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.

DZNE scientists find new mechanism that allows damaged neurons to regenerate

Injuries to the spinal cord can cause paralysis and other permanent disabilities because severed nerve fibers do not regrow. Now, scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases have succeeded in releasing a molecular brake that prevents the regeneration of nerve connections.

7 Oct 2016

Study sheds new light on role of Tau proteins in certain brain diseases

In a study published in the journal PNAS scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases present new findings on the role of the protein Tau in certain brain diseases.

7 Oct 2016

Pitt researchers show how repair protein finds structural errors in DNA

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute have demonstrated how Rad4, a protein involved in DNA repair, scans the DNA in a unique pattern of movement called "constrained motion" to efficiently find structural faults in DNA.

7 Oct 2016

IDRI awarded two-year NIH grant to develop novel RNA-based Zika virus vaccine

As Zika cases continue to rise around the world -- and in the United States -- with associated increases in Guillain-Barre syndrome and congenital birth defects, the need for a safe and effective vaccine to protect against Zika virus is greater than ever.

6 Oct 2016

Researchers to investigate similarities between Crohn's and Johne's disease that affects cattle

Researchers still have a lot to learn about Crohn's disease, a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disorder that affects as many as 700,000 Americans.

6 Oct 2016

Revised prostate cancer guidelines did not reduce usage of PSA tests, study finds

Controversy over prostate cancer screening guidelines that discourage use of PSA tests did not significantly reduce use of the test, a five-year review of more than 275,000 visits at UT Southwestern Medical Center showed.

6 Oct 2016

Aggressive neuroblastoma contains specific protein not found in benign forms of cancer

Aggressive forms of neuroblastoma contain a specific protein in their cells' nuclei that is not found in the nuclei of more benign forms of the cancer, and the discovery, made through research from the University of Rochester Medical Center, could lead to new forms of targeted therapy.

6 Oct 2016

Scientists find how selenium gets integrated into protein molecules

Humans need eight essential trace elements for good health, and one of them is selenium - a powerful antioxidant that is important for thyroid and brain function as well as metabolism.

6 Oct 2016

Research gains new insights into how virus that causes cervical cancer evades immune system

Researchers from New Zealand's University of Otago have gained fresh insights into how one of the main viruses that cause cervical cancer evades its hosts' immune systems.

6 Oct 2016

Researchers uncover potential role of gut bacteria in neurodegeneration

Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are all characterized by clumped, misfolded proteins and inflammation in the brain. In more than 90 percent of cases, physicians and scientists do not know what causes these processes to occur.

6 Oct 2016

Beckman Coulter award enables two scientists to attend Advanced Analytical Ultracentrifugation Workshop and Symposium

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences continues its collaboration with one of the nation’s leading Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Centrifugation 6 Oct 2016

ISU research may suggest new cure for Parkinson's disease

Recently published research from Iowa State University may hint at a new treatment for Parkinson's disease.

6 Oct 2016

New study finds no evidence of benefit from genetic disposition of eczema

Some genetic diseases persist for generation after generation because the genes that cause them can benefit human health.

6 Oct 2016

Japanese researchers discover causative gene for common type of hearing loss

A causative gene for a highly common type of hearing loss (sensorineural hearing loss, or SNHL) has been identified by a group of Japanese researchers, who successfully replicated the condition using a transgenic mouse.

6 Oct 2016

Simple blood test can quickly detect serious infections in children

Using a simple decision rule and a finger prick to test blood, general practitioners can now detect serious infections in children very quickly. This ensures that seriously ill children don't have to wait for a diagnosis until they're hospitalized - a delay that may have fatal consequences.

6 Oct 2016

Researchers discover Achilles heel of common bacteria that causes fatal infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium of our environment. It can however become a formidable pathogen causing fatal infections, especially in intubated patients, people suffering from cystic fibrosis or severe burns.

6 Oct 2016

Researchers awarded grant to develop safer cancer therapies for children

Two Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers are receiving new funding from California-based St. Baldrick's Foundation for promising childhood cancer research.

5 Oct 2016

Scientists reveal molecular elements that bridge anxiety and metabolism

Metabolic and anxiety-related disorders both pose a significant healthcare burden, and are in the spotlight of contemporary research and therapeutic efforts. Although intuitively we assume that these two phenomena overlap, the link has not been proven scientifically.

5 Oct 2016

Researchers identify new strategy to selectively sensitize cancer cells to radiation therapy

Many types of cancer become drug resistant, making them difficult to treat. Researchers with University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified a strategy to selectively sensitize certain cancer cells to radiation therapy that may improve tumor control and reduce treatment-related side effects.

5 Oct 2016

Researchers discover how appetite is controlled and influenced by the brain

Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in Korea have uncovered the mechanisms behind the enzyme that controls our appetite in response to low glucose availability in the brain.

5 Oct 2016