Meeting the unmet need for a vaccine is the top priority for researchers studying Lyme disease, which infects about 476,000 people in the U.S. each year and can come with severe complications such as ongoing fatigue and joint issues. Vaccine developers have come close to success, but no human vaccine has yet been commercially viable.

After decades of trial and error, a promising new target is emerging - the Lyme bacterial protein CspZ, which the bacteria use to evade detection from the body's immune system.

A significant discovery has identified a missing "gatekeeper" protein as the root cause of dry mouth in Sjögren's syndrome - a finding that could change the way the disease is treated. Researchers pinpointed tricellulin, a protein that helps seal the junctions between saliva gland cells, as the key factor. When inflammation damages tricellulin, saliva production stops and harmful substances leak through.

Every year, millions of people around the world suffer ischemic strokes that block blood flow to a region of the brain.

Restoring blood flow rapidly is decisive and can save lives. But paradoxically, it can also lead to further damage to the blood vessels in the brain.

Gene therapy, a technique that is revolutionizing the treatment of multiple genetic conditions, including eye and muscle diseases and blood disorders, requires efficient and specific delivery of the genetic material to the tissue and cell type of interest. To help improve gene therapy, a multidisciplinary team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jackson Laboratory and the University of Massachusetts Medical School has generated a comprehensive atlas that researchers can use to select the most effective viral vehicle for their target organ.

A team of scientists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) has identified a promising new drug target for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly blood cancer with a five-year survival rate of just 30%, according to the National Cancer Institute. Their study, published in Cell Stem Cell in February, highlights the crucial role of a protein called paraspeckle component 1 (PSPC1) in the progression of AML.

People with low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in their blood have a lower risk of dementia, including lower risk of Alzheimer's disease related dementia, shows a study published online today in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

Use of statins conveyed an additional protective effect for people with low LDL-C, specifically those with blood levels less than 1.8 mmol/L (<70 mg/dL), reducing their risk of dementia even further.

Researchers develop innovative phospholipids that improve the functional delivery of mRNA via lipid nanoparticles, paving the way for advanced therapeutic applications.

A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at Hokkaido University has unveiled a novel class of zwitterionic phospholipids capable of significantly enhancing the functional delivery of mRNA. The study was published in the Advanced Science.