Combined therapies increase treatment options for patients with chronic lung diseases

For tens of millions of patients who battle chronic lung diseases, present-day care options are mostly limited to short-term drug and oxygen therapy. Biomedical Engineering’s Interim Department Head and Professor Keith Cook is working on innovative technologies to advance the long-term effectiveness and future use of artificial organs to address this worldwide issue.

Scientists reveal origin of neuronal diversity in hypothalamus

A mechanistic understanding of brain development requires a systematic survey of neural progenitor cell types, their lineage specification and maturation of postmitotic neurons. Cumulative evidences based on single-cell transcriptomic analysis have revealed the heterogeneity of cortical neural progenitors, their temporal patterning and the developmental trajectories of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the developing neocortex. Nevertheless, …

Mice master complex thinking with a remarkable capacity for abstraction

Categorization is the brain’s tool to organize sensory inputs. Grouping information into categories simplifies the complex world and helps people to react quickly and effectively to new experiences. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology have now shown that also mice categorize surprisingly well. The researchers identified neurons encoding learned categories and thereby demonstrated …

First of its kind study links wildfire smoke to skin disease

Wildfire smoke can trigger a host of respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms, ranging from runny nose and cough to a potentially life-threatening heart attack or stroke. A new study suggests that the dangers posed by wildfire smoke may also extend to the largest organ in the human body, and our first line of defense against outside …