Ana Rodríguez, Author at Baylor College of Medicine Blog Network

Image of the Month: Locating molecular players in Batten disease

July 2, 2020 Batten disease, childhood disease, CLN6, CLN8, Lysosomal storage disorder, neurodevelopmental disorder, Research

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine discovered how defective protein CLN6 can result in Batten disease.

From The Labs

The single cell and the cluster, what makes one better than the other at cancer metastasis?

June 30, 2020 Breast Cancer, cluster cancer cells, Metastasis, NK cells, Research

Cancer metastasis is all about rogue cancer cells abandoning the original tumor and venturing through the blood in search for new breeding grounds. Sometimes, single

From The Labs

Understanding the cancer risk in children with birth defects

June 25, 2020 ALL, Birth defects, cancer risk, hepatoblastoma, neuroblastoma, pediatric oncology, Research

Understanding the cancer risk in children with birth defects has been a challenge. Although scientific studies suggest that birth defects increase the risk of cancer,

From The Labs

Slow-growing rotavirus mutant reveals early steps of viral assembly

June 23, 2020 lipid droplets, NSP2, phosphomimetics, Research, rotavirus, viroplasm

Rotavirus is responsible for more than 130,000 deaths annually in infants and children younger than five years. The virus causes severe, dehydrating diarrhea as it

From The Labs

Unique sugar-sensing neurons work together to prevent severe hypoglycemia in mice.

June 18, 2020 Diabetes, estrogen receptor, hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, Research, sugar-sensing neurons

Keeping blood sugar in balance can be a challenge, especially for people with type 1 diabetes who rely on intensive insulin therapy to prevent blood

From The Labs

Premature epigenomic aging acts like a ‘sleeper cell’ that is awaken by Western-style diet

June 16, 2020 early aging, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, environmental disruption, epigenome, liver disease, metabolic disease, Research

The epigenome is sometimes referred to as the “software” or “operating system” of the genome. It comprises small chemical modifications to DNA and the proteins

From The Labs

A novel mechanism that triggers a cellular immune response

June 11, 2020 Cancer, cell-mediated immune response, dendritic cells, MHC Class I, MHC Class II, Research, Vaccines, viral infection

Viruses and other disease-causing microbes influence the type of immune response their hosts will develop against them. In some cases, the predominant response involves antibodies,

From The Labs

New clues on how lipid emulsions prevent liver disease in preterm babies

June 4, 2020 liver disease, oil infusions, parenteral nutrition, premature babies, preterm piglets, Research

Infants born prematurely may require parenteral or intravenous nutrition to provide the necessary nourishment, as their digestive system is immature and cannot digest nutrients. However,

From The Labs

Image of the Month: Astrocyte diversity

June 2, 2020 astrocyte diversity, Image of the month, Research

Astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the brain, have surprised researchers with their unanticipated diversity of shapes and functions. This month, From the Labs’s features

Lung cancer, illustrated here as round masses inside the lungs, the second most common cancer in both men and women.

From The Labs

The unexpected effect of an ATM genetic variant in lung cancer

May 28, 2020 Ashkenazi Jewish populations, ATM gene, lung cancer, Research

“There’s something unusual about this ATM genetic variant and how it acts,” said Dr. Chris Amos. “It was really unexpected to see such a strong genetic