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Low blood phosphate levels may pose danger to cardiovascular health

Low phosphate in the blood is linked to the risk of heart attack and coronary artery disease, a new study in the journal PLOS One reports.

10 Nov 2017

Antiviral drug selectively targets the most aggressive viruses, research says

An antiviral drug that inhibits a virus' replication machinery selectively targets the most aggressive viruses, according to new research that looked at the infection of individual cells by a virus and the consequence of antiviral intervention.

9 Nov 2017

Study finds potential chemical compound that initiated life on Earth

A new study conducted at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has found a compound called diamidophosphate (DAP), which is expected to have played a vital role in the origins of life on Earth.

8 Nov 2017

SLU researcher reports success in identifying new drug targets for muscular dystrophy

In a recent paper published in the journal Skeletal Muscle, a Saint Louis University researcher reports success in identifying new drug targets that potentially could slow or halt the progression of a form muscular dystrophy, an illness characterized by progressive muscle degeneration.

7 Nov 2017

New research reveals possible therapeutic target for controlling inflammation in the brain

New research published online in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology showed for the first time that mature monocytes (a specific type of white blood cell) express the CXCR7 receptor on their surface.

3 Nov 2017

New optical microscopy technique reveals dimerization of ‘toll-like receptors’

The surface of every cell contains receptors that react to external signals similar to a "gate". In this way, the cells of the innate immune system can differentiate between friend and foe partly through their "toll-like receptors" (TLRs).

3 Nov 2017

An alternative approach to augmenting the effect of antibiotics in chronic CF lung infections

There are about 77,000 people known to have cystic fibrosis. That's from the various cystic fibrosis registries available globally. The World Health Organization suggests that this number may be low, because there's no reporting on cystic fibrosis from the developing world. The accepted number, at the moment, is about 80,000. That's the one that is used for most of the work that's being done on cystic fibrosis.

From Neem Biotech 3 Nov 2017

Gene therapy prevents age-related learning and memory problems in mice

Researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute are the first to demonstrate that regulation of the brain's Klotho gene using gene therapy protects against age-related learning and memory problems in mice.

31 Oct 2017

Studying the nanomechanical properties of aging and cancerous cells using AFM

An interview with Prof. Igor Sokolov, Tufts University conducted by April Cashin-Garbutt, MA (Cantab).

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 31 Oct 2017

New discovery challenges basic assumptions about the brain's cellular makeup

A discovery made by Junhwan Kim, PhD, assistant professor at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, is challenging science's longstanding beliefs regarding the cellular makeup of the brain. This breakthrough was outlined in a study recently published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.

30 Oct 2017

UTHealth professor receives $2.6 million NIH award for brain research

The National Institutes of Health has presented its Maximizing Investigators' Research Award to Vasanthi Jayaraman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology with McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. It is a $2.6 million, five-year award.

30 Oct 2017

Novel molecule holds potential to become part of successful HIV vaccine

Researchers at the University of Maryland and Duke University have designed a novel protein-sugar vaccine candidate that, in an animal model, stimulated an immune response against sugars that form a protective shield around HIV. The molecule could one day become part of a successful HIV vaccine.

27 Oct 2017

UH professors developing new home test kit for kidney nephritis

With a four-year $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, two University of Houston engineering professors are developing a home test kit for kidney nephritis, or inflammation, in patients who have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

25 Oct 2017

Adopting healthy diet can help reverse risk of high triglycerides, despite genetic predisposition

Triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, are important for good health. But having high triglycerides might increase a person's risk of heart disease, and may be a sign of metabolic syndrome--a combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and too much fat accumulation at the waist.

25 Oct 2017

New discovery could speed development and approval of antiviral drugs

New research shows that a new class of antiviral drugs works by causing the virus' replication machinery to pause and backtrack, preventing the virus from efficiently replicating. This discovery, made possible by a high-throughput experimental technique called "magnetic tweezers," could speed the development and approval of related antiviral drugs.

25 Oct 2017

Research provides insight into how two stands of double helix separate during replication

Life would be impossible if the DNA in dividing cells were replicated with anything less than near-perfect precision. Every time a nucleated cell commits to becoming two cells, every "letter" of its genome must be replicated once and only once.

24 Oct 2017

UH scientists join effort by NSF to better understand natural disasters

Two University of Houston researchers are part of an effort by the National Science Foundation to better understand how disasters such as Hurricane Harvey happen and how best to respond.

23 Oct 2017

Research provides insight on Y-shape in proteins associated with glaucoma

So unheard of was what researchers discovered in a protein associated with glaucoma that for over two years they ran it through a gauntlet of lab tests and published a new research paper on it. The tests validated what they initially saw.

23 Oct 2017

New study explores how herpes simplex virus may change during familial transmission

A new study explores how herpes simplex virus might change when passed from one individual to another, information that may prove useful in future development of therapeutics and vaccines.

20 Oct 2017

New research provides insights into role of key cancer gene

New research represents a promising step towards better understanding of a key cancer gene. A long-running collaboration between researchers at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge, and the AstraZeneca IMED Biotech Unit reveals new insights into how the PTEN gene may control cell growth and behavior and how its loss contributes to the development and advancement of certain cancers.

19 Oct 2017