Some people naturally have higher levels of proteins that protect them from covid-19. New studies at Umeå University of our immune system may pave the way for more personalised treatments of both covid-19 and autoimmune disorders.
Researchers at Umeå University have revealed details on how bacteria use calcium to regulate vital processes, in a way that differs from human cells. This breakthrough is significant in the fight against antibiotic resistance and for increasing safety in food production.
Researchers at Umeå University and Tartu University have found that a history of repeated antibiotic use causes defects in the normally protective mucus barrier of the gut, due to antibiotic-driven alterations in the microbiota. In a further study in a different collaboration, the researchers found a bacteria-independent mechanism through which antibiotics can damage the mucus barrier directly.
Cells use various methods to break down and recycle worn-out components – autophagy is one of them. In the dissertation she will be defending at Umeå University in Sweden, Karin Håberg shows that the protein SNX18 is required for cells to be able to perform autophagy.
Cannabis-like substances that are produced by the body have both therapeutic and harmful properties, besides their well-known intoxicating effects, and the body’s cannabinoid system may be a target for new strategies in cancer treatment. This is what Sofia Gustafsson finds in the dissertation she will be defending at Umeå University in Sweden.
By giving iron supplements during the first half year of life for babies born with low birth weights, the risk of behavioral problems in preschool years can be reduced by a quarter, writes Staffan Berglund in the dissertation he is defending at Umeå University in Sweden.