A team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has discovered that a group of cells located in the skin and other areas of the body, called neural crest stem cells, are the source of reprogrammed neurons found by other researchers. Their findings refute the popular theory in cellular reprogramming that any developed cell can be induced to switch its identity to a completely unrelated cell type through the infusion of transcription factors.

Lower indoor home temperatures are associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. A recent study by Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) reports that upgrading thermal insulation in new homes is more cost-effective than retrofitting insulation to existing homes in Japan. This finding could help guide policymakers in subsidizing housing costs to create warmer homes, thus reducing cold-induced hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Brain disorders like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s Disease start to develop in patients much earlier than when their first clinical symptoms appear. Treating patients at these early stages could slow or even stop their disease, but there is currently no way to diagnose brain disorders at those pre-symptomatic stages. A collaborative team led by David Walt at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital advanced their technology platform for detecting biomarkers of disease in extracellular vesicles with a critical step that gets them closer to that goal. By enzymatically digesting all surface-bound proteins from a purified EV population, they were able to specifically home in on the PD-specific cargo protein ⍺-synuclein inside of EVs while eliminating unspecific “contaminations.”