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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.

Sca-1 stem cells replace steadily aging heart muscle cells

Up until a few years ago, the common school of thought held that the mammalian heart had very little regenerative capacity. However, scientists now know that heart muscle cells constantly regenerate, albeit at a very low rate. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, have identified a stem cell population responsible for this regeneration.

3 Dec 2013

Tel Aviv University researchers discover a protein that kills bacteria

In the arms race between bacteria and modern medicine, bacteria have gained an edge. In recent decades, bacterial resistance to antibiotics has developed faster than the production of new antibiotics, making bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat. Scientists worry that a particularly virulent and deadly "superbug" could one day join the ranks of existing untreatable bacteria, causing a public health catastrophe comparable with the Black Death.

3 Dec 2013

Study: Unfolded protein response can increase risk of sudden cardiac death

A researcher at the Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals has found a link to human heart failure that if blocked, may reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death.

3 Dec 2013

New report on global prevalence of anemia

Despite increasing efforts to diagnose and treat anemia worldwide, there remains a surprisingly large global burden of the disease, particularly among young children and women, according to a new report on trends in anemia between 1990 and 2010.

3 Dec 2013

New genetics promises to change faulty genes of future generations by using "designer sperm”

Bethesda, MD-Get ready: The "new genetics" promises to change faulty genes of future generations by introducing new, functioning genes using "designer sperm." A new research report appearing online in The FASEB Journal, shows that introducing new genetic material via a viral vector into the sperm of mice leads to the presence and activity of those genes in the resulting embryos.

3 Dec 2013

Researchers discover why parasite that causes deadliest form of malaria only infects humans

Researchers have discovered why the parasite that causes the deadliest form of malaria only infects humans.

3 Dec 2013

New finding links obesity and high-fat, high-sugar diets with changes in inflammatory status

Scientists have moved a step closer to an "obesity drug" that may block the effects of diets high in sugar and fats. In a new research report published in the December 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists show that there is an abnormal amount of an inflammatory protein called PAR2 in the abdominal fat tissue of overweight and obese humans and rats.

3 Dec 2013

First Nations adults with diabetes more likely to face risk of end-stage kidney disease

First Nations adults with diabetes have more than double the risk of end-stage kidney disease compared with non-First Nations adults, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

3 Dec 2013

Valproic acid can enhance neuronal regeneration following brachial plexus root avulsion

Brachial plexus root avulsion is the most serious type of peripheral nerve injury. Valproic acid has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects and promote neurite outgrowth in several peripheral nerve injury models. However, whether valproic acid can exert its beneficial effect on neurons after brachial plexus avulsion injury is currently unknown.

3 Dec 2013

Scientists explain new family of proteins that appear to play key role in cancer

Scientists have described a new family of proteins that appear to play a key role in cancer and might be targets for future cancer drugs.

3 Dec 2013

FDA extends initial PDUFA date for Biogen Idec's review of ALPROLIX BLA

Biogen Idec announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended the initial Prescription Drug User Fee Act date for its review of the Biologics License Application (BLA) for ALPROLIX, the company's investigational long-lasting recombinant factor IX Fc fusion protein candidate for hemophilia B.

2 Dec 2013

Newly identified protein could prove promising new drug target for AIDS

Researchers have identified a protein that causes loss of function in immune cells combatting HIV. The scientists report in a paper appearing online Dec. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that the protein, Sprouty-2, is a promising target for future HIV drug development, since disabling it could help restore the cells' ability to combat the virus that causes AIDS.

2 Dec 2013

Four-drug regimen shows first-line efficacy in advanced NSCLC

A four-drug combination of cetuximab, bevacizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel is effective and has acceptable safety as a first-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, US researchers report.

2 Dec 2013

Visterra secures exclusive patent license for promising dengue virus antibodies from MIT

Visterra, Inc., a developer of novel antibody therapeutics to prevent and treat major infectious diseases, today announced that it has secured an exclusive patent license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to a family of early-stage monoclonal antibodies that target dengue virus. These antibodies were developed by MIT in the laboratory of Dr. Ram Sasisekharan, a founder of Visterra, using novel protein engineering approaches. Visterra will apply its proprietary network analysis technology to develop a human monoclonal antibody product candidate capable of broadly neutralizing all four dengue virus serotypes.

2 Dec 2013

New biomarkers to improve diagnostics of prostate cancer

New biomarkers will improve diagnostics of endemic diseases in future, such as prostate cancer. Their mission: to recognize the tumor earlier and classify it more precisely - thereby helping avoid unnecessary operations.

2 Dec 2013

USC scientists show gene-environment interaction augments risk for developing autism

Exposure to air pollution appears to increase the risk for autism among people who carry a genetic disposition for the neurodevelopmental disorder, according to newly published research led by scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

2 Dec 2013

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA-both within the bloodstream and on the skin. Nanoengineers from the University of California, San Diego described the safety and efficacy of this nanosponge vaccine in the December 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

2 Dec 2013

InnaVirVax starts VAC-3S Phase 2 clinical trial for treatment of HIV-1 infection

InnaVirVax SA today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial assessing the therapeutic properties of the VAC-3S vaccine when combined with standard antiretroviral therapy in the course of HIV-1 infection.

1 Dec 2013

European Patent Office issues Notice of Grant to 22nd Century Group for NBB and A622 genes

22nd Century Group, Inc. today announced that the European Patent Office issued a Notice of Grant to the company for the NBB and A622 genes. Both genes are responsible for nicotine production in the tobacco plant.

30 Nov 2013

Cyclin D1 protein controls cell cycle progression, microRNA biogenesis in breast cancer

Cyclin D1, a protein that helps push a replicating cell through the cell cycle also mediates the processing and generation of mature microRNA, according to new research publishing November 29 in Nature Communications. The research suggests that a protein strongly implicated in human cancer also governs the non-protein-coding genome. The non-coding genome, previously referred to as junk DNA, makes up most of the human genome, and unlike the coding genome, varies greatly between species.

29 Nov 2013

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

Sca-1 stem cells replace steadily aging heart muscle cells

Tel Aviv University researchers discover a protein that kills bacteria

Study: Unfolded protein response can increase risk of sudden cardiac death

New report on global prevalence of anemia

New genetics promises to change faulty genes of future generations by using "designer sperm”

Researchers discover why parasite that causes deadliest form of malaria only infects humans

New finding links obesity and high-fat, high-sugar diets with changes in inflammatory status

First Nations adults with diabetes more likely to face risk of end-stage kidney disease

Valproic acid can enhance neuronal regeneration following brachial plexus root avulsion

Scientists explain new family of proteins that appear to play key role in cancer

FDA extends initial PDUFA date for Biogen Idec's review of ALPROLIX BLA

Newly identified protein could prove promising new drug target for AIDS

Four-drug regimen shows first-line efficacy in advanced NSCLC

Visterra secures exclusive patent license for promising dengue virus antibodies from MIT

New biomarkers to improve diagnostics of prostate cancer

USC scientists show gene-environment interaction augments risk for developing autism

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

InnaVirVax starts VAC-3S Phase 2 clinical trial for treatment of HIV-1 infection

European Patent Office issues Notice of Grant to 22nd Century Group for NBB and A622 genes

Cyclin D1 protein controls cell cycle progression, microRNA biogenesis in breast cancer

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

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