Cell Membrane News and Research

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New study aims to turn MRSA’s strength against it

Antibiotic-resistant infections cause more than 30,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone. The majority of those are caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, more commonly known as MRSA, which can turn routine medical operations into near-death battles.

15 May 2018

Researchers to take 'unprecedented look' into protein behind hypertension, epilepsy, and overactive bladder

The seemingly unrelated conditions of hypertension, epilepsy and overactive bladder may be linked by electrical activity in a protein long studied by a biomedical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis.

15 May 2018

Snorers may have extensive tissue damage in nerves and muscles of the soft palate

People who snore may have extensive tissue damage in the nerves and muscles of the soft palate. This can in turn create problems with swallowing and contribute to development of sleep apnea.

14 May 2018

ONC201 disrupts mitochondrial function and kills breast cancer cells, reveals study

TRAIL, a member of the TNF family of ligands, causes caspase-dependent apoptosis through activation of its receptors, death receptor 4 and DR5.

9 May 2018

TUM researchers unravel mechanism of action for one of pore-forming bacterial toxins

Pore-forming toxins are common bacterial poisons. They attack organisms by introducing holes in cell membranes.

7 May 2018

Astrocyte-targeted treatment may help alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

A study by scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases points to a novel potential approach against Alzheimer's disease.

4 May 2018

Hacking 'drug trafficking' system could increase effectiveness of diabetes treatment

Making tiny changes to existing diabetes treatments can alter how they interact with cells, and potentially make the medicines more effective.

23 Apr 2018

Glucose metabolism is key to neural network development, finds study

A new study has found that glucose metabolism is critical for the development of neural networks in the brain.

13 Apr 2018

Research reveals how bacteria prepare sticky adhesion protein

Researchers at Harvard Medical School, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Georgia have described how the protein that allows strep and staph bacteria to stick to human cells is prepared and packaged.

6 Apr 2018

New discovery may offer insight into treating sickle cell anemia and other blood disorders

Discovery by Scripps Research scientists may offer insight into treating blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia.

4 Apr 2018

Research pinpoints potential weak link in bacterial wall-building protein

The wall that surrounds bacteria to shield them from external assaults has long been a tantalizing target for drug therapies. Indeed, some of modern medicine's most reliable antibiotics disarm harmful bacteria by disrupting the proteins that build their protective armor.

28 Mar 2018

Researchers uncover link between Parkinson’s disease mutations and plaque formation in the brain

Working with lab-grown human brain cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have uncovered a much sought-after connection between one of the most common genetic mutations in Parkinson's disease and the formation of fatty plaques in the brain thought to contribute to the destruction of motor neurons that characterize the disease.

15 Mar 2018

Extracellular vesicles may serve as drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatment

Creating enough nanovesicles to inexpensively serve as a drug delivery system may be as simple as putting the cells through a sieve, according to an international team of researchers who used mouse autologous -- their own -- immune cells to create large amounts of fillable nanovesicles to deliver drugs to tumors in mice.

13 Mar 2018

Modifying Oncolytic Adenoviruses to Target Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the less common but deadliest cancers. Modified oncolytic adenoviruses represent an alternative to chemotherapy and targeted therapies, which have a high mortality rate.

9 Mar 2018

New class of antimicrobial polymers can kill five hard-to-treat multidrug-resistant bacteria

An international research team led by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and IBM Research developed a synthetic molecule that can kill five deadly types of multidrug-resistant bacteria with limited, if any, side effects.

7 Mar 2018

MIPT biophysicists study structure and interaction of nanofibrous scaffold with cardiac cells

Biophysicists from MIPT have studied the structure of a nanofibrous scaffold, as well as its interaction with rat cardiac cells.

2 Mar 2018

Receptors crucial for establishing strong memories

When we create a memory, a pattern of connections forms between neurons in the brain. New work from UC Davis shows how these connections can be strengthened or weakened at a molecular level. The study is published Feb. 27 in the journal Cell Reports.

27 Feb 2018

Researchers develop first analytical method to evaluate new cyanide and mustard gas antidote

To develop antidotes for chemical agents, such as cyanide and mustard gas, scientists need analytical methods that track not only the level of exposure but also how the drug counteracts the effects of the chemical.

24 Feb 2018

Researchers demonstrate novel process to produce cell-sized lipid vesicles

A team of researchers at the University of California in Irvine, California has demonstrated a novel process to produce cell-sized lipid vesicles (CLVs) from microfluidically generated double emulsion templates by investigating the interfacial parameters that control double emulsion stability for storage, and their subsequent dewetting to form multisomes or GUVs (subsets of CLVs).