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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.

Ludwig researchers establish proof of concept for new approach to drug design

Exploring the fundamental mechanism by which a cell-surface receptor transmits its signal, an international team of Ludwig researchers and their colleagues has established proof of concept for an entirely new approach to drug design. They report that a class of synthetic molecules known as diabodies can, from outside the cell, latch onto a target receptor and manipulate it in such a manner as to induce distinct and varying effects within cells and tissues.

17 Mar 2015

New risk-evaluation protocol can help emergency departments evaluate chest-pain patients

A recently developed risk-evaluation protocol can help hospital emergency department personnel more efficiently determine which patients with acute chest pain can be sent home safely, according to a randomized trial conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

16 Mar 2015

Novimmune tests NI-0501 as first-line treatment for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Novimmune SA announces that patients diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and who are participating in the company's ongoing clinical trial of its NI-0501 monoclonal antibody, will now be able to be treated with the drug without having to first fail conventional treatments.

16 Mar 2015

Scientists use x-ray vision to probe early stages of DNA 'photocopying'

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have created a 3-D model of a complex protein machine, ORC, which helps prepare DNA to be duplicated.

16 Mar 2015

New antibody treatment blocks immune signaling protein crucial to psoriasis

Many patients suffering from psoriasis showed significant recovery after just a single dose of an experimental treatment with a human antibody that blocks an immune signaling protein crucial to the disease, researchers report.

16 Mar 2015

Two American scientists receive Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

Two American scientists, James P. Allison and Carl H. June, will today receive the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. Both give the patient's own immune system the lasting ability to fight cancer, Allison against late stage melanoma, June against leukemia.

16 Mar 2015

York U researchers identify how living beings can keep gene expression in check

York University researchers have learned how living beings can keep gene expression in check -- which might partly explain the uncontrolled gene expression found in many cancers.

16 Mar 2015

Study sheds light on cell migration mechanisms involved in wound-healing process

Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered what causes and regulates collective cell migration, one of the most universal but least understood biological processes in all living organisms.

16 Mar 2015

Metabolic derangement may facilitate cell proliferation in PAH

An enzyme that facilitates modification of proteins via a glucose metabolism pathway may promote cell proliferation in the lung tissue of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, say researchers.

13 Mar 2015

Islet autoantibody levels predict progression to diabetes

Levels of insulin autoantibodies and insulinoma-associated protein 2 autoantibodies predict the onset of diabetes in young children with islet autoimmunity, show findings from the TEDDY study.

13 Mar 2015

Combination of anti-Nodal and DTIC therapy can produce anti-cancer effects

Metastatic melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer deaths in the United States; once melanoma has spread (metastasized), life expectancy for patients can be dramatically shortened.

13 Mar 2015

Guanabenz drug prevents myelin loss, alleviates symptoms of MS in animal models

An FDA-approved drug for high blood pressure, guanabenz, prevents myelin loss and alleviates clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in animal models, according to a new study.

13 Mar 2015

'Turbocharged' protein holds promise in hemophilia gene therapy

Using gene therapy to produce a mutant human protein with unusually high blood-clotting power, scientists have successfully treated dogs with the bleeding disorder hemophilia, without triggering an unwanted immune response.

13 Mar 2015

Study describes the dual role of microRNA during hepatitis C infection

In the battle between a cell and a virus, either side may resort to subterfuge. Molecular messages, which control the cellular machinery both sides need, are vulnerable to interception or forgery.

13 Mar 2015

Glyconanoparticles may help reduce cell damage and inflammation after stroke

Materials resulting from chemical bonding of glucosamine, a type of sugar, with fullerenes, kind of nanoparticles known as buckyballs, might help to reduce cell damage and inflammation occurring after stroke.

13 Mar 2015

Gene variant may help predict people’s response to investigational Alzheimer's therapy

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a gene variant that may be used to predict people most likely to respond to an investigational therapy under development for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

13 Mar 2015

Non-invasive ultrasound technology can treat Alzheimer's disease, restore memory

Queensland scientists have found that non-invasive ultrasound technology can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease and restore memory.

13 Mar 2015

Scientists simplify chemical synthesis of small molecules using 3D printing technology

Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have simplified the chemical synthesis of small molecules, eliminating a major bottleneck that limits the exploration of a class of compounds offering tremendous potential for medicine and technology.

13 Mar 2015

ERC project aims to identify new treatments for prostate cancer

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded a Consolidator Grant to ICREA researcher Xavier Salvatella, head of the Molecular Biophysics Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona).

13 Mar 2015

Pressure BioSciences introduces PCT-HD System to global proteomics market

Pressure BioSciences, Inc., a leader in the development and sale of broadly enabling, pressure cycling technology ("PCT")-based sample preparation solutions to the worldwide life sciences industry, today announced the commercial release of the PCT-HD system.

12 Mar 2015