Progress toward Personalized Medicine

Microfluidic chip for analysis of single cells

21-Aug-2018 - A few little cells that are different from the rest can have a big effect. For example, individual cancer cells may be resistant to a specific chemotherapy—causing a relapse in a patient who would otherwise be cured. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, scientists have now introduced a ...

Molecule may help tame virulent bacteria and prevent infection

Findings discuss how Staphylococcus can colonize our noses but not cause infection

27-Apr-2018 - According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in three humans carries Staphylococcus aureus, or "staph," in our noses, and 2 percent of us carry the dreaded methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strain that thwarts common antibiotics. So how is it that most of us never get ...

Peptide-based biogenic dental product may cure cavities

16-Apr-2018 - Researchers at the University of Washington have designed a convenient and natural product that uses proteins to rebuild tooth enamel and treat dental cavities. "Remineralization guided by peptides is a healthy alternative to current dental health care," said lead author Mehmet Sarikaya, ...

Unexpected environmental source of methane discovered

17-Jan-2018 - Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are the chief means by which nitrogen gas in the air is changed into a form that plants and animals can use. Roughly 10 percent of these nitrogen-fixing microorganisms contain the genetic code for manufacturing a back-up enzyme, called iron iron-only nitrogenase, to do ...

Brain fights West Nile Virus in unexpected way

19-May-2017 - In a turnabout, a biochemical self-destruct trigger found in many other types of cells appears to guard the lives of brain cells during an infection with West Nile virus. UW Medicine scientists led research showing that this chemical pathway doesn't have to sacrifice brain cells to destroy the ...

Staph uses nitric oxide enzyme to colonize noses

30-Nov-2016 - Staph bacteria colonize nasal passages through a newly discovered function for a primeval biochemical mechanism. The interior of the nose is a prime dwelling place for some forms of staph. More than one-third of the population has a chronic presence of Staphylococcus aureus in their nostrils and ...

3-D printing techniques help surgeons carve new ears

02-Oct-2015 - To treat children with a missing or under-developed ear, experienced surgeons harvest pieces of rib cartilage from the child and carve them into the framework of a new ear. They take only as much of that precious cartilage as they need. That leaves medical residents without an authentic material ...

Insulin's potential to treat dementia outlined in new study

Researchers showed how insulin reaches and acts in the brain to mitigate memory loss

06-Aug-2015 - Researchers at the UW Medicine, Veteran's Administration Puget Sound and Saint Louis University have made a promising discovery that insulin delivered high up in the nasal cavity goes to affected areas of brain with lasting results in improving memory. "Before this study, there was very little ...

Microneedle patch could replace standard tuberculosis skin test

28-Aug-2013 - Each year, millions of people in the United States get a tuberculosis skin test to see if they have the infection that still affects one-third of the world’s population. But the standard diagnostic test is difficult to give, because a hypodermic needle must be inserted at a precise angle and ...

Researchers discover genetic link between immune system, Parkinson's disease

17-Aug-2010 - A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson's disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. "Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease" appears in Nature Genetics. The study was conducted by the NeuroGenetics ...