Injectable hydrogel uses “molecular Velcro” structure to resist body heat

Stanford scientists have developed a new hydrogel with a Velcro-like molecular structure, letting it last longer at body temperature. The hope is that it could be injected into a patient to deliver drugs over weeks or months as it slowly dissolves.

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Injections of drug-loaded sticky nanoparticles could shrink skin cancer

Researchers at Yale University have shown how skin cancer could one day be treated with a simple injection. The team found that they could shrink tumors by injecting them with adhesive nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapy drugs.

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Alzheimer’s scientists uncover “seeding” process of toxic protein tangles

Researchers have shed new light on the murky origins of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, which could eventually lead to new treatments. The team uncovered a mechanism for how toxic tangles of tau proteins leak into healthy brain cells.

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Wirelessly charged brain implant tackles disease with light

Medical implants that help regulate activity in the brain could go a long way to treating conditions like Parkinson's and depression, and scientists have just developed one with some very useful functionality.

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Ring-shaped compounds better equip gold nanoparticles to fight cancer

We have seen how gold nanoparticles can fight cancer in a number of ways, but they aren’t without their problems. Scientists in Japan have found a solution to one of these drawbacks, through the careful addition of a ring-shaped synthetic compound.

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Designer DNA molecule helps hunt down cancer stem cells in blood

Like weeds that grow back if you don’t remove the roots, cancer can keep returning thanks to stem cells. A new “designer” DNA molecule eradicates these cancer stem cells, with tests in mice showing promising early results in preventing relapse.

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Designer protein helps paralyzed mice walk again in breakthrough study

German scientists have restored the ability to walk in mice that had been paralyzed by a complete spinal cord injury. The team created a “designer” signaling protein and injected it into the animals’ brains, stimulating nerve cells to regenerate.

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Eye membrane removal may help transplanted cells reverse glaucoma damage

Glaucoma can cause vision loss that's currently irreversible. But now scientists have found that removing a membrane in the eye could help transplanted cells migrate into the optic nerve and repair the connections, potentially restoring lost vision.

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Externally powered implant designed to treat obesity

When an obese person really needs to lose weight, gastric bypass surgery is sometimes performed – but it's quite an invasive procedure. An experimental new implant, however, may produce similar results with much less fuss.

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Portable X-ray device would let patients check their own bones

Presently, if someone has been involved in a potentially bone-breaking mishap, they have to be X-rayed by trained staff at a hospital. Soon, however, it may be possible for them to perform their own X-rays, using a compact device that could be located just about anywhere.

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