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Researchers uncover new molecular binding site that can influence electrical impulses in nerves

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have discovered a previously unknown molecular binding site that can influence electrical impulses in nerves.

27 Oct 2017

Study reveals why Alzheimer's drugs fail in clinical trials

A tremendous amount of Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) (a peptide of ～40 amino acids) accumulates in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients. γ-Secretase inhibitors were designed to inhibit the enzymatic activity that produces Aβ. By reducing Aβ production, γ-secretase inhibitors were considered able to treat Alzheimer's disease (Aβ hypothesis).

25 Oct 2017

Zinc-binding plays key role in sensing and regulation of brain’s pH levels

Researchers in Oslo, Norway, have discovered that Zinc-binding plays an important role in the sensing and regulation of pH in the human brain. The findings come as one of the first studies that directly link Zinc-binding with bicarbonate transporters.

17 Oct 2017

Fundamental discovery may open potential for new types of cancer drugs

Many approved cancer therapies target a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that regulates many crucial cellular processes and can speed the proliferation of tumor cells.

11 Oct 2017

Cells lining blood vessels in the lungs exposed to bacterial toxins don’t die easy, UIC study says

Cells lining blood vessels in the lungs that are exposed to bacterial toxins don't die easy, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

10 Oct 2017

New research uncovers how blood cancer 'steals' parts of bone marrow cells to thrive

New research published today uncovers how the blood cancer 'steals' parts of surrounding healthy bone marrow cells to thrive, in work that could help form new approaches to cancer treatment in the future.

5 Oct 2017

Researchers discover circadian clock at work in our muscles

Biological clocks are ticking everywhere throughout our body. They trigger the release of the hormone melatonin during sleep, favour the secretion of digestive enzymes at lunchtime or keep us awake at the busiest moments of the day.

3 Oct 2017

'Small intestinal permeable peptides' improve biopharmaceuticals absorption in digestive tract

Biopharmaceuticals, medium- and high-molecular weight biologically active macromolecules, are not easily absorbed by the small intestine, the main organ responsible for gastrointestinal absorption, resulting in a bottleneck for oral administration type biopharmaceutical development.

20 Sep 2017

Research reveals sugary secrets of protein important for development and cancer progression

The proteins in human cells are extensively decorated with different types of sugars, a phenomenon called glycosylation. These modifications greatly increase the diversity of protein structure and function, affecting how proteins fold, how they behave, and where they go in cells.

15 Sep 2017

TSRI scientists find new approach to reprogram ordinary adult cells into IPSCs

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a new approach to the "reprogramming" of ordinary adult cells into stem cells.

12 Sep 2017

Researchers harness lipid nanodiscs to produce hydrogen fuel

A U.S.-based team of researchers featuring MIPT scientists has assembled a nanoscale biological structure capable of producing hydrogen from water using light.

6 Sep 2017

Mild pain killer blocks action of key protein required for hearing

A Rice University study has found that the aspirin-like drug diflunisal blocks the action of prestin, a key protein that is required for hearing.

5 Sep 2017

Scientists show how receptors for drugs act inside cells

G protein-coupled receptors are the key target of a large number of drugs. Würzburg scientists have now been able to show more precisely how these receptors act in the cell interior.

5 Sep 2017

Scientists identify key molecule for neurotransmitter release in synapses

The contact areas between nerve cells are called synapses. What happens there lies at the heart of communication between nerve cells. Communication starts with the release of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters at these synapses.

4 Sep 2017

Researchers identify cytotoxic nature of two-dimensional black phosphorous

When environmental and soil chemist Baoshan Xing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst began reading in 2014 that a new, two-dimensional material known as layered black phosphorous (BP) was gaining the attention of biomedical researchers for use in drug delivery systems and tumor photothermal therapy, he was both intrigued and concerned.

31 Aug 2017

MIT engineers devise automated approach to monitor neurons

Recording electrical signals from inside a neuron in the living brain can reveal a great deal of information about that neuron's function and how it coordinates with other cells in the brain.

30 Aug 2017

Stabilizing TREM2 could be viable therapeutic strategy to combat Alzheimer's disease

A gene called triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, or TREM2, has been associated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Parkinson's disease, and Nasu-Hakola disease. Recently, a rare mutation in the gene has been shown to increase the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.