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Topics: Medicine

  • Novel open source software for drug combination analysis reveals complex effects of combining clinically used drugs

    ​The effect of combining clinically used drugs for the treatment of colon cancer can vary widely depending on concentrations, ranging from cases where the drugs counteract each other to cases where they reinforce each other. This is the main conclusion from a cell culture analysis in which collected data were analysed using novel open source software developed by Uppsala researchers.

  • Patients’ expectations influence the effectiveness of SSRI antidepressants

    Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed for depression and anxiety but their superiority over placebo has been questioned, generating considerable debate among researchers and clinicians. In a new study, Uppsala University researchers show that the way in which the treatment is described to the patient can be as important as the treatment itself.

  • How molecular scissors cut in the right place

    A research group at Uppsala University has found out how CRISPR-Cas9 - also known as ‘molecular scissors’ - can search the genome for a specific DNA sequence. The new research findings show how Cas9 can be improved to make the molecular scissors faster and more reliable. The study is being published in Science.

  • Genetic effects are influenced by lifestyle

    The risk for developing obesity is influenced by our lifestyle as well as our genes. In a new study from Uppsala University, researchers show that our genetic risk for obesity is not static, but is influenced by our lifestyle. Results from the study have been published in the scientific journal PLOS Genetics.

  • New ultrafast method for determining antibiotic resistance

    Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a new method for very rapidly determining whether infection-causing bacteria are resistant or susceptible to antibiotics. The findings have now been published in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

  • Diabetes patients still produce insulin

    Some insulin is still produced in almost half of the patients that have had type 1 diabetes for more than ten years. The study conducted by researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden has now been published online by the medical journal Diabetes Care.

  • Tea consumption leads to epigenetic changes in women

    Epigenetic changes are chemical modifications that turn our genes off or on. In a new study from Uppsala University, researchers show that tea consumption in women leads to epigenetic changes in genes that are known to interact with cancer and estrogen metabolism. The results are published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

  • Potential new treatment for kidney failure in cancer patients

    Kidney dysfunction is a frequent complication in cancer patients, and is directly linked to poor survival. It is still not clear how presence of a tumour contributes to kidney dysfunction and how this can be prevented. A new study from researchers at Uppsala University shows that kidney dysfunction can be caused by the patient’s own immune system, ‘tricked’ by the tumour to become activated.

  • New tool for prognosis and choice of therapy for rheumatoid arthritis

    In rheumatoid arthritis, antibodies are formed that affect the inflammation in the joints. In an article published today in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, researchers at Uppsala University show that antibodies against the cartilage protein collagen II are associated with a good prognosis.

  • Effects of genes often influenced by network

    When many genes regulate a single trait, they commonly work together in large clusters or ‘networks’. Taking this into account allows better predictions of how an individual’s genetic make-up affects the trait concerned. The risk of perceiving the importance of an individual gene incorrectly is also reduced.

  • Cell of origin affects malignancy and drug sensitivity of brain tumours

    Patients with glioblastoma have very poor prognosis since there are no effective therapies. In a study published in Cell Reports, researchers at Uppsala University have discovered a correlation between the cell type from which the tumour originates and the growth and drug sensitivity of the tumour.

  • New research study creates new opportunities for treating brain diseases

    Immunotherapy has proven to be effective against many serious diseases. But to treat diseases in the brain, the antibodies must first get past the obstacle of the blood-brain barrier. In a new study, a research group at Uppsala University describes their development of a new antibody design that increases brain uptake of antibodies almost 100-fold.

  • Therapy response in brain tumour cells is linked to disease prognosis

    The brain tumour form glioblastoma is difficult to treat and has very poor prognosis. In a new study, published today in the journal Cell Reports, scientists from Uppsala University show that a type of stem cell in the tumour is present in different states, with different response to drugs and radiation. The results may open an avenue towards development of new treatment strategies.

  • Localised immunotherapy new possibility to treat bladder cancer

    Antibody-based immunotherapy is a new promising method to treat cancer. Unfortunately, today’s treatments can result in adverse side effects. New findings from Uppsala University show an alternative way to administer the therapy, which has the same effect on the tumour but less impact other parts of the body.

  • The cell of origin in childhood brain tumours affects susceptibility to therapy

    Children that are diagnosed with the severe the brain tumour malignant glioma often have a very poor prognosis. New findings from Uppsala University show that in mice glioma development and glioma cell properties are affected by both age and the cell type from which the tumour has arisen. The tumour cell of origin was also important for the susceptibility of the tumour cells towards cancer drugs.

  • 3D tumors grown in the lab provide new perspective for cancer drug discovery

    Understanding how cells within tumors respond to drugs is a critical issue in anticancer drug development. In an article published in Cell Chemical Biology researchers from Uppsala University report a new approach to study cancer cells’ reactions to treatments and present how it can be used to find new promising drug combinations.

  • Sleep loss tied to changes of the gut microbiota in humans

    Results from a new clinical study conducted at Uppsala University suggest that curtailing sleep alters the abundance of bacterial gut species that have previously been linked to compromised human metabolic health. The new article is published in the journal Molecular Metabolism.

  • Giving patients a voice in drug development

    The patient perspective is important in all medical research, and particularly in drug development. This month, a public private research initiative called PREFER, is launched to assess when and how patient preferences on benefits and risks should be incorporated in decisions on medicinal products

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