Tag Health & medicine
In quest for less risky drugs, scientists listen to neurons
Since the 1950s, doctors have been ordering medications such as Ritalin to ease symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and prescriptions now number in the millions. Still, though highly effective, so-called “psychostimulant” drugs are not without risks, leaving many seeking safer alternatives, especially for children.
Ultrathin films deliver DNA as possible gene therapy tool
Gene therapy - the idea of using genetic instructions rather than drugs to treat disease - has tickled scientists' imaginations for decades, but is not yet a viable therapeutic method. One sizeable hurdle is getting the right genes into the right place at the right time.
Breaching a gateway to the cell, drug discovery
With support from the Discovery Seed Grant Program, Wisconsin scientists are poised to bring a novel approach to finding new medicines by deploying the atomic force microscope — the foremost tool of the nanotechnologist — to screen agents as they dock with critical cell receptors.
Nanoscale packaging could aid delivery of cancer-fighting drugs
A University of Wisconsin–Madison pharmacy professor aims to improve the delivery of cancer-fighting drugs by targeting them more selectively to tumors and boosting their solubility in water.
Fragile X protein may play role in Alzheimer’s disease
A brain afflicted by severe Alzheimer's disease is a sad sight, a wreck of tangled neural connections and organic rubble as the lingering evidence of a fierce internal battle. A new study has now uncovered an unexpected link between this devastating neural degeneration and a protein whose absence causes a different neurological disease - the inherited mental retardation disorder called fragile X syndrome.
Dieting meets DNA: Nutrition gets personal in new studies
Ushering nutritional science into the biotech age, UW–Madison researchers are exploring the complex interactions between food and genes to uncover new modes of disease prevention, drug development and, eventually, personalized diet advice tailored to one’s DNA.
Illuminating Alzheimer’s: Research sheds light on creatine’s presence in brain
A team of Canadian and American scientists working at the UW–Madison Synchrotron Radiation Center reports the first-ever finding of elevated levels of creatine — the newly discovered agent of Alzheimer's disease - in brain tissue.
Protective protein may hold key to halting progression of neurological diseases
Patients who suffer from neurological diseases such as Huntington's disease, Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease have dramatically different symptoms. An Alzheimer's patient, for instance, will lose memory and cognitive function, while an ALS sufferer will gradually lose motor control.
Discovery may halt progression of Alzheimer’s
In a finding that may cause a dramatic shift in the way scientists and researchers search for a therapy for Alzheimer's disease, a team of researchers led by Jeff Johnson, an associate professor at the School of Pharmacy, has discovered that increased expression of a protein called transthyretin in the brain appears to halt the progression of the disease. The findings appear in the current issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
ES cell model could provide clues to causes, cures for diabetes
By studying embryonic stem cells from a mouse, researchers at UW–Madison have identified a potential model system for elucidating the stages of normal pancreatic development, as well as for developing a much-needed source of insulin-producing cells for the millions of people who need them to treat their diabetes.
Obesity, smoking and inactivity top health concerns
In a recent informal poll of UW Health primary care experts, obesity, smoking and inactivity were ranked the health problems most patients need to take seriously. Depression, diabetes and hypertension were not far behind. The good news: tackling even one of these problems will likely improve your health in several areas.
Subtract a gene and feasting mice add no fat
Scientists have created an animal that can eat a rich, high-fat diet without adding weight or risking the complications of diabetes
New Alzheimer’s study to focus on children
As the number of new Alzheimer's cases balloons to a projected 14 million by 2050, the Medical School is establishing the nation's first comprehensive research study of children of people with Alzheimer's disease.
Disarming Alzheimer’s Toxic Proteins
A new study of the proteins that may be responsible for the brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease promises a new understanding of its underlying cause, and may someday yield new treatments for the devastating and deadly disease.