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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.

Borrowed immune system may help combat cancer

A new step in cancer immunotherapy: researchers from the University of Oslo/Oslo University Hospital and the Netherlands Cancer Institute show that even if one's own immune cells cannot recognize and fight their tumors, someone else's immune cells might.

20 May 2016

OpenZika project uses supercomputing power to identify potential drug candidates to cure Zika virus

Rutgers is taking a leading role in an IBM-sponsored World Community Grid project that will use supercomputing power to identify potential drug candidates to cure the Zika virus.

19 May 2016

Nanoparticle-based gene therapy may hold promise for patients with asthma

A new study has demonstrated a way to deliver a nanoparticle-based gene therapy, in order to repair lungs damaged by chronic allergic asthma and to reduce inflammation that causes asthma attacks.

19 May 2016

Penn State researchers link mutation in common virus to fatal brain disease

Why people on immunosuppressant drugs for autoimmune conditions have a higher incidence of an often-fatal brain disease may be linked to a mutation in a common virus, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

19 May 2016

Higher adolescent intake of saturated fat linked to higher dense breast volume in early adulthood

Consuming high amounts of saturated fat or low amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats as an adolescent was associated with higher breast density in young adulthood. Breast density is a risk factor for breast cancer.

19 May 2016

New research defies earlier belief that calcium channels function independently

Voltage-gated calcium channels open in unison, rather than independently, to allow calcium ions into and activate excitable cells such as neurons and muscle cells, researchers with UC Davis Health System and the University of Washington have found.

19 May 2016

New lab blood test may help identify HELLP syndrome in pregnant women

A laboratory blood test developed at Johns Hopkins for the diagnosis of a rare genetic red blood cell disorder also shows promise in identifying HELLP syndrome, a life-threatening high blood pressure condition affecting 1 percent of all pregnant women that causes hypertension along with end organ damage, researchers report in the May issue of the journal Experimental Hematology.

19 May 2016

Study shows expression of high-affinity TCRs linked with spontaneous control of HIV infection

A small number of patients infected by HIV spontaneously control viral replication without antiretroviral therapy, and do not develop the disease. The ability of these rare patients, known as "HIV controllers", to suppress HIV replication appears to be down to a highly effective immune response.

19 May 2016

Fluorescent proteins help trace viral infections

Researchers at Umea University have developed a new method to directly follow viral infections in living organisms. This method can make infected cells produce fluorescent proteins, which means that they light up and become easier to identify.

19 May 2016

Tecentriq drug gets FDA approval to treat urothelial carcinoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) to treat the most common type of bladder cancer, called urothelial carcinoma. This is the first product in its class (PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors) approved to treat this type of cancer.

19 May 2016

ProBioGen will license GlymaxX® to Thermo Fisher Scientific for use in developing allergy diagnostics

ProBioGen, a leading specialist for contract development and manufacturing of complex glycoproteins and corresponding technologies, today announced that Thermo Fisher Scientific has licensed its GlymaxX® technology for use in development of allergy diagnostics.

19 May 2016

Domestic water hardness linked to eczema risk in children

High levels of water hardness in the home may be linked to the development of eczema early in life, according to a new study led by King's College London.

18 May 2016

Maintaining balance of P1 and P2 isoforms vital for reducing colon cancer, colitis risk

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), of which Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the main types, is on the increase in the United States, affecting more than 1.6 million people and explaining perhaps the increase in advertisements offering treatments and cures.

18 May 2016

Crtc switch activated during fasting helps halt spread of intestinal bacteria into bloodstream

A molecular pathway that is activated in the brain during fasting helps halt the spread of intestinal bacteria into the bloodstream, according to a new study by a team of researchers at the Salk Institute.

18 May 2016

Drexel study shows how microtubules play vital role in keeping neurons on proper trajectory

As the human brain develops, neurons leave their birthplace and take a trip to distant locations. Once they reach their final destination, the neurons then send out axons and dendrites -- the branches that receive and send messages from other cells.

18 May 2016

KU Leuven research sheds new light on cure for HIV

Scientists from KU Leuven, Belgium, present a new therapeutic approach that may make it possible for HIV patients to (temporarily) stop their medication. The findings shed a completely new light on the search for a cure for HIV.

18 May 2016

Food components can have significant influence on immune system

An international team of researchers under the leadership of the LIMES Institute and the excellence cluster ImmunoSensation of the University of Bonn unraveled a new regulatory mechanism how food components and environmental factors influence the immune system.

18 May 2016

Researchers may be one step closer to curing HIV

18 May 2016

Research on immune system sets stage for novel approach to cancer immunotherapy

Basic research into the dual nature of certain immune system cells has set the stage for a new approach to cancer immunotherapy that avoids some of the shortcomings associated with other methods, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report in a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

17 May 2016

Many biomarkers for PD fail to inform on progression

Longitudinal monitoring of 30 tests for marker candidates in early Parkinson's disease has found that just 10 show significant changes commensurate with disease progression.

17 May 2016