A team of scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital has developed the first modeling system for testing age-specific human immune responses to vaccines — outside the body. The practical, cost-effective new platform, using all human components, is expected to accelerate and de-risk the development, assessment and selection of vaccines. In a study published in Frontiers in…
‘Druggable’ Cancer Target Found in Pathway Regulating Organ Size
Two Thirds of Required Pediatric Post-marketing Drug Studies Are Missing
The FDA requires clinical studies of new drugs in pediatric populations, since many drugs developed for use in adults are also used in children. These studies are often requested after the drug is approved in adults, as “post-marketing” trials. However, a study from Boston Children’s Hospital finds that only about a third of these mandatory…
From the Ashes of a Failed Pain Drug, a New Therapeutic Path Emerges
In Zebrafish, a Way to Find New Cancer Therapies, Targeting Tumor Modulators
The lab of Leonard Zon, MD, at Boston Children’s Hospital has long been interested in making blood stem cells in quantity for therapeutic purposes. Looking for a way to test for their presence in zebrafish, their go-to research model, they turned to the MYB gene, a marker of blood stem cells. To spot the cells, Joseph…
Therapeutic Fusion Protein Could Mitigate Blood Vessel Damage from Cardiovascular Disease
Scientists from Boston Children’s Hospital Vascular Biology Program have revealed an engineered fusion protein that could recover blood vessel health following the onset of hypertension, atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular diseases. The findings were published today in Science Signaling. On average, each person has 60,000 miles of blood vessels coursing through his or her…
Molecule in Japanese Cypress Tree Leaves Could Pave Way for New Anemia Therapies
Researchers find key molecule that could lead to new therapies for anemia. Researchers find key molecule that could lead to new therapies for anemia and other iron disorders “Without iron, life itself wouldn’t be feasible,” says Barry Paw, MD, PhD. “Iron transport is very important because of the role it plays in oxygen transport in…