Mystery of microgels solved

The results open up opportunities for new applications in materials and pharmaceutical research

12-Jul-2023 - Researchers at PSI and the University of Barcelona have managed to explain the strange behaviour of microgels. Their measurements using neutron beams have pushed this measuring technique to its limits. The results open up opportunities for new applications in materials and pharmaceutical ...

New method for the detection of RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2

An effective and faster methodology than the PCR test

01-Mar-2023 - Experts from the University of Barcelona, the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) and the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute of Aragon (INMA) —a joint institute of the CSIC and the University of Zaragoza— ...

Researchers identify a molecular mechanism associated with juvenile Parkinson’s

11-Nov-2022 - Parkinson’s disease affects 3% of population over 65 years old, and the average age of onset is 60. Regarding juvenile Parkinson, which represents the of all Parkison’s cases, the disease begins before 40 years old. Now, a group of researchers of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the ...

New therapeutic target against the most common lung cancer

A unique collection of patient-derived fibroblasts in Spain

14-Sep-2022 - The TIMP-1 protein levels in both tissues and blood have been repeatedly associated with a poor prognosis in lung cancers, but its role in this cancer process was, to date, unknown. Now, a study led by Jordi Alcaraz, lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of ...

Consumption of extra virgin olive oil during pregnancy increases the level of antioxidants in breast milk and in offspring

13-Jul-2022 - The consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) —a product with widely known benefits for our health— increases the level of phenolic compounds in breast milk and can cross the placental barrier, reaching the descendant. This has been stated in a study carried out by a team of the Faculty of ...

A polyphenol-rich diet prevents inflammation in older people

Polyphenols and healthy ageing

10-Jun-2022 - Polyphenols in the foods that we eat can prevent inflammation in older people, since they alter the intestinal microbiota and induce the production of the indole 3-propionic acid (IPA), a metabolite derived from the degradation of tryptophan due to intestinal bacteria. This is stated in a study ...

Findings on how gen YWHAZ can alter neuronal development

Innovative techniques for studying the genetics of autism

13-May-2022 - An article published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry reveals the molecular mechanisms to explain how the YWHAZ gene –related to psychiatric and neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia– can alter the neurodevelopmental process. The study, which uses a zebrafish as animal model, ...

Researchers identify neuronal mechanisms that control food cravings during pregnancy

Dopamine and compulsive eating behaviour

06-Apr-2022 - Many people have felt the sudden and uncontrollable urge to eat a certain food. These urges —known as cravings— are very common, mostly during pregnancy. At this stage, the mother’s body undergoes a series of physiological and behavioural changes to create a favourable environment for the ...

Study reveals decisive role of PDK1 enzyme in acute myeloid leukaemia

PDK1: a determining factor in different metabolic states

01-Apr-2022 - Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) remains harder to treat therapeutically due to the high existing genetic heterogeneity not only between patients but also between the population of subclones of cancer cells within the same person. Despite the knowledge advances, understanding the metabolic ...

New advances in the protein folding process thermodynamics

Optical tweezers to unravel the complexity of living matter

25-Mar-2022 - In biophysics, the kinetic states of molecules play a determining role in the metabolic and physiological processes in which they take part. Now, a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) specifies for the first time the levels of energy, the entropy and the ...