Asst. Prof. Huanhuan Joyce Chen of Pritzker Molecular Engineering led a new study showing that the type of macrophages present in a person’s body might determine how likely they are to develop severe inflammation in response to COVID-19. Credit: Photo by John Zich
As people age, their immune systems naturally begin to decline. This aging of the immune system, called immunosenescence, may be an important part of such age-related health problems as cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as older people less effective response to vaccines. But not all immune systems age at the same rate. In our … Read more
Organ transplants can quite literally save lives, but they also come with strings attached – often including a lifetime of immunosuppression drug treatments required to keep the immune system in check, lest it reject the transplanted organ as a foreign invader. Now scientists are reporting on three successful kidney organ transplants, carried out in children … Read more
University of Chicago scientists invented an entirely new way to make a solar cell: by etching holes in the top layer to make it porous. Above, a microscope image of a silicon membrane after the etching process. Credit: Image courtesy of the Tian lab Invented by[{” attribute=””>University of Chicago scientists, a new kind of solar … Read more
A research team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology has developed ‘nanomachines,’ which use mechanical molecular movements to penetrate and destroy cells. Selective cancer cell penetration is also possible by using a latch molecule released near cancer cells. Researchers have created ‘nanomachines’ that use mechanical molecular motions to enter and destroy cells. Cancer … Read more
Valproic acid – a drug commonly used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder – can cause birth defects and developmental disorders if taken during pregnancy, but the reason why has long been a mystery. Now, in a study using mice and human tissue, scientists discovered that the medication locks some embryonic cells into a suspended … Read more
From Talos, the giant bronze automaton who guarded the princess Europa in ancient Greek myths, to Cylons and Terminators, the idea of artificial humans has both fascinated and creeped us out for centuries. Now, we’re closer than ever to making a robot look remarkably like a human, with the development of living robot skin. This … Read more
Credit: the Tian lab. Holes help make sponges and English muffins useful (and, in the case of the latter, delicious). Without holes, they would not be flexible enough to bend into small crevices, or to sop up the perfect amount of jam and butter. In a new study, University of Chicago scientists find that holes … Read more
A new study has revealed that the protein gasdermin A induces pyroptosis – a type of cell death – in the skin, the body’s largest organ. A trigger for ‘cell suicide’ might lead to new skin infection therapies Every second, one million cells in your body die. That means 2.6 pounds of cells die in … Read more
For people with obesity, bariatric surgery is by far the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off, albeit also the most invasive. While diets have been shown scientifically to not work long-term for the vast majority of people, making the stomach much smaller through surgical means is incredibly effective – one study … Read more