Problem: Research into gastrointestinal diseases often presents clinicians and researchers with difficulties in terms of collecting samples from patients for analysis. The very nature of the gastrointestinal tract makes it relatively inaccessible for simple, effective sampling. Current processes require the patient to collect samples of stool, have a rectal swab taken or a tissue biopsy during endoscopy. Each of these methods is not without its problems, whether for the patient, the clinician, or the researcher.

New findings could help with future navigational problems associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders.

With the aid of X-ray crystallography, researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed the structures of two closely related enzymes that play essential roles in the body's ability to metabolize excess lipids, including cholesterol.

Emulsifiers, which are added to most processed foods to aid texture and extend shelf life, can alter the gut microbiota composition and localization to induce intestinal inflammation that promotes the development of inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome, new research shows.

With antibiotic resistance on the rise, scientists are looking for innovative ways to combat bacterial infections.

Johns Hopkins computer scientist part of team looking at why people refuse vaccines and how these reasons vary among communities.

According to the public databases, there are currently approximately 1,900 locations  in the human genome that produce microRNAs (miRNAs), the small and powerful non-coding molecules that regulate numerous cellular processes by reducing the abundance of their targets.  New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) this week adds another roughly 3,400 such locations to that list. Many of the miRNA molecules that are produced from these newly discovered locations are tissue-specific and also human-specific. The finding has big implications for research into how miRNAs drive disease.

Study in mice could lead to better treatment and prevention for humans.

A specialist x-ray machine used by Northampton General Hospital for the treatment of skin cancer has been upgraded thank to collaboration with the Open University.

The current outbreak of the plague in Madagascar shines a light on the need for new approaches to treat the ancient pathogen. A new UNC study unexpectedly unravels a long-held theory on how a fleabite leads to infection.

Scientists from UNC-Chapel Hill have created a new way to investigate epigenetic mechanisms important in diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to cancers.

Technique could allow study of viral infections, cell division and photosynthesis in new detail.