Squid have long been a key organism for deepening the understanding of how nerves transmit signals. They have been passed over for gene-editing studies, however, as their genes were thought to be intractable. But a group of researchers led by Joshua Rosenthal, a biologist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, has found …
How the FDA Is Accelerating COVID-19 Testing and Treatments
Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many governmental agencies and public health officials around the world have worked tirelessly to protect public health. Joining other federal, state, and local agencies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has played a pivotal role in many aspects of the public health response to the pandemic, including …
Using Video Games for Early Detection of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is diagnosed based on classical motor symptoms, including bradykinesia (slowed movement and loss of spontaneous movement), muscular rigidity, resting tremors and postural instability. In the prodromal phase (an early phase of PD), however, the signs and symptoms shown by patients are often not severe enough for a definitive diagnosis. If physicians can …
Studying Lab-Grown Miniature Organs to Understand COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2 has a certain versatility in invading organs such as the kidneys, lungs, and liver. Physicians treating patients and scientists in research settings are witnessing firsthand how it can devastate those organs. It is unclear, however, whether the damage is due directly to the virus or is indirect damage from complications. The disease processes in …
Advances in Smoking Cessation
Predictive, Diagnostic, and Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers Tobacco products kill more than five million people each year. Up to half of regular tobacco users eventually die of a tobacco-related disease, making tobacco the leading preventable death worldwide. In the U.S., more than $200 billion per year is spent in smoking-related healthcare and other costs, including diminished worker …
Tips for Attending Virtual Conferences
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the way that many people work. Not only have an unprecedented number of employees been tasked with working from home, but the need for social distancing has forced organizers to cancel most in-person conferences and other professional gatherings. Fortunately, virtual conferences are making it possible for industry professionals to …
The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab and COVID-19
How can these ancient arthropods play a vital role in ending a global pandemic? The Atlantic horseshoe crab, or Limulus polyphemus, is one of the oldest living things on the planet. Known as a “living fossil,” the horseshoe crab predates dinosaurs by 200 million years — and has remained largely unchanged for the last 450 …
New Research: Neurofilament-Light Chain Is a Biomarker with High Translational Value
In the field of neurological diseases, there is a need for reliable biomarkers that can improve accuracy of a differential diagnosis and prognostic assessment. Neurofilament-light chain (NF-L) is a widely known clinical biomarker of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among others. When scientists analyze ALS patients’ cerebrospinal fluid …
CLIA Regulations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the ongoing pandemic, all COVID-19-related testing used for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease, or for a health assessment, must adhere to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). Through the CLIA law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulates all human diagnostic laboratory testing in the United States, except research, to ensure high-quality …
Flortaucipir PET Shows Promise in Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis
In the April 27th issue of JAMA Neurology, researchers released new data that suggests 18F-flortaucipir positron emission topography (PET) can help clinicians diagnose late-stage Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The results of the large autopsy validation study revealed that the PET tau tracers can identify the underlying presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) at the B3 level (Braak stages V …
