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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

PBI announces receipt of first purchase order for new Barozyme HT48 High-throughput System

Pressure BioSciences, Inc., a leader in the development and sale of broadly enabling sample preparation solutions using pressure cycling technology ("PCT")-based instruments and consumables to the worldwide life sciences industry, today announced the receipt of the first purchase order for its new Barozyme HT48 High-throughput System.

10 Feb 2015

Mercury associated with autoimmunity among women of childbearing age

One of the greatest risk factors for autoimmunity among women of childbearing age may be associated with exposure to mercury such as through seafood, a new University of Michigan study says.

10 Feb 2015

University of Tokyo researchers reveal how TLR9 binds to pathogen DNA

University of Tokyo researchers have elucidated how Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) binds to pathogen DNA, activating the innate immune system. This discovery is vital for the design of new antiviral, antibacterial, allergy and other drugs targeting TLR9.

10 Feb 2015

Researchers identify axitinib as promising candidate to treat drug-resistant leukaemia

A study led by researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM and Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, in close collaboration with researchers at Pfizer, has identified a previously unrecognized action of Pfizer's axitinib as a potent inhibitor of the dominant mutation that confers drug resistance to all well tolerated treatments in patients with certain types of leukemia.

10 Feb 2015

Drug similar to Gleevec may help tame some brain cancers

The drug Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) is well known not only for its effectiveness against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but also for the story behinds its development. The drug was specifically designed to target an abnormal molecule--a fusion of two normal cell proteins--that fueled a tumor's growth.

10 Feb 2015

Scientists find that collagen 'cross-links' can determine tumor's ability to grow and spread

When skyscrapers go up, contractors rely on an infrastructure of steel beams and braces. Some cancers grow the same way, using a biological matrix from which the tumor can thrive and spread.

10 Feb 2015

Drugs designed to target NHE9 protein could help fight glioblastoma

Applying lessons learned from autism to brain cancer, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have discovered why elevated levels of the protein NHE9 add to the lethality of the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma. Their discovery suggests that drugs designed to target NHE9 could help to successfully fight the deadly disease.

10 Feb 2015

Discovery leads to new understanding of cancer metastasis

In a breakthrough in the understanding of how cancer spreads, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a substance secreted by lung cancer cells that enables them to metastasize, beginning their deadly march to other sites in the body.

10 Feb 2015

Combination therapies may overcome resistance to targeted cancer drugs

A protein called YAP, which drives the growth of organs during development and regulates their size in adulthood, plays a key role in the emergence of resistance to targeted cancer therapies, according to a new study led by UC San Francisco researchers.

10 Feb 2015

BPC opens new plasma collection center in Jacksonville, North Carolina

Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a leading developer of immunology biotherapeutic products, is pleased to announce that it has opened a new plasma collection center. The state-of-the-art, 15,000 square foot facility located at 113 Yopp Road, Jacksonville, North Carolina, is BPC's second plasma center in Jacksonville, and officially opened its doors for business on February 3, 2015.

9 Feb 2015

NMR and inhibiting HIV: an interview with Professor Michael Summers

Michael Summers is the Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In this interview, he tells us about his work investigating the structure of large RNAs using NMR spectroscopy.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 9 Feb 2015

Study reveals mechanical forces that drive epithelial wound healing

A collaborative study led by scientists from the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore has revealed the mechanical forces that drive epithelial wound healing in the absence of cell supporting environment. This research was published in Nature Communications in January 2015.

9 Feb 2015

Gramicidin-Based Fluorescence Assay can help predict drug toxicity

Sometimes, toxic side effects aren't discovered until fairly late in the drug development process, when substantial amounts of time and money have already been invested in clinical trials.

9 Feb 2015

Chili peppers show promise as diet-based supplement

Don't go chomping on a handful of chili peppers just yet, but there may be help for hopeful dieters in those fiery little Native American fruits.

9 Feb 2015

Risks and benefits of fecal microbiota transplant

A woman successfully treated for a recurrent Clostridium difficile infection with stool from an overweight donor rapidly gained weight herself afterwards, becoming obese, according to a case report published in the new journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

9 Feb 2015

Discovery improves understanding of factors that trigger allergic asthma

When the mucosal surfaces in the lungs of healthy people come into contact with allergenic substances, so-called regulatory T cells also known as Treg cells, are activated. These are capable of actively preventing the development of allergies.

9 Feb 2015

Fungal infections rarely develop resistance to combination drug therapy

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered that Candida albicans -- a leading cause of potentially fatal hospital-acquired infections -- rarely develops resistance to combination drug therapy and, when it becomes resistant, it also becomes less dangerous.

9 Feb 2015

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Michele Nicolo wins A.S.P.E.N.'s Research Trainee Award

Michele Nicolo, MS, RD, CDE, CNSC, Advanced Clinical Dietitian Specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has been named a Research Trainee Award recipient by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral.

9 Feb 2015

Study reveals how low levels of profilin 1 protein in breast tumours invade other tissues

A new study led by José Javier Bravo-Cordero, Spanish researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, details how cells with low levels of the profilin 1 protein in breast tumours increase their capacity to metastasise and invade other tissues.

9 Feb 2015

UI Children's Hospital named Certified Duchenne Care Center by PPMD

The University of Iowa Children's Hospital was named a Certified Duchenne Care Center by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, a nonprofit organization leading the fight to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) and demanding optimal care for all people with Duchenne.

7 Feb 2015