Science Market Update

After undergoing cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, many people experience a lapse in memory, known as chemo brain. Along with memory problems, chemo brain can also include having trouble concentrating, taking more time to finish simple tasks, and having trouble multi-tasking. The cause of chemo brain is currently unknown, but researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth) have recently discovered a possible cause of chemo brain.  (Image on right courtesy of Wikimedia).

There are many times when putting tarantula toxin into human cells seems like a very bad idea. At the University of California, Davis, however, it is a breakthrough idea that allows for closer examination of the electrical activity in cells, especially neurons. This opens up the field of brain study and also lends insights into conditions like muscle defects, cardiac arrhythmias, and epilepsy.

Fragile X syndrome is a neurodegenerative, genetic disease that causes intellectual, behavioral, and learning challenges. According to the CDC, it is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability and even though it affects both men and women, it occurs more commonly and more severely in men. There are many other diseases associated with Fragile X, such as autism and epilepsy. Currently, there are no cures for the syndrome, but there are treatments that can help people suffering from the disorder learn some important skills. Emory University researchers have recently received a $9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue their study of Fragile X syndrome and its associated disorders.

Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, occurs when white blood cells begin behaving abnormally, and do not properly protect the body from infections and diseases. There are two main types of lymphoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and although between 30 and 60 percent of patients with lymphoma can be cured through different treatment methods like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, there are still problems with lymphoma being resistant to some drugs used. The National Cancer Institute, part of the NIH, recently awarded the University of Arizona Tucson a 5-year, $1.59 million life science grant to study methods of combating drug resistance in lymphoma treatments.

Tuberculosis (TB) affects people all over the world, although over 95 percent of the cases are in developing countries. TB is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that affects the lungs, which can stay in the body for many months before any symptoms are seen, leading to the transmission of the disease between people. Unlike many other universal diseases, though, tuberculosis is curable if caught in time and preventable. Even with known cures for TB, scientists are still studying the structure of the Mtb protein to find ways of using it to design future drugs. 

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer, and like many other cancers, its causes are still unknown. Since it is generally very malignant, researchers know that glioblastoma cells frequently reproduce to keep the tumor alive and help it grow, and the location of glioblastoma in the brain provides the cells with ample blood supply. Through their study of glioblastomas, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center recently discovered that the gene KLHL9 is a leading factor in the cause of glioblastomas. 

Life science research has brought us the realization that one does not simply “age.” In the eyes of biotechnology researchers, the aging of the human body is a complicated, multifaceted process made up of several subprocesses. Some of these subprocesses can be delayed, stopped and even reversed. We saw one such example last month with a UCLA study on cell autophagy. Today, researchers from Ohio State University bring us another aspect of aging and show that it is reversible.

The National Institute of Health recently awarded the University of Texas Austin School of Nursing a $2.4 million grant to establish a new research center that will largely focus on treating individual, family, and community chronic health conditions. As one of two institutions in the U.S. to receive this award, UT Austin will be a national model to future research centers of this type. 

Osteoporosis affects a large portion of the population in the United States. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), over 52 million people currently have osteoporosis or are at the risk of getting it in the future. With such a high amount of people affected, many treatments have been used on patients suffering from bone loss. However, the current treatments for this disease have been linked with an increased risk of getting infections and certain types of cancers later on. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have recently discovered a way to create treatments for osteoporosis that lower the risk of aftereffects.

Glycans, also known as complex carbohydrates, are essential macromolecules involved in nearly all phsyiological and pathological processes. They cover every living cell in the human body and perform a wide variety of tasks including cellular communication, growth, the spread of many diseases, and are necessary for the organisim's survival. However, there are still many glycans with unknown functions due to a lack of research. With the help of a recently awarded grant from the National Institutes of Health to the University of Georgia Athens, there will soon be more research into the roles of complex carbohydrates.