Why Ventilators can be Tough on Preemie Lungs

Many premature infants need mechanical ventilation to breathe. However, prolonged ventilation can lead to problems like respiratory diseases or ventilation-induced injury.Jonas Naumann and Mareike Zink study the physics of mechanical stress from ventilation at Leipzig University, in Leipzig, Germany and discovered some of the mechanisms that explain why premature lungs are especially sensitive to stress.

Artificially grown ‘mini-brains’ without animal components bring opportunities for neuroscience

Researchers at University of Michigan developed a method to produce artificially grown miniature brains — called human brain organoids — free of animal cells that could greatly improve the way neurodegenerative conditions are studied and, eventually, treated. The work offers a solution to overcome Matrigel’s weaknesses.

Researchers Identify Potential Target for Treating Autoimmune Diseases

New research using a mouse model for multiple sclerosis has uncovered a potential new area to explore for possible treatments for autoimmune disorders.

Therapeutic resistance linked to softer tissue environment in breast cancer

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have discovered that aggressive, triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) can evade treatment by reorganizing and softening the collagen matrix that surrounds the cancer cells. The study, which will be published April 2 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), shows that the softer matrix activates a signaling pathway that promotes the cancer cells’ survival, and suggests that targeting this pathway could enhance the effectiveness of chemo- and radiotherapy in TNBC patients.

Agricultural Toxicity, Hepatic Effects of Phenobarbital, and More Featured in October 2020 Toxicological Sciences

Toxicological Sciences features leading research biotransformation, toxicokinetics, and pharmacokinetics; computational toxicology and databases; mixtures toxicology; and more in the October 2020 issue.