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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.

Immune response variations across the COVID-19 spectrum

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 describes differences in the adaptive and innate immune response in mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19. This may mean that permanent immune responses occur only in patients who recover from severe COVID-19.

25 Jun 2020

Platelets may be contributing to COVID-19

The current pandemic of COVID-19 is characterized mainly by severe acute respiratory distress of the lungs, but other organ dysfunctions are also being observed, including the heart and blood vessels. Now, a new paper published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 describes the abnormal activation of platelets in this disease and the link between this phenomenon and poor outcomes for COVID-19 patients.

24 Jun 2020

Researchers create a web-based COVID-19 knowledge base powered by AI

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's College of Engineering and Computer Science, in collaboration with FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine, have received a one-year, $90,000 National Science Foundation RAPID project grant to conduct research using social networks and machine learning, facilitated by molecular genetics and viral infection, for COVID-19 modeling and risk evaluation.

24 Jun 2020

Tiny protein in mitochondria has a big impact on health and longevity, study shows

A new study led by researchers at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology is the first to demonstrate that a tiny protein has a big impact on health and longevity in both animals and humans.

24 Jun 2020

Effective neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 by synthetic nanobodies targeting the spike protein

In their recent bioRxiv paper, a multinational group of researchers reported rapid isolation and characterization of nanobodies from a synthetic library (known as sybodies) that target the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein – with a strikingly high neutralization ability.

24 Jun 2020

Structured 'cut-and-paste' design enables streamlined development of SARS-CoV-2 molecular probes

A seminal study by US researchers, currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, demonstrates how structure-based design can be efficiently employed to develop molecular probes targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike and its domains, with possible future use in diagnostics, treatment and vaccine development.

24 Jun 2020

Cell signaling pathway may offer new drugs for tuberous sclerosis complex

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a neurological disorder causing non-cancerous tumors, called cortical tubers, to grow throughout the brain and body, as well as other conditions like epilepsy and autism.

24 Jun 2020

Tau protein modifications may be linked to heterogeneity in Alzheimer’s disease

A new study reveals a possible biological reason that Alzheimer's Disease (AD) progresses at different rates in different patients.

24 Jun 2020

Automated classification of colorectal cancer using IR imaging

A research team from the Prodi Centre for Protein Diagnostics at Ruhr-Universität Bochum has used infrared microscopes based on quantum cascade lasers to classify tissue samples of colorectal cancer from routine clinical operations in a marker-free and automated way.

24 Jun 2020

Transgenic rice containing anti-hypertensive peptides lowers blood pressure in hypertensive rats

In the future, taking your blood pressure medication could be as simple as eating a spoonful of rice.

24 Jun 2020

New methods may contribute to future structure-based drug design

Many pharmaceuticals work by targeting what are known as "G-protein-coupled receptors". In a new study, scientists from Uppsala University describe how they have been able to predict how special molecules that can be used in new immunotherapy against cancer bind to these receptors.

24 Jun 2020

Drinking unprocessed cow's milk prevents allergies, shows study

Numerous studies have shown that growing up on a farm and drinking natural, unprocessed cow's milk in early childhood protects against the development of immunoglobulins E (IgE), which are responsible for allergy symptoms.

24 Jun 2020

Kerafast offers the Delta-G-VSV Pseudotyping System for coronavirus research

Kerafast Inc., developers of an online platform to facilitate access to unique lab-made bioresearch materials, today announced the availability of the Delta-G-VSV Pseudotyping System for coronavirus research applications. The system, developed by the Michael Whitt laboratory at University of Tennessee, enables studies of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness at just biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) containment.

From Kerafast 24 Jun 2020

Avacta provides update on COVID-19 rapid antigen test development partnership with Cytiva

Avacta Group plc is pleased to announce that the rapid test strips to detect SARS-COV-2 spike protein have been evaluated by Avacta’s partners at Cytiva.

From Cytiva Life Sciences 24 Jun 2020

Abnormal findings in testicular tissue of COVID-19 patients, SARS-CoV-2 mostly undetected

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused over 9.263 million cases and taken more than 477,000 lives as of June 24, 2020 – just six months after the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, was reported. The illness, called COVID-19 disease, caused by SARS-CoV-2 is a severe pneumonic illness, caused by the entry of the virus into the type II alveolar cells.

24 Jun 2020

Evidence of link between ACE2 genotype and COVID-19 disease severity

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 shows that variants in the ACE2 gene which encodes the enzyme receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, are linked to the risk of severe disease.

24 Jun 2020