Autophagy News and Research

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Autophagy is a normal process in which a cell destroys proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm (the fluid inside the cell membrane but outside the nucleus), which may lead to cell death. Autophagy may prevent normal cells from developing into cancer cells, but it may also protect cancer cells by destroying anticancer drugs or substances taken up by them.

Study reveals effective strategy to extend the benefit of immunotherapy for prostate cancer

It's a scientific riddle tangled up in a complex web. How do you turn an immune cold cancer into one that responds to immunotherapy?

2 Aug 2021

Mount Sinai researchers use cerebral organoids to study frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementias are a group of fatal and debilitating brain disorders for which there are no cures.

26 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 proteins manipulate autophagy

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has claimed more than 4.1 million lives worldwide. This pandemic is caused by a novel single-stranded RNA virus, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first reported in 2019 in Wuhan, China. The rapid spread of this virus is attributed to its high infectiousness and its ability to escape and counteract host immune responses, e.g., autophagy.

22 Jul 2021

Autophagy disruption may be at the root of early cognitive changes in Huntington’s disease

Huntington's Disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms, and motor symptoms are often preceded by cognitive changes.

15 Jul 2021

Is niclosamide a potential SARS-CoV-2 antiviral inhibitor?

Niclosamide is an antihelminthic drug, historically used to treat tapeworm infestations, though has been investigated and repurposed for use against SARS-CoV-2. In a new study recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Garrett et al. (July 12, 2021), the drug demonstrates the ability to reorganize the lipid profile of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells, thereby limiting virus replication.

14 Jul 2021

Ion channel conserved in coronaviruses a potential new drug target for COVID therapeutics

To this end, a recent study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology discusses the structures of the SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).

30 Jun 2021

New 3Cs multiplex technique based on CRISPR-Cas technology helps study cancer mutations

Cancer and many other diseases are based on genetic defects. The body can often compensate for the defect of one gene; it is only the combination of several genetic errors that leads to the clinical picture.

25 Jun 2021

Researchers identify four substances that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in cells

Researchers from the German Center for Infection Research at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of Bonn have examined the way in which SARS-CoV-2 reprograms the metabolism of the host cell in order to gain an overall advantage.

21 Jun 2021

New mouse model mimics human pathology of childhood restrictive cardiomyopathy

Severe childhood restrictive cardiomyopathy is a condition that causes the muscles in the walls of the heart to become stiff, so that the heart is unable to fill properly with blood.

17 Jun 2021

Rapamycin targets gut cells to alter the way DNA is stored

Our genetic material is stored in our cells in a specific way to make the meter-long DNA molecule fit into the tiny cell nucleus of each body cell.

10 Jun 2021

Researchers review the therapeutic potential of resveratrol nasal formulations in COVID-19

In a recently published article in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, scientists have reviewed the existing literature on antiviral and anti-inflammatory efficacy of resveratrol-based inhaled formulations in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and reducing COVID-19 severity.

9 Jun 2021

Researchers clarify cellular processes related to radiation resistance of pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancer subtypes not just because it is difficult to diagnose early, but because it is inherently resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

8 Jun 2021

Researchers uncover molecular mechanism linking Parkinson’s disease with COVID-19

The study findings reveal that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection results in abnormal modification of some lung proteins, which are subsequently transported to the brain via exosomes. In the brain, these modified lung proteins disrupt the normal functioning of proteins that are related to Parkinson’s disease.

7 Jun 2021

Study explores therapeutic potential of exploiting autophagy cascade against COVID-19

Researchers recently reviewed current knowledge on links between autophagy and coronaviruses and how this knowledge can be used to repurpose autophagy modulators as potential treatment options for COVID-19. The review is published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers identify new approach to clear toxic Huntingtin protein

Researchers world-wide are focused on clearing the toxic mutant Huntingtin protein that leads to neuronal cell death and systemic dysfunction in Huntington's disease (HD), a devastating, incurable, progressive neurodegenerative genetic disorder.

2 Jun 2021

Phosphatidic acid is a key common substrate for hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2 replication

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, focuses on the lipid molecule called phosphatidic acid (PA), showing its crucial role in the replication of this virus, and thus its potential as a target for therapeutic intervention.

13 May 2021

Researchers examine potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals using a drug repurposing library

A new study deals with the screening of the Drug Repurposing Hub (DRH) library for identifying small compounds which are capable of inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 using both in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. These molecules could be used for designing a novel therapeutic system against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

26 Apr 2021

Experimental drug reverses key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have designed an experimental drug that reversed key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice.

22 Apr 2021

Targeting brain protein may lead to new therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative disorders

Neurological disorders are the number one cause of disability in the world, leading to seven million deaths each year. Yet few treatments exist for these diseases, which progressively diminish a person's ability to move and think.

16 Apr 2021

Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer share the same pathway, shows study

When cells are stressed, chemical alarms go off, setting in motion a flurry of activity that protects the cell's most important players. During the rush, a protein called Parkin hurries to protect the mitochondria, the power stations that generate energy for the cell.

8 Apr 2021