Research Points to Potential New Treatment for Aggressive Prostate Cancer Subtype
In two separate papers, U-M researchers describe how a gene alteration drives prostate cancer and a potential degrader that stops it. When researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center first identified a new subtype of aggressive prostate cancer, they knew they needed to understand how this genetic alteration was driving cancer and how to ...
Researchers Have Determined How Mice Cough, and It Matters for Humans
A team of scientists from the University of Michigan have now mapped the circuit that controls one often-irritating form of exhaling, the cough, using a model organism that was not previously known to exhibit this behavior. Yawns, sighs, regular breath — all these seemingly automated forms of inhaling and exhaling are coordinated by unique neuronal ...
Diet While Breastfeeding Could Be Connected to Baby’s Nutrition
An animal model uncovers an association between critical fats in a breastfeeding individual’s blood, their breastmilk, and the baby’s blood. Breastmilk is widely touted as an important source of nutrition for infants, but there are gaps in understanding how a breastfeeding person’s diet influences the nutrients that get passed on to babies. Now, a recent ...
Creating Supranormal Hearing in Mice
Researchers document the creation of supranormal hearing in mice and investigate the causes of hidden hearing loss in humans. A study from Michigan Medicine’s Kresge Hearing Research Institute was able to produce supranormal hearing in mice, while also supporting a hypothesis on the cause of hidden hearing loss in humans. The researchers had previously used similar methods—increasing ...
New Drug Candidate Blocks Resistance to Cancer Therapies
In mouse models, a first-in-class inhibitor designed to be resilient to adaptive resistance led to tumor regressions and a favorable toxicity profile. A team of researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center has designed a molecule that impairs signaling mediated by two key drivers of cancer therapy resistance. The design and preclinical ...
Diabetes and Weight Loss Drugs Could Be Enhanced, Mouse Study Shows
Drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could be given a boost through a network of proteins in the central nervous system. A network of proteins found in the central nervous system could be harnessed to increase the effectiveness, and reduce the side effects, of diabetes and weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, according to research ...
Studies Uncover the Critical Role of Sleep in the Formation of Memories
Sleep—or a lack thereof—has a dramatic effect on neurons in the hippocampus. Imagine you’re a student, it’s finals week, and you’re preparing for a big exam: do you pull an all-nighter or do you get some rest? As many a groggy-eyed person who’s stared blankly at a test knows, a lack of sleep can make ...
Normothermic Perfusion System Extends Life of Organs Waiting for Transplant
The system could increase the number of hearts considered for transplant. In the United States, about 30-40% of donor hearts aren’t considered for transplant due to inadequate function in the donor. This creates a drop in the number of donated hearts that are available to be matched with someone who needs a heart transplant. A ...
Researchers Create Human Aortic Aneurysm Model to Advance Disease Understanding, Treatment Testing
When implanted into laboratory rats, the model successfully mimicked dilation of the human aorta. Using human cells in laboratory rats, Michigan Medicine researchers have developed a functional model of thoracic aortic aneurysm, creating opportunities for more effective understanding of disease development and treatments for the potentially fatal condition, a study suggests. There are currently no ...
Stem Cells Improve Memory, Reduce Inflammation in Alzheimer’s Mouse Brains
Investigators hope to advance the research to larger animals. When people think of Alzheimer’s Disease and possible treatment, amyloid — and the accumulation of plaques that invade the cerebral cortex — is often brought up first. However, scientists are finding that Alzheimer’s is influenced by many factors, including neuroinflammation and disrupted metabolism. By transplanting human ...
An Updated Rat Reference Provides More Accuracy for Research
The new genome could help researchers using rat models for the study of DNA, RNA, evolution, genes linked to disease risks. The lab rat is a classic icon of medical research, and for good reason: Since the early 1800s, scientists have relied on rats as a powerful model for discoveries related to human health and disease. Specifically, ...
Fiber, Genes and the Gut Microbiome: Study Reveals Possible Triggers for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Complex interplay involving diet could explain why IBD develops. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss — these and the other symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be disruptive and debilitating. And while scientists have figured out that IBD has a genetic component, not everyone with a family history develops the disease. To date, the environmental ...