Brown adipocytes are specialized cells that can use energy to produce heat. This property makes them attractive tools for the treatment of diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. Until recently, this therapeutic potential was constrained by limited understanding of how brown adipocyte tissue (BAT) develops from precursors.
A team led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital identified a set of cellular signaling cues that lead up to brown adipocyte formation in mice. They then used these cues to develop a protocol...
Physical activity, especially endurance exercise, can improve cognitive function in part by reducing neuroinflammation. Research from HSCI affiliate member Christiane Wrann has shown that the hormone irisin, which is secreted from muscles during exercise, may improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease. Her laboratory was awarded a...
A single-cell analysis of 3D models of the human cerebral cortex suggests they can be used to study important brain processes that have been difficult to investigate
Since their development more than a decade ago, brain organoids — brain-like structures grown in petri dishes from human stem cells — have helped scientists better understand a range of neurological disorders, including schizophrenia, epilepsy...