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New research holds potential to improve fetal surgery outcomes

University of California, Berkeley engineer Phillip Messersmith is happy to be learning lessons from a lowly mollusk, with the expectation that the knowledge gained will enable him and fellow physicians to prevent deaths among their youngest patients -- those who haven't been born yet.

4 Jul 2016

Study finds link between copper exposure and prion protein neurotoxicity

Iowa State University researchers have described with single-molecule precision how copper ions cause prion proteins to misfold and seed the misfolding and clumping of nearby prion proteins.

4 Jul 2016

Study could offer new ways to enhance cancer immunotherapy

When an immune T cell divides into two daughter cells, the activity of an enzyme called mTORC1, which controls protein production, splits unevenly between the progeny, producing two cells with different properties.

4 Jul 2016

Inhalable ibuprofen holds potential to treat cystic fibrosis

Ibuprofen: You can buy it at any drug store, and it will help with that stabbing headache or sprained ankle. One of the ways it does so is by reducing inflammation, and it is this property that may also help patients with cystic fibrosis.

4 Jul 2016

New strategy treats fatal autoimmune disease without outward off-target effects

In a study with potentially major implications for the future treatment of autoimmunity and related conditions, scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found a way to remove the subset of antibody-making cells that cause an autoimmune disease, without harming the rest of the immune system.

4 Jul 2016

Researchers design E. coli-based transport capsule to help fight pneumococcal disease

Most people recoil at the thought of ingesting E. coli. But what if the headline-grabbing bacteria could be used to fight disease?

4 Jul 2016

Researchers use gelation chips to develop strong muscle fibers

USC researcher Megan L. McCain and colleagues have devised a way to develop bigger, stronger muscle fibers. But instead of popping up on the bicep of a bodybuilder, these muscles grow on a tiny scaffold or "chip" molded from a type of water-logged gel made from gelatin.

1 Jul 2016

Study links proteins involved in cell division to insulin signaling

Proteins that play key roles in the timing of cell division also moonlight in regulating blood sugar levels, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

1 Jul 2016

Study sheds more light on how bacteria rapidly causes infectious diseases

Researchers at Umea University are first to discover that bacteria can multiply disease-inducing genes which are needed to rapidly cause infection.

1 Jul 2016

AHR plays role in modulating the body's innate immune response to viral infections

A receptor, first known for its role in mediating the harmful effects of the environmental pollutant dioxin in our body, is now understood to play other important roles in modulating the innate immune response.

1 Jul 2016

Scientists investigate molecular mechanisms that regulate STAT3 activity

Hokkaido University scientists are getting closer to understanding the function of a protein involved in vital cellular processes. This may lead to the discovery of drugs that can treat some cancers and autoimmune disorders.

1 Jul 2016

Researchers discover surprising mismatch on either side of dopaminergic synapses

Neurons are cells that transmit nerve impulses. Dopamine neurons are the main source of the chemical dopamine in the central nervous system and are few in number compared to other types of neurons in the brain.

1 Jul 2016

Nutritional interventions may help prevent detrimental brain ageing

Ageing is a highly complex process marked by a succession of events that may lead to an altered brain function, including neurodegenerative diseases. To date, the precise cause of cognitive decline remains quite elusive.

1 Jul 2016

Sheffield researchers identify novel function of C9orf72 protein linked to ALS and FTD

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered a novel function of the C9orf72 protein which is linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) - giving a new insight into the most common genetic cause of the degenerative diseases.

1 Jul 2016

Researchers test experimental Zika virus vaccine in mice

An experimental vaccine against Zika virus developed by Brazilian and US researchers has been tested successfully in trials with mice.

30 Jun 2016

Novel therapeutic approach may be effective for disrupting bacterial biofilms

Biofilms are communities of bacteria that adhere to a surface and are nearly impossible to eradicate when they are pathogenic, or disease-causing.

30 Jun 2016

Researchers develop in vitro model system for investigating etiology of NAFLD

Researchers from the Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine at the University Clinic of Düsseldorf have established an in vitro model system for investigating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

30 Jun 2016

New bioinformatics tool can analyse 40,000 proteins per minute

Biology and computing have joined forces to create a piece of software that analyses mutations in proteins; these mutations are potential inducers of diseases, such as cancer.

30 Jun 2016

Using NMR to investigate intrinsically disordered proteins: an interview with Dr Isabella Felli

“IDPs” is now a widely used acronym that stands for “intrinsically disordered proteins.” It is the term generally used by the scientific community to refer to a wide variety of proteins that do not have a stable 3D structure and are instead characterized by a high extent of local mobility, disorder and many conformers that are accessible at room temperature.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 30 Jun 2016

Breakthrough research could lead to new drugs to improve heart attack outcomes

A research advance from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and Stanford University could lead to new drugs that minimize the damage caused by heart attacks.

30 Jun 2016