CRISPR treatment prevents hearing loss in mice A single treatment of a genome editing agent partially preserved hearing in mice with genetic deafness. The work could one day help scientists treat certain forms of genetic hearing loss in humans. Using molecular scissors wrapped in a greasy delivery package, researchers have disrupted a gene variant that…
A simple blood test is allowing researchers to determine which patients should be prescribed varenicline (Chantix) to stop smoking and which patients could do just as well, and avoid side effects, by using a nicotine patch. A simple blood test is allowing Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers to determine which patients should be prescribed…
Honeycomb-like arrays of tiny, lab-grown cancers could one day help doctors zero in on individualized treatments for ovarian cancer, an unpredictable disease that kills more than 14,000 women each year in the United States alone. A team of researchers has devised a process that can grow hundreds of cultured cell masses, called spheroids, from just…
Researchers are developing a new tool for liquid biopsy that can detect RNA biomarkers from cancer cells in a patient’s blood much more accurately and completely than other existing methods. This could soon provide doctors with a more complete picture of an individual’s disease, improving their chances of finding the best treatment, while also sparing…
A new weakness found in medulloblastoma, the most common form of childhood brain tumor, could lead to more personalized medicine and improved treatment for some patients, according to an early study. A new weakness found in medulloblastoma, the most common form of childhood brain tumour, could lead to more personalised medicine and improved treatment for…
What if there was one easy test that could tell you exactly what you should and shouldn’t eat and how often? Introducing nutrigenomics: the perfect diet to end all diets. Is this the diet of the future? Or is it all just too good to be true? After the completion of the Human Genome Project,…
About one third of all medicine binds to the same type of receptor in the human body. An estimated three percent of the population have receptors of this type that are so genetically different that they are predisposed to altered, ineffective or adverse responses to medicine, a new study shows. Every person has a unique…
Deciding which foods to eat and which to avoid is a challenging decision for many individuals. Every year, more and more research is released about the best foods, supplements, and beverages to consume to achieve optimum health. However, many of these studies seem to conflict with one another, which only adds fuel to the confusion.…
Researchers identify a promising avenue for improving treatments for people with cystic fibrosis. They found that adding molecules called quorum-sensing inhibitors to current drugs not only reduces bacterial production of certain harmful residues but also restores the efficacy of existing treatments, such as Orkambi and Kalydeco, on the cells of cystic fibrosis patients. This breakthrough…
It is widely known that genomics has already begun to influence medicine and that bioinformatics holds the key for developing new medical approaches, but how does medical genomics really work? Researchers now bring to light a clear example of how genomics is changing the way we currently know medicine. It is widely known that genomics…
Researchers are assessing clinical and genetic characteristics of a large patient cohort suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain and receiving prescription opioids. With this information, the multidisciplinary team will derive a clinical and genetic profile of prescription opioid-use disorder and use this knowledge to develop an “addiction risk score.” Findings from this study will be key…
Cost analysis shows setting blood sugar targets tailored to patient needs can save more than $13,500 over a lifetime compared with uniform national recommendations. A cost analysis shows treatment plans that set individualized blood sugar goals for diabetes patients, tailored to their age and health history, can save $13,546 in health care costs over their…