Biology
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Investigating Neural Networks Through Microfluidics
In our brains, neurons form intricate networks that allow electrical signals to flow in an efficient and directional manner between brain regions, ensuring that information ends up in the right destination. Neuroscientists have struggled to reproduce these intricate, one-way patterns of electrical exchange in traditional cell cultures. Ioanna Sandvig, Axel Sandvig, Nicolai Winter-Hjelm and Katrine Hanssen show how the directional flow of information can be successfully mimicked using ‘microfluidic platforms’ developed at NTNU NanoLab, which feature microscopic networks of channels and chambers.
Professor Michael Shapira | Investigating the Role of Gut Microbes in Aging and Disease Using Tiny Worms
Our gut microbiome plays critical roles in health and disease. While our health typically deteriorates with age, the microbiome’s role in this process is not understood. Microbiome imbalances can develop with age, contributing to health issues. Research shows that taking microbes from young mice and placing them in the gut of old mice can reduce their aging markers and improve health. However, it has been difficult to pinpoint specific changes in younger or older microbiomes that could be used as therapeutic targets. Part of the difficulty lies in the variability in humans’ microbiomes, making it challenging to find trends.
Dr Juan José Martínez-García | Unlocking the Secrets of Sepsis: How Early Immune Responses Hold the Key to Survival
Inflammation is a coordinated response to bacterial and viral infections, involving the activation of white blood cells through receptors on their cell membranes. Normally, this process is highly regulated. However, if an imbalance occurs, complications can arise, such as sepsis, which is an excessive inflammatory response promoted by infections. During sepsis, an intense immune response is triggered, and a cascade of inflammatory molecules are released.
Dr. Jennifer Wilson | A New Approach for Identifying Drug Interactions
Understanding how different drugs can interact with one another is vital for patient wellbeing. While some drug combinations can cause worsening symptoms or dangerous complications, others may alleviate symptoms and help the patient to recover more quickly. Therefore, knowing which drug combinations to pursue and which to avoid is critical. In many cases, the effects of drug combinations arise because two drugs bind to the same target protein, particularly if they share similar properties. However, this is not the case for all drug interactions.
Dr Yong Cheng | New Insights into How Blood Cells are Produced
During the production of new blood cells, stem cells first develop into progenitor cells. These progenitor cells undergo further rounds of differentiation to produce different types of blood cells. Each type of blood cell has a different function. For example, red blood cells transport oxygen around the blood, whereas various types of white blood cells play different roles in fighting infection. However, overactive white blood cells also play a role in auto-immune conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. As such, scientists are trying to better understand how blood cells develop, to find new ways of treating these conditions.
Professor Margie Lee | Combating Salmonella Infection by Exploring Microbial Competition in Chicken Guts
In the intricate dance of life, organisms vie for dominance, whether in vast forests or within the microcosm of your gut. The gut microbiome consists of a diversity of fungi, bacteria, and other microbes, continuously collaborating or competing in order to thrive. Competitive exclusion is the principle governing these interactions, whereby organisms may compete directly for space or nutrients, harm one another to gain an advantage, suppress each other’s growth, or even cooperate to suppress a shared rival. Professor Margie Lee of Virginia Tech and her colleagues delve into this microbial battleground, exploring how competitive exclusion mechanisms combat Salmonella bacteria in poultry intestines.
Professor John Maurer | Can Poultry Litter Spread Antibiotic Resistance?
Poultry manure is not in short supply, with 20 million tons produced in the US annually. Typically, poultry are housed on bedding, such as wood shavings, and the resulting poultry litter is a prized organic fertilizer. However, poultry litter may also have a darker side, in the form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These superbugs can cause dangerous infections that are difficult to treat. Alarmingly, some superbugs can also pass on genes that confer antibiotic resistance to other bacteria in their environment. This phenomenon begs the question: “Can poultry litter spread antibiotic resistance throughout the environment?”
Dr Yong Cheng | New Insights into How Blood Cells are Produced
During the production of new blood cells, stem cells first develop into progenitor cells. These progenitor cells undergo further rounds of differentiation to produce different types of blood cells. Each type of blood cell has a different function. For example, red blood cells transport oxygen around the blood, whereas various types of white blood cells play different roles in fighting infection. However, overactive white blood cells also play a role in auto-immune conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. As such, scientists are trying to better understand how blood cells develop, to find new ways of treating these conditions.
Dr Martin Haesemeyer | A Deep-learning Framework that Links Brain Activity with Behavior
Neuroscientists have been trying to uncover the relationships between brain activity and behavior for decades. Identifying these links could shed new light on the functions of different brain regions, while also highlighting possible therapeutic targets for psychological disorders. In recent years, researchers have gathered a vast amount of brain activity recordings alongside data describing the behavior of animals or humans while these recordings were collected. Recent advances in deep-learning algorithms have now opened new possibilities for analyzing this wide pool of data.
Dr Mariëlle Stel – Janina Eggers – Dr Wladimir Alonso | Promoting a Plant-based Transition to Reduce Zoonotic Diseases
Zoonotic diseases are infections that are transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa. For example, COVID-19 has been designated as a zoonotic disease. In fact, three-quarters of all new infectious human diseases originate in animals, making zoonotic diseases a major threat to public health. The rapid rise in intensive farming over the past 50 years has significantly increased the risk of zoonosis. For instance, the world’s chicken population has almost tripled since 1990, with most of these birds being farmed indoors in crowded conditions. Not only are these conditions stressful for the animals, but poultry farming is responsible for hundreds of human deaths caused by bird flu.
Professor Amy MacNeill | Combining a Virus and Immunotherapy to Treat Cancer in Dogs
Soft-tissue sarcomas are a common type of tumor found in dogs, which can arise in connective, muscle, or nervous tissues. These soft-tissue cancers typically require surgical removal, but often grow back if some cancer cells remain. Using a therapeutic virus could help to reduce the possibility of the tumor regrowing. However, no such viruses are available to treat dogs, and canine cancer cells can generate specific biomolecules, such as interferons, that inhibit viral replication. One option may be to co-treat the dogs with a drug that inhibits the action of interferons while administering the virus, to maximize the chances of success.
Dr Mats Ljungman | KLIPP: Targeting Cancer with CRISPR
Cancer treatments are designed to kill cells within a tumor, but they often affect healthy tissues, leading to serious side-effects. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new approaches that specifically aim for targets that are unique for tumor cells. A common and early event in carcinogenesis is the formation of chromosomal structural variants. These rearrangements are unique for each tumor and contribute to the growth of the tumor. Structural variants in cancer cells create unique junctions of DNA sequences, which are typically located far apart in normal cells. Thus, these junctions represent a promising new target for precision cancer treatment.
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