A longstanding mystery in Parkinson’s disease research has been why some individuals carrying pathogenic variants that increase their risk of PD go on to develop the disease, while others who also carry such variants do not. The prevailing theory has suggested additional genetic factors may play a role.

To address this question, a new study from Northwestern Medicine used modern technology, called CRISPR interference, to systematically examine every gene in the human genome. The scientists identified a new set of genes that contribute to the risk of Parkinson’s disease, which opens the door to previously untapped drug targets for treating PD.

Researchers at WashU Medicine identified a direct connection between cancer-related inflammation and the loss of motivation characteristic of advanced cancer. In a mouse study, they describe a brain pathway that starts with neurons (labeled in green, above) that sense inflammation signals, and the researchers were able to treat the loss of motivation by blocking this pathway.

Scientists have transformed RNA, a biological molecule present in all living cells, into a biosensor that can detect tiny chemicals relevant to human health.

Research by Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists centers on RNA, a nucleic acid that plays a crucial role in most cellular processes. Their work is expected to have applications in the surveillance of environmental chemicals and, ultimately, the diagnosis of critical diseases including neurological and cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Overdose prevention centers (OPCs) offer life-saving interventions in the event of an overdose along with on-site harm reduction services. While studies of OPCs in other countries have shown that they can reduce overdose deaths without increasing crime, they remain a novel concept in the United States. Before the recent opening of the nation’s first state-sanctioned OPC, researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health surveyed people living and working in the Providence, Rhode Island, neighborhood where it is located, to ask about their perceptions of the center. They found that 74% of survey participants supported an OPC opening in their neighborhood and 81% supported an OPC elsewhere in the city, while 13% expressed neutrality. The results of the survey are published in the Journal of Urban Health.