Protein News and Research

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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.

Statistical modeling technique helps track tumor cell diversity

Cancer cells are a wily adversary. One reason the disease outfoxes many potential treatments is because of the diversity of the cancer cell population. Researchers have found this population difficult to characterize and quantify.

20 Feb 2020

Global study shows long-term survival benefit for a subset of patients with advanced lung cancer

According to the results of a large, global study led by Yale Cancer Center researchers, even a tiny amount of a biomarker known as PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand1) can predict a long-term survival benefit from using pembrolizumab (Keytruda).

20 Feb 2020

New study uncovers human genes controlling HIV infection

Viruses are parasites. The only way they can grow is by hijacking their hosts. When they infect a human host, viruses use human proteins to multiply and modify the human cells to sustain the infection. At the same time, the human host activates defense mechanisms to fight the infection.

20 Feb 2020

Study exposes the Achilles' heel of deadly ccRCC tumors

An experimental drug already shown to be safe and help some patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a deadly form of kidney cancer, effectively disables its molecular target.

20 Feb 2020

Daily moisturizer does not prevent eczema according to new research

Eczema or atopic dermatitis is a skin condition that causes the skin to become itchy, red, and dry due to inflammation. Most commonly found in babies and children, previous recommendations say that daily moisturizer use is crucial in preventing eczema bouts.

20 Feb 2020

Researchers identify a protein that aids in colorectal cancer metastasis

A protein that helps colorectal cancer cells spread to other parts of the body could be an effective treatment target.

20 Feb 2020

Levitating human blood may lead to faster, more reliable disease detection

New research from the UBC's Okanagan campus, Harvard Medical School and Michigan State University suggests that levitating human plasma may lead to faster, more reliable, portable and simpler disease detection.

20 Feb 2020

Researchers design new drug cocktail to kill brain and soft tissue cancers

Researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have designed a new drug cocktail that kills some types of brain and soft tissue cancers by tricking the cancer cells to behave as if they were starving for their favorite food--glucose.

20 Feb 2020

Plant-based relatives of cholesterol could boost gene-infused nanoparticle delivery

Gene-infused nanoparticles used for combating disease work better when they include plant-based relatives of cholesterol because their shape and structure help the genes get where they need to be inside cells.

20 Feb 2020

Scientists discover novel molecular pathway involved in immunotherapy response

Scientists at The Wistar Institute discovered a novel pathway that enables detection of DNA in the cytoplasm and triggers inflammation and cellular senescence.

20 Feb 2020

Single gene cluster loss promotes initiation and progression of multiple myeloma in mice

The loss of one copy of the miR15a/miR16-1 gene cluster promoted initiation and progression of multiple myeloma in mice.

20 Feb 2020

New C. elegans model will accelerate study of a rare disease

The model will permit to accelerate and reduce the price of the research, which is studying the mechanisms and the possible pharmacological targets for the neuronal alterations of this disease.

20 Feb 2020

SwRI's Rhodium evaluates drug compounds for possible treatment of coronavirus

Drug discovery software at Southwest Research Institute is expanding the capacity to virtually screen drug compounds for possible treatment of coronavirus and other infectious diseases.

20 Feb 2020

Cancer risk in psoriatic patients

A new study published in February 2020 in the journal JAMA Dermatology reports that there is a 21% increased risk of cancer in patients with psoriasis, but not with psoriatic arthritis alone.

19 Feb 2020

Vaccine for COVID-19 coronavirus could soon be a reality

A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the National Institutes of Health have managed to make significant progress in the development of a vaccine against the fast-spreading and virulent COVID-19/Novel coronavirus that started in Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December 2019 and is still infecting thousands.

19 Feb 2020

How malaria evades the body’s immune response

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2018, there were over 200 million cases of malaria worldwide. Now, a team of researchers found evidence that the malaria parasite can detect a molecule released by approaching immune cells, using it to protect itself and evade the attack by the body’s immune system.

19 Feb 2020

New understanding of neurovascular coupling

A new study published in the journal Nature in February 2020 reports the discovery of a control mechanism in mouse brains, which makes it possible to sensitively regulate the flow of blood to different areas of the brain, to supply enough to more active areas.

19 Feb 2020