Protein News and Research

RSS

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.

Researchers find link between mutations in TRAF7 gene and multisystem disorder

A group of seven patients presenting with a similar disorder of unknown origin now know of a possible genetic root of their condition.

28 Jun 2018

A small molecule can inhibit chemotherapy resistance of certain tumors

A team of researchers from the CNRS and Université Nice Sophia Antipolis has just shown that a small molecule called methiothepin can inhibit the chemotherapy resistance of certain tumors.

28 Jun 2018

Researchers show how mutant CALR protein triggers cancer

Researchers at Juntendo University report in the journal Leukemia how mutants of the protein calreticulin lead to molecular mechanisms triggering myeloproliferative neoplasms, which can cause cancer. The findings may lead to the development of novel therapies for certain types of blood cancer.

28 Jun 2018

Researchers target K17 in the fight against pancreatic cancer

Keratin 17 (K17), a protein that promotes cancer, may prove to be a key target gene in the battle against pancreatic cancer.

28 Jun 2018

Scientists discover protein crucial for activating inflammation

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a protein that is crucial for activating inflammation - both the good kind of inflammation that leads to healing wounds and fighting infection, as well as excessive inflammation where the immune system can damage tissues and organs.

27 Jun 2018

Salads should be selected carefully by people slimming for summer

People trying to get in beach body shape for the summer often head for the salad bar at restaurants. But many of those salads contain more calories, sodium and fat than consumers may want, says a University of Florida nutrition expert.

27 Jun 2018

Scientists discover new protein involved in neuron formation

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona have described a new function for the protein NEK7 as a regulator of neuron formation.

27 Jun 2018

Researchers scale up fluorescence imaging technique to analyze larger areas

Researchers have scaled up a powerful fluorescence imaging technique used to study biological processes on the cellular level. Previously limited to samples just millimeters in area, the expanded approach can analyze samples with areas up to 4 square centimeters.

27 Jun 2018

Even mild sleep disturbances can increase blood pressure in women

It is well known that chronic sleep deprivation can affect cardiovascular health. But according to a new study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center, even mild sleep problems, such as having trouble falling asleep, can raise blood pressure in women.

27 Jun 2018

Study provides insight into development of autism in the human brain

In a study published in Stem Cell Reports, a McGill team of scientists led by Dr. Carl Ernst, researcher at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, revealed a molecular mechanism that may play a role in the development of autism.

27 Jun 2018

New study finds way to help treat alcohol addiction and ease withdrawal symptoms

According to a new study by Scripps Research scientists, activating a receptor found in brain cells may help treat alcohol addiction and ease some withdrawal symptoms. The researchers studied the effects of activating the receptor in alcohol-addicted rats and reported the results today in the journal eNeuro.

27 Jun 2018

New avenue for cancer treatment opens when one drug fails

A new class of cancer drugs – called CDK4/6 inhibitors -- recently approved to treat breast cancer can stunt the cancer's growth and replication.

27 Jun 2018

Study shows benefits, safety of long-lasting radionuclide therapy for patients with advanced NETs

A first-in-human study presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging demonstrates the benefits and safety of a new, long-lasting type of radionuclide therapy for patients with advanced, metastatic neuroendocrine tumors.

26 Jun 2018

Learning from nature's design of mosquito to create painless microneedles

A mosquito can insert a needle-like probe into your skin and draw blood for several minutes without you even noticing.

26 Jun 2018

MIT researchers decode structure of molecule that gives tissues their elasticity

The stretchiness that allows living tissues to expand, contract, stretch, and bend throughout a lifetime is the result of a protein molecule called tropoelastin. Remarkably, this molecule can be stretched to eight times its length and always returns back to its original size.

26 Jun 2018

Unbiased approach reveals how to restore breast cancer drugs’ tumor-killing potential

More than 60 percent of breast cancer cases involve defects in the same biochemical chain of events within cancer cells-- known as the PI3 kinase (PI3K) pathway--but efforts to develop therapies targeting this pathway have met with little success after hundreds of mostly failed clinical trials. And researchers still don't understand why.

26 Jun 2018

Microbiologists and plant scientists pinpoint genetic weakness in cholera pandemic's armor

While cholera rages across many regions of the world, a team of microbiologists and plant scientists has pinpointed a genetic weakness in the pandemic's armor, which could lead to future treatments.

26 Jun 2018

New molecular imaging method could help effectively tackle brain conditions

A new molecular imaging method can monitor the success of gene therapy in all areas of the brain, potentially allowing physicians to more effectively tackle brain conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.

26 Jun 2018

Researchers identify novel mutation in amyloid diseases

Researchers have identified a one-of-a kind mutation in the DNA of a patient who died of transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis, a progressive condition characterized by the buildup of abnormal deposits of a misfolded protein called amyloid in the body's organs and tissues.

26 Jun 2018

Scientists discover and characterize new toxin in cholera bacteria

The bacterium Vibrio cholerae was discovered more than 150 years ago but remains as one of the main causes of bacterial infectious disease globally, especially in low-income nations where it occurs endemic, and outbreaks of cholera disease can lead to major epidemics.

26 Jun 2018