How long will vaccine protection last? A simple blood test may have the answer. Researchers at Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, have identified a molecular signature in the blood that appears days after vaccination and predicts the durability of the immune response. Published in Nature Immunology in January, this discovery could transform vaccine development, … Read more
Subtle signs of neurodegeneration can be detected in blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and through neuroimaging, up to two decades before motor symptoms in Huntington’s disease (HD) present, new research showed. Investigators believe these early biomarkers could pave the way for novel interventions that could improve outcomes for individuals at risk for HD. Sarah Tabrizi, PhD … Read more
TOPLINE: Dysbiosis of the oral microbiome is associated with various upper gastrointestinal (UGI) disorders and precancerous lesions, with specific microbial signatures varying by disease and oral site, research shows. METHODOLOGY: Emerging evidence suggests that the oral microbiota may contribute to the development of gastrointestinal malignancies, leading to efforts to identify biomarkers for early detection and … Read more
International researchers have uncovered potentially diagnostic gut microbiome signatures and metabolic pathways associated specifically with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Targeted droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR)‒based quantification of bacterial species led to convenient inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnostic assays that “are sufficiently robust, sensitive and cost-effective for clinical application,” the investigators wrote … Read more