What makes the Delta variant of COVID-19 so contagious?
The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has swept the planet, becoming the dominant variant within just a few months. A new study from Boston Children’s Hospital, published in Science, explains why Delta spreads so easily and infects people so quickly. It also suggests a more targeted strategy for developing next-generation COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Last spring, ... Read More
New research NETs a fresh angle for treating severe inflammation
As we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, serious infections sometimes trigger an excessive inflammatory reaction that does as much harm — or more — than the infection itself. New research at Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests a potential way to block this hyperinflammation response by repurposing or modifying an existing drug. ... Read More
Finding new targets for acute myeloid leukemia in children
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the second most common leukemia diagnosed in children. It is hard to treat and can be fatal in some cases. While there have been some recent successes with genetically targeted therapies for adults, AML has different genetic features in children, and care has been slow to advance. “The state of ... Read More
‘Human accelerated regions’: How they make our brains uniquely human
Starting when humans diverged from chimpanzees some 5 to 6 million years ago, we’ve evolved in our uniquely human fashion thanks to changes in our genome. And certain parts of the human genome, known as human accelerated regions or HARs, have evolved especially rapidly. Intriguing new work led by Christopher Walsh, MD, PhD, of Boston ... Read More
Low-carb or low-fat? Study pinpoints better diet
Despite the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, health experts have pushed low-fat diets for the past 50 years, citing saturated fat as the main health risk. As a result, grocery shelves are stocked with low-fat and fat-free foods, many of which are high in processed carbs. Drs. David Ludwig and Cara Ebbeling, who co-direct the New ... Read More
Lead exposure remains a problem for some children
Lead poisoning has been with us since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. But it wasn’t until the late 1970s that strong laws were passed to reduce lead in the environment. And 40+ years later, a large national study still finds evidence of possibly harmful lead exposure in young children, especially those living in low-income ... Read More