https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Chronic sleep disruption doesn't just leave people tired and irritable. It may quietly undermine the gut's ability to repair itself, increasing vulnerability to serious digestive diseases. A new study from the University of California, Irvine, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Agricultural University reveals, step by step, how disturbed sleep causes the brain to send harmful signals to the intestines, ultimately damaging the stem cells responsible for maintaining a healthy gut lining. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-disruption-gut-ability-stress-brain.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:40:03 EST news689602444 Though an estimated 60 million people around the world have atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, a type of irregular and often fast heartbeat, it's been at least 30 years since any new treatments have been developed. This is because researchers haven't had accurate models of the human heart to study. Thanks to new developments from Michigan State University scientists, that is no longer the case. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-scientists-mini-human-heart-organoid.html Sun, 14 Dec 2025 07:33:27 EST news684919956 Over the past few decades, advances in hematology have illuminated how a delicate balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation sustains healthy blood formation. In myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), however, this balance collapses, leading to abnormal blood cell development and a heightened risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-chromatin-accessibility-reveal-stem-cells.html Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:10:01 EST news684763287 New computer modeling could help scientists better understand how the retina regenerates, opening the door to new treatments for vision loss, according to a study from the University of Surrey. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-virtual-retina-vision-loss-treatments.html Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:04:03 EST news683294641 Every second, millions of blood cells are produced in the human body, and about 90% of the cells replaced daily are blood cells. These include red blood cells essential for oxygen transport, platelets for blood clotting, and immune cells that protect us from infections. Because these cells are short-lived, they must be continuously replenished. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-blood-stem-cell-diversification-revealed.html Tue, 11 Nov 2025 13:40:02 EST news682090463 Gray hair is an inevitable hallmark of aging. It's a visual reminder of the passing years and all the bodily changes that accompany it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-gray-hair-cancer-linked.html Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:27:05 EST news681575222 One huge reason why the world of medicine hasn't yet found "the cure" for hard-to-treat malignancies like acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and many other forms of cancer is that the world of science is still striving to fully understand how our bone marrow forms the many types of cells within the stuff we call "blood." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-rethinking-bone-marrow-framework.html Wed, 22 Oct 2025 13:31:05 EDT news680358661 Researchers from A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB) have identified markers of two critical stem cell populations that drive colorectal cancer formation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-scientists-markers-key-stem-cell.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:35:11 EDT news679757707 The body's tissues can get injured in many ways, but while some injuries heal perfectly, others don't heal at all. A cut in the skin, for example, usually heals all on its own, while internal organs, such as the heart after a heart attack or the kidney after an acute injury, remain damaged, leading to diminished function. Most tissues of the body repair themselves using the same processes, but until now, drugs that target these pathways to enhance tissue repair in slow-healing organs have not been identified. That's about to change. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-fda-heart-tissue-regeneration-drug.html Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:07:35 EDT news679309649 A USC Stem Cell-led research team has achieved a major step forward in the effort to build mouse and human synthetic kidneys. In a new paper published in Cell Stem Cell, the scientists describe generating more mature and complex lab-grown kidney structures (organoids) than ever before. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-lab-grown-kidney-maturity-synthetic.html Wed, 17 Sep 2025 11:00:27 EDT news677261221 UCLA scientists have developed the first comprehensive road map showing how the ovarian reserve forms in primates, providing crucial insights into women's health that could revolutionize treatments for infertility and hormonal disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-scientists-primate-ovarian-reserve-key.html Tue, 26 Aug 2025 11:53:05 EDT news675427982 For the first time, a research team at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities demonstrated a process that combines 3D printing, stem cell biology, and lab-grown tissues for spinal cord injury recovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-3d-scaffold-spinal-cord-injury.html Mon, 25 Aug 2025 09:41:04 EDT news675333661 Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, genetic disorders affecting the brain, have no effective treatment and are typically fatal within the first years of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-brain-immune-cells-mice-neurodegeneration.html Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:06 EDT news673592249 Cells with electrophysiological activity obtained at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) are opening up new avenues for the study of neurodegenerative diseases and the development of future autologous transplants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-cells-similar-neurons-human-dental.html Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:09:47 EDT news663250175 Studying the early development of human embryos is challenging due to ethical constraints and technical difficulties. Therefore, animal models are often used to understand the biological processes that govern embryo development before it implants in the uterus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-guinea-pigs-early-embryonic.html Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:39:03 EDT news662989141 Researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center have solved a cellular mystery that may lead to better therapies for colorectal and other types of cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-cancer-intestinal-cells-regenerate-injury.html Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:35:04 EDT news662139302 Glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most aggressive types of brain cancer, is one of the greatest challenges for medicine, both because it is difficult to treat and because of its high mortality rate. In Brazil, although no exact figures are available, it is estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-prion-protein-play-key-role.html Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:51:04 EDT news661441861 Inside the human eye, the retina is made up of several types of cells, including the light-sensing photoreceptors that initiate the cascade of events that lead to vision. Damage to the photoreceptors, either through degenerative disease or injury, leads to permanent vision impairment or blindness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-pig-retinal-cells-advance-eye.html Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:20:13 EDT news661098005 The way in which blood stem cells evolve over a lifespan differs greatly between humans and mice, new research reveals. The findings provide a new understanding of the critical factors that influence tissue aging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-blood-stem-cells-differences-species.html Wed, 05 Mar 2025 14:07:04 EST news660406021 What happens in the brain as we age? Might it be at all possible to rejuvenate nerve cells? Seeking answers to these questions, a research group led by Frank Edenhofer in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Innsbruck has succeeded for the first time in observing mini-brains age. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-miniature-brain-molecular-fountain-youth.html Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:51:04 EST news659033461 University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers identified a protein that could be key to developing new treatments for triple-negative breast cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-treatment-triple-negative-breast-cancer.html Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:41:03 EST news650292061 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is the most common degenerative motor neuron disease in adults. It is characterized by a selective loss of motor neurons, resulting in progressive muscle weakness and paralysis, as well as swallowing and speech difficulties. Patients usually succumb to the disease within 2 to 5 years after diagnosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-potential-therapeutic-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis.html Tue, 10 Sep 2024 09:49:03 EDT news645180541 How old are you, really? Your chronological age is the number of years you have been alive. Your biological age is how old your cells are, which scientists believe may better assess one's age-related health and disease risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-biological-age-blood-saliva-simple.html Thu, 22 Aug 2024 11:00:01 EDT news643535758 Newly published research from Colorado State University answers fundamental questions about cellular connectivity in the brain that could be useful in the development of treatments for neurological diseases like autism, epilepsy or schizophrenia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-neuroscience-leverages-stem-cells-neurons.html Wed, 26 Jun 2024 15:54:37 EDT news638636072 Together with researchers from University of Oxford, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have demonstrated that a subclass of stem cells that are dedicated to the production of platelets replenish those platelets through a distinct and shorter pathway than other stem cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-qa-subclass-stem-cells-replenish.html Mon, 03 Jun 2024 11:03:03 EDT news636631381 Blood stem cells from healthy people carry major chromosomal alterations, suggesting we are all genetic mosaics, according to a new study from EMBL and the Max Delbrück Center. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-genetic-mosaicism-common-thought.html Tue, 28 May 2024 10:58:04 EDT news636112681 Autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) are disorders of the immune system associated in this case with demyelination of the central nervous system (CNS). The term demyelination describes damage to the layer covering nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-myeloid-cell-autoimmune-encephalomyelitis.html Fri, 19 Apr 2024 08:40:01 EDT news632651801 In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that the human body can "remember" the pain of newborn injuries—including life-saving surgeries—all the way into adolescence. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-immune-cells-memory-early-life.html Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:04:08 EDT news632675041 Thanks to advancements in the development of patented synthetic human-like hearts first created at Michigan State, researchers can study human heart development and congenital heart disease on highly accurate models. This is facilitating the development of new therapies and pharmaceutical drugs to treat a variety of heart-related diseases just in time for the observance of American Heart Month in February. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-realistic-synthetic-human-mini-hearts.html Sat, 24 Feb 2024 04:40:01 EST news627564966 What causes us to age? New "clocks" developed by researchers may help point to the answers. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, unveil a new form of epigenetic clock—a machine learning model designed to predict biological age from DNA structure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-epigenetic-clocks-reinvent-age.html Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:21:04 EST news627153661