Therapies that target the utilization of fat by tumors and activate a type of cell death dependent on fat molecules may be a promising avenue to treat cancer, according to new research by UTHealth Houston.

In a highly collaborative, cross-institutional ImPLANT project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Personalized Regenerative Immunocompetent Nanotechnology Tissue (PRINT)  program under a new contract of up to $25M over 5 years, world-leading researchers from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, MIT, University of Colorado Boulder, and Columbia University join their expertise to create the multidisciplinary technological framework for building the first off-the-shelf engineered product that could address liver failure in many of the over 500M patients who suffer from the disease worldwide.

Abdominal fat is not a uniform tissue. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, and Helmholtz Munich reveals that fat located close to the large intestine contains an unusually high number of inflammatory fat cells and immune cells. The findings suggest that this tissue is specially adapted to communicate with the immune system in the gut region. The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

On January 13, pediatric experts from Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) announced published research in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that identifies five classifications of youth who have died by suicide. Using 10 years of national suicide data, Joel Stoddard, MD, MAS, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children’s Colorado, and his team found that nearly half of youth who died by suicide did not have clinical contact or a known risk of suicide. These findings are critical for recommending new and increased suicide interventions for youth.  

Increases to the minimum wage may do more than bolster household income, reduce inequality and enhance worker well-being: They may also help make pregnancies safer, according to new research from Rutgers University.A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that state-level increases in the minimum wage are associated with lower rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States.

MIT researchers found that a protein called intelectin-2 has broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria found in the GI tract. Additionally, intelectin-2 can crosslink molecules that make up mucus, helping to strengthen the mucus barrier.