the heart’s exterior. Yue Liu, a graduate student at Brown who led the modeling work, says the model had two key components.
“One part was to model normal heart function — the expanding and contracting,” Liu said. “Then we applied our patch on the outside to see how it influenced that function, to make sure that the patch doesn’t confine the heart. The second part was to model how the heart remodels after myocardial infarction, so then we could look at how much mechanical support was needed to prevent that process.”
With those properties in hand, the team turned to the biomaterials lab of Lei Yang, a Brown Ph.D. graduate who is now a professor at Soochow University and Hebei University of Technology in China. Yang and his team developed a hydrogel material made from food-sourced starch that could match the properties from the model. The key to the material is that it’s viscoelastic, meaning it combines fluid and solid properties. It has fluid properties up to a certain amount of stress, at which point it solidifies and becomes stiffer. That makes the material ideal for both accommodating the movement of the heart and for provided necessary support, the researchers say.
The material is also cheap (a patch costs less than a penny, the researchers say) and easy to make, and experiments showed that it was nontoxic. The rodent study ultimately showed that it was effective in reducing post-heart attack damage.
“The patch provided nearly optimal mechanical supports after myocardial infarction (i.e. massive death of cardiomyocytes),” said Ning Sun, a cardiology researcher at Fudan University in China and a study co-author. “[It] maintained a better cardiac output and thus greatly reduced the overload of those remaining cardiomyocytes and adverse cardiac remodeling.”
Biochemical markers showed that the patch reduced cell death, scar tissue accumulation and oxidative stress in tissue damaged by heart attack.
More testing is required, the researchers say, but the initial results are promising for eventual use in human clinical trials.
“It remains to be seen if it will work in humans, but it’s very promising,” Gao said. “We don’t see any reason right now that it wouldn’t work.”
The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, was a collaboration between computer modeling and mechanics researchers in Brown University’s School of Engineering, cardiology researchers from Fudan University and material scientists from Soochow University.
“Part of the reason that it’s hard for the heart to recover after a heart attack is that it has to keep pumping,” said Huajian Gao, a professor of engineering at Brown and a co-author on the paper. “The idea here is to provide mechanical support for damaged tissue, which hopefully gives it a chance to heal.”
Prior research had shown that mechanical patches could be effective, the researchers say, but no one had done any research on what the optimum mechanical properties of such a patch might be. As a result, the thickness and stiffness of potential patches varies widely. And getting those properties right is important, Gao says.
“If the material is to hard or stiff, then you could confine the movement of the heart so that it can’t expand to the volume it needs to,” he said. “But if the material is too soft, then it won’t provide enough support. So we needed some mechanical principles to guide us.”
To develop those principles, the researchers developed a computer model of a beating heart, which captured the mechanical dynamics of both the heart itself and the patch when fixed to the heart’s exterior. Yue Liu, a graduate student at Brown who led the modeling work, says the model had two key components.
“One part was to model normal heart function — the expanding and contracting,” Liu said. “Then we applied our patch on the outside to see how it influenced that function, to make sure that the patch doesn’t confine the heart. The second part was to model how the heart remodels after myocardial infarction, so then we could look at how much mechanical support was needed to prevent that process.”
With those properties in hand, the team turned to the biomaterials lab of Lei Yang, a Brown Ph.D. graduate who is now a professor at Soochow University and Hebei University of Technology in China. Yang and his team developed a hydrogel material made from food-sourced starch that could match the properties from the model. The key to the material is that it’s viscoelastic, meaning it combines fluid and solid properties. It has fluid properties up to a certain amount of stress, at which point it solidifies and becomes stiffer. That makes the material ideal for both accommodating the movement of the heart and for provided necessary support, the researchers say.
The material is also cheap (a patch costs less than a penny, the researchers say) and easy to make, and experiments showed that it was nontoxic. The rodent study ultimately showed that it was effective in reducing post-heart attack damage.
“The patch provided nearly optimal mechanical supports after myocardial infarction (i.e. massive death of cardiomyocytes),” said Ning Sun, a cardiology researcher at Fudan University in China and a study co-author. “[It] maintained a better cardiac output and thus greatly reduced the overload of those remaining cardiomyocytes and adverse cardiac remodeling.”
Biochemical markers showed that the patch reduced cell death, scar tissue accumulation and oxidative stress in tissue damaged by heart attack.
More testing is required, the researchers say, but the initial results are promising for eventual use in human clinical trials.
“It remains to be seen if it will work in humans, but it’s very promising,” Gao said. “We don’t see any reason right now that it wouldn’t work.”
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Study finds cancer-fighting gene to prevent birth defects
Study finds cancer-fighting gene to prevent birth defects
ANI
Last Updated at April 10, 2019 17:05 IST
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The study was published in the journal 'Cell Reports.'
The findings explain p53's involvement in a molecular process specific to females called 'X chromosome inactivation'. The new findings helped to clarify why more females are born with neural tube birth defects such as Spina Bifida than males. One of the researchers said that the study showed how p53 influenced the function of genes required for fostering the production of healthy neural tube cells in the female embryo.
"Healthy development is a very precise and precariously balanced process. p53 helps with this balancing act in the female embryo by producing normal levels of Xist RNA, part of an intricate molecular process important for X chromosome inactivation. This, in turn, leads to healthy neural tube development. Simply put, healthy neural tube development in the female embryo requires the help of p53," said the researcher.
Another researcher states that the study confirmed a long-standing theory that females had an additional risk factor for neural tube defects and that a breakdown in the associated X chromosome inactivation process could help to explain why females were more likely than males to have neural tube-related birth defects.
"Females have two copies of the 'X' sex chromosome, while males only have one copy. In order to maintain health in females, one of these X chromosomes must be inactivated in cells early on during development. If this inactivation does not occur efficiently, the neural tube will not form properly. Previous research indicated that p53 plays a role in normal neural tube development, but it had never been shown exactly how this worked until now," opines the researcher.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
New wearable device that collects live cancer cells from blood may help avoid biopsy
New wearable device grabs cancer cells from blood
Mathrubhumi English
Biopsy alternative: 'Wearable' device captures cancer cells from blood ...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190401105317.htm
1 day ago - In animal tests, the cell-grabbing chip in the wearable device trapped 3.5 times as many cancer cells per milliliter of blood as it did running samples collected by blood draw. ... Research shows that most cancer cells can't survive in the bloodstream, but those that do are more likely to start a new tumor.
New wearable device grabs cancer cells from blood
Most cancer cells cannot survive in the bloodstream, but those that do are more likely to start a n...
Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/health/health-news/new-wearable-device-grabs-cancer-cells-from-blood-1.3696237
Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/health/health-news/new-wearable-device-grabs-cancer-cells-from-blood-1.3696237
New wearable device grabs cancer cells from blood
Most cancer cells cannot survive in the bloodstream, but those that do are more likely to start a n...
Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/health/health-news/new-wearable-device-grabs-cancer-cells-from-blood-1.3696237
Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/health/health-news/new-wearable-device-grabs-cancer-cells-from-blood-1.3696237
New wearable device grabs cancer cells from blood
Most cancer cells cannot survive in the bloodstream, but those that do are more likely to start a n...
Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/health/health-news/new-wearable-device-grabs-cancer-cells-from-blood-1.3696237
Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/health/health-news/new-wearable-device-grabs-cancer-cells-from-blood-1.3696237
Biopsy alternative: 'Wearable' device captures cancer cells from blood
- Date:
- April 1, 2019
- Source:
- Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
- Summary:
- A prototype wearable device, tested in animal models, can continuously collect live cancer cells directly from a patient's blood. Developed by a team of engineers and doctors, it could help doctors diagnose and treat cancer more effectively.
- Share:
FULL STORY
A prototype wearable device, tested in
animal models, can continuously collect live cancer cells directly from a
patient's blood.
Developed by a team of engineers and doctors at the University of
Michigan, it could help doctors diagnose and treat cancer more
effectively.
"Nobody wants to have a biopsy. If we could get enough cancer cells from the blood, we could use them to learn about the tumor biology and direct care for the patients. That's the excitement of why we're doing this," says Daniel F. Hayes, M.D., the Stuart B. Padnos Professor of Breast Cancer Research at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and senior author on the paper in Nature Communications.
Tumors can release more than 1,000 cancer cells into the bloodstream in a single minute. Current methods of capturing cancer cells from blood rely on samples from the patient -- usually no more than a tablespoon taken in a single draw. Some blood draws come back with no cancer cells, even in patients with advanced cancer, and a typical sample contains no more than 10 cancer cells.
Over a couple of hours in the hospital, the new device could continuously capture cancer cells directly from the vein, screening much larger volumes of a patient's blood. In animal tests, the cell-grabbing chip in the wearable device trapped 3.5 times as many cancer cells per milliliter of blood as it did running samples collected by blood draw.
"It's the difference between having a security camera that takes a snapshot of a door every five minutes or takes a video. If an intruder enters between the snapshots, you wouldn't know about it," says Sunitha Nagrath, Ph.D., associate professor of chemical engineering at U-M, who led the development of the device.
Research shows that most cancer cells can't survive in the bloodstream, but those that do are more likely to start a new tumor. Typically, it is these satellite tumors, called metastases, that are deadly, rather than the original tumor. This means, cancer cells captured from blood could provide better information for planning treatments than those from a conventional biopsy.
The team tested the device in dogs at the Colorado State University's Flint Animal Cancer Center in collaboration with Douglas Thamm, VMD, a professor of veterinary oncology and director of clinical research there. They injected healthy adult animals with human cancer cells, which are eliminated by the dogs' immune systems over the course of a few hours with no lasting effects.
For the first two hours post-injection, the dogs were given a mild sedative and connected to the device, which screened between 1-2 percent of their blood. At the same time, the dogs had blood drawn every 20 minutes, and the cancer cells in these samples were collected by a chip of the same design.
The device shrinks a machine that is typically the size of an oven down to something that could be worn on the wrist and connected to a vein in the arm. For help with the design, the engineering team turned to Laura Cooling, M.D., a professor of clinical pathology at U-M and associate director of the blood bank, where she manages the full-size systems.
"The most challenging parts were integrating all of the components into a single device and then ensuring that the blood would not clot, that the cells would not clog up the chip, and that the entire device is completely sterile," says Tae Hyun Kim, Ph.D., who earned his doctorate in electrical engineering in the Nagrath Lab and is now a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology.
They developed protocols for mixing the blood with heparin, a drug that prevents clotting, and sterilization methods that killed bacteria without harming the cell-targeting immune markers, or antibodies, on the chip. Kim also packaged some of the smallest medical-grade pumps in a 3D-printed box with the electronics and the cancer-cell-capturing chip.
why not make it 100% trap for cancer cells using same technology?
The chip itself is a new twist on one of the highest-capture-rate devices from Nagrath's lab. It uses the nanomaterial graphene oxide to create dense forests of antibody-tipped molecular chains, enabling it to trap more than 80 percent of the cancer cellswhy not make it 100% using same technology? in whole blood that flows across it. The chip can also be used to grow the captured cancer cells, producing larger samples for further analysis.
In the next steps for the device, the team hopes to increase the blood processing rate. Then, led by Thamm, they will use the optimized system to capture cancer cells from pet dogs that come to the cancer center as patients. Chips targeting proteins on the surfaces of canine breast cancer cells are under development in the Nagrath lab now.
Hayes estimates the device could begin human trials in three to five years. It would be used to help to optimize treatments for human cancers by enabling doctors to see if the cancer cells are making the molecules that serve as targets for many newer cancer drugs.
"This is the epitome of precision medicine, which is so exciting in the field of oncology right now," says Hayes.
"Nobody wants to have a biopsy. If we could get enough cancer cells from the blood, we could use them to learn about the tumor biology and direct care for the patients. That's the excitement of why we're doing this," says Daniel F. Hayes, M.D., the Stuart B. Padnos Professor of Breast Cancer Research at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and senior author on the paper in Nature Communications.
Tumors can release more than 1,000 cancer cells into the bloodstream in a single minute. Current methods of capturing cancer cells from blood rely on samples from the patient -- usually no more than a tablespoon taken in a single draw. Some blood draws come back with no cancer cells, even in patients with advanced cancer, and a typical sample contains no more than 10 cancer cells.
Over a couple of hours in the hospital, the new device could continuously capture cancer cells directly from the vein, screening much larger volumes of a patient's blood. In animal tests, the cell-grabbing chip in the wearable device trapped 3.5 times as many cancer cells per milliliter of blood as it did running samples collected by blood draw.
"It's the difference between having a security camera that takes a snapshot of a door every five minutes or takes a video. If an intruder enters between the snapshots, you wouldn't know about it," says Sunitha Nagrath, Ph.D., associate professor of chemical engineering at U-M, who led the development of the device.
Research shows that most cancer cells can't survive in the bloodstream, but those that do are more likely to start a new tumor. Typically, it is these satellite tumors, called metastases, that are deadly, rather than the original tumor. This means, cancer cells captured from blood could provide better information for planning treatments than those from a conventional biopsy.
The team tested the device in dogs at the Colorado State University's Flint Animal Cancer Center in collaboration with Douglas Thamm, VMD, a professor of veterinary oncology and director of clinical research there. They injected healthy adult animals with human cancer cells, which are eliminated by the dogs' immune systems over the course of a few hours with no lasting effects.
For the first two hours post-injection, the dogs were given a mild sedative and connected to the device, which screened between 1-2 percent of their blood. At the same time, the dogs had blood drawn every 20 minutes, and the cancer cells in these samples were collected by a chip of the same design.
The device shrinks a machine that is typically the size of an oven down to something that could be worn on the wrist and connected to a vein in the arm. For help with the design, the engineering team turned to Laura Cooling, M.D., a professor of clinical pathology at U-M and associate director of the blood bank, where she manages the full-size systems.
"The most challenging parts were integrating all of the components into a single device and then ensuring that the blood would not clot, that the cells would not clog up the chip, and that the entire device is completely sterile," says Tae Hyun Kim, Ph.D., who earned his doctorate in electrical engineering in the Nagrath Lab and is now a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology.
They developed protocols for mixing the blood with heparin, a drug that prevents clotting, and sterilization methods that killed bacteria without harming the cell-targeting immune markers, or antibodies, on the chip. Kim also packaged some of the smallest medical-grade pumps in a 3D-printed box with the electronics and the cancer-cell-capturing chip.
why not make it 100% trap for cancer cells using same technology?
The chip itself is a new twist on one of the highest-capture-rate devices from Nagrath's lab. It uses the nanomaterial graphene oxide to create dense forests of antibody-tipped molecular chains, enabling it to trap more than 80 percent of the cancer cellswhy not make it 100% using same technology? in whole blood that flows across it. The chip can also be used to grow the captured cancer cells, producing larger samples for further analysis.
In the next steps for the device, the team hopes to increase the blood processing rate. Then, led by Thamm, they will use the optimized system to capture cancer cells from pet dogs that come to the cancer center as patients. Chips targeting proteins on the surfaces of canine breast cancer cells are under development in the Nagrath lab now.
Hayes estimates the device could begin human trials in three to five years. It would be used to help to optimize treatments for human cancers by enabling doctors to see if the cancer cells are making the molecules that serve as targets for many newer cancer drugs.
"This is the epitome of precision medicine, which is so exciting in the field of oncology right now," says Hayes.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Materials provided by Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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