Researchers at NTNU have managed to show exactly how the tuberculosis bacterium kills its host cell by filming the process in detail for the first time. Every year, 1.5 million people die of TB. Watch the clips below.
Nearly 40 million people were living with HIV in 2017, the UN says, with just over half taking antiretroviral therapy. These drugs have cut AIDS-related deaths by more than half since the 2004 peak, but the disease cannot be cured. A new mechanism uncovered by a Norwegian research group could improve the chances of developing one.
Cholesterol crystals form from “bad” cholesterol and are found in plaques that line blood vessels. When these plaques rupture, they can cause heart attacks or strokes. New research suggests that cholesterol crystals in plaques can actually trigger strokes and heart attacks.
A solid tumour can cause muscle cells in the body to self-destruct. Many cancer patients die from the consequences. Now researchers are discovering more about how cancer cells in a tumour can take control of muscle cell wasting and trigger a chronic, serious condition.
Our immune systems are working overtime this time of year. Knowing that a bunch of dedicated immune cells are willing to explode themselves to inform other cells about the danger may offer a bit of consolation.
The tuberculosis vaccine only works for children. BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin) doesn’t protect you as an adult. Now we know more about how the bacterium avoids being detected.
The plague that is believed to have caused the Black Death still occasionally ravages populations, albeit to a much smaller extent than before. Now we know more about how the bacteria attack us.
An enzyme found in many bacteria, including the bacterium that gives us strep throat, has given mankind a cheap and effective tool with which to edit our own genes. This technology, called CRISPR, is also being used to understand how the immune system responds to a viral attack.
Preeclampsia doesn’t usually cause complications, but sometimes things go wrong. That’s why research in this field is so important.
An American mother’s hunch might result in new treatments for patients who can’t tolerate conventional cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Cholesterol is far better than its bad reputation. Good HDL cholesterol can actually limit atherosclerosis.
Some bacteria and viruses take advantage of the way our immune system works to infect us. NTNU researchers are uncovering the mechanisms by which this trickery takes place.
