Advancing Medical Research
Foundations of Science
Setting the Stage for a Fight: Enlisting T-cells to Combat Multiple Myeloma
By Breakthroughs Staff
Feb 17, 2021Caption: T-cells (orange) can be redirected to engage and destroy cancer cells (blue) through the use of bispecific antibody technology, which enables a bridge to be formed between surface proteins overexpressed on tumor cells and T cells. (Getty/ illustration)
In our immune system, subsets of T-cells exist that are “professional killers”. They’re constantly patrolling the body to eliminate problem…
How a Novel ‘Incubation Sandbox’ Helped Speed Up Data Analysis in Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Trial
By Breakthroughs Staff
Dec 23, 2020As Pfizer scientists raced to develop their COVID-19 vaccine at record-breaking speed these past few months, they turned to an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help achieve this mission.
Normally, when a clinical trial or trial phase ends, it can take more than 30 days for the patient data to be “cleaned up,” so scientists can then analyze the results. This process involves data scientists…
Seizing upon a ‘Special Sauce’ of Drug Development to Fight Cancer in the Brain
By Breakthroughs Staff
Dec 22, 2020In recent years, targeted therapies are among a revolution of new cancer treatments that have helped patients live longer than ever before. But with this success comes new challenges.
Namely, many available cancer therapies can’t effectively treat cancer that has spread to the brain, as they have difficulty crossing over the blood-brain barrier— a tightly packed layer of cells that prevents toxins and other…
How Do Viruses Mutate and What it Means for a Vaccine?
By Breakthroughs Staff
Dec 17, 2020As SARS-CoV-2 spreads around the globe, it is mutating, in other words it is acquiring genetic changes.
While the idea of “viral mutation” may sound concerning, it’s important to understand that many of these mutations are minor, and don’t have an overall impact on how fast a virus spreads or potentially how severe a viral infection might be. In fact, some mutations could make the virus less infectious.…
A Life-Saving Education: The Body’s Response to a Vaccine
By Breakthroughs Staff
Dec 15, 2020Despite the complex technology and global scientific expertise that go into building a safe and effective vaccine, when it comes down to it, vaccination is a simple concept.
Vaccination trains the immune system to recognize a pathogen and to be prepared to help fight it if it encounters this enemy in the future. It’s like a boot camp to learn to fight an infectious disease.
As the world awaits a…
Understanding Long-Haul COVID-19
By Breakthroughs Staff
Dec 14, 2020Valentine’s Day broke Jen Singer’s heart.
On February 14, 2020, Jen, a 53-year-old writer from New Jersey, took a train from Newark to Boston to watch her college-age son run track. At the time, she didn’t think much about the fact that a person behind her coughed throughout the entire ride.
COVID-19 had been identified a few months earlier in Wuhan, China, but the novel coronavirus wasn’t yet seen…
The 14-Day Quarantine: Understanding the Coronavirus Incubation Period
BY BREAKTHROUGHS STAFF
Jun 18, 2020Sweet Science: How Insights into Fructose Metabolism Are Helping to Fight Liver Disease
BY BREAKTHROUGHS STAFF
Jun 01, 2020If you check the labels on your favorite jarred marinara sauce, low-calorie salad dressing, or loaf of bread, you may be surprised to find that they contain added simple sugars — one of the most popular forms of which is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sweetener used in many processed foods.
Over the past four decades, sugar has steadily crept into American diets — a trend that can be largely attributed…
Joining Forces to Share Data to Fight COVID-19
BY BREAKTHROUGHS STAFF
May 08, 2020In the battle against COVID-19, big data has been critical to nearly every aspect of the global response: from tracking the spread of the virus and understanding the course of the disease to coordinating supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators in hospitals.