BiotechNews1

O riginally published by NYU Langone Health on April 25, 2025 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domai n A rare cell type in the lungs is essential to survival from the COVID-19 virus , a new study shows. Experiments in mice infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus revealed that the immune cell class in question, called nerve and airway-associated interstitial macrophages , or NAMs , may keep the human immune system's initial counterattack on the virus ( lung inflammation ) from spiraling out of control to endanger patients. Macrophages are known to be the first responders to infection , as large immune cells capable of devouring invading viruses and the cells they infect . Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health , the study shifts the focus for treating the disease away from strengthening the immune system attack on the virus and toward better restraint of the immune response , what researchers call " disease tolerance ." Read more  

Originally published by Rice University , at https://medicalxpress.com , on April 15, 2025   Schematic diagram of RibbonFold. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2501321122 A novel artificial intelligence (AI) tool has revealed how disease-linked proteins misfold into harmful structures, a key advance in understanding neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The study , led by Mingchen Chen of the Changping Laboratory and Rice University's Peter Wolynes , i ntroduces RibbonFold , a new computational method capable of predicting the structures of amyloids —long, twisted fibers that accumulate in the brains of patients suffering from neurological decline . The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Read more  

Originally published at cockrell.utexas.edu on April 04, 2025   It's no coincidence that our bodies feel a little creakier as we age. The trillions of cells that make up our skeleton age too, and some change in ways that weaken the very structure of our bones. Scientists and researchers around the globe are investigating a series of mysteries about what happens to our bones over time . In a new study, a team led by The University of Texas at Austin , in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center just made a major break in the case. New research found that osteocytes undergo dramatic structural and functional changes with age that impair their ability to keep our bones strong . Their findings, published in Small and Aging Cell , offer new insights that could pave the way for better treatments for osteoporosis and age-related bone loss.   Aging and stress can induce cellular senescence in osteocytes, resulting in cytoskeletal and mechanical chan...

Originally written by Sahana Sitaraman, PhD ,   at The Sicentist, on March 31, 2025 Current biomarkers of cognitive impairment in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease perform poorly. Now, a stronger predictor emerges.   Using data from more than 3000 people, researchers have described a new and more robust protein biomarker to predict cognitive impairment in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. ©istock,  wildpixel In 1906, a 50-year-old woman in Germany died of a mysterious illness. Before her death, she presented with a combination of symptoms that stumped doctors—progressive memory loss, paranoia, confusion, and aggression. A closer look into her brain post-mortem revealed abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers. This was the first documented case of Alzheimer’s disease , described in detail by Alois Alzheimer, a clinical psychiatrist and neuroanatomist. 1 His characterization of the disease pathology is still used for diagnosis of this neurodegenerative dis...