Biochemistry News and Research

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Novel diagnostic approach could pave way for earlier detection of Parkinson's disease

Hebrew University doctoral student Suaad Abd-Elhadi has won a Kaye Innovation Award for her work on a new diagnostic approach that could pave the way for early diagnosis of one of the most common and debilitating neurodegenerative disorders.

6 Jul 2017

Emory scientists show how same enzyme spurs Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are not the same. They affect different regions of the brain and have distinct genetic and environmental risk factors.

4 Jul 2017

Scientists develop new class of pain medication without dangerous side effects

Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin at Campus Benjamin Franklin have developed a new class of pain medication.

4 Jul 2017

Scientists find new clues to how RSV causes disease

By age 2, most children have been infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which usually causes only mild cold symptoms. But people with weakened immune systems, such as infants and the elderly, can face serious complications, including pneumonia and -- in some cases -- death.

30 Jun 2017

Scientists discover, count and determine new mitochondrial proteome in baker's yeast

Mitochondria, best known for their role as powerhouses of eukaryotic cells, fulfill numerous vital functions. Knowledge about the precise protein composition as well as the functions of individual proteins is essential to understand fundamental processes of cell biology and diseases that are caused by cellular defects.

29 Jun 2017

Research presents crystal structure of enzyme implicated in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases

A Stony Brook University-led team of researchers has determined the structure of a key enzyme involved with cell growth regulation in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.

28 Jun 2017

Researchers shed light on molecular mechanisms of ovarian cancer metastasis

With 20,000 diagnoses each year, ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer and fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.

28 Jun 2017

Mouse study uncovers key molecular player in heart enlargement

The heart is a dynamic muscle that grows and shrinks in response to stressors such as exercise and disease. The secret to its malleability lies in individual cells, which get bigger or smaller depending on the heart's needs.

27 Jun 2017

Researchers uncover three-dimensional structure of tetanus toxin protein

"Our discovery could be used to design new medicines", says Pål Stenmark, Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University.

27 Jun 2017

Chronic lack of sleep reduces cognitive abilities, negatively impacts physical health

A chronic lack of sleep not only impairs cognitive abilities but also increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

24 Jun 2017

Combined effect of genetic change and ozone exposure could increase risk for autism

A new analysis shows that individuals with high levels of genetic variation and elevated exposure to ozone in the environment are at an even higher risk for developing autism than would be expected by adding the two risk factors together.

23 Jun 2017

Pathogen linked to seafood poisoning disarms key host defense system by paralyzing cell's skeleton

The leading cause of acute gastroenteritis linked to eating raw seafood disarms a key host defense system in a novel way: It paralyzes a cell's skeleton, or cytoskeleton.

23 Jun 2017

Popular prostate drug has negative impact on men's overall health, study suggests

Treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with the commonly prescribed Avodart (Dutsteride) may put men at an increased risk for diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and worsening erectile dysfunction.

22 Jun 2017

Scientists develop novel enzyme technology that prevents formation of biofilms

Have you ever heard of biofilms? They are slimy, glue-like membranes that are produced by microbes, like bacteria and fungi, in order to colonize surfaces.

22 Jun 2017

Cells key to blood vessel formation can also produce tumors and enable their spread

While it's widely held that tumors can produce blood vessels to support their growth, scientists now have evidence that cells key to blood vessel formation can also produce tumors and enable their spread.

20 Jun 2017

CCNY scientists develop rapid method for preparing molecules with potential against HIV

As the HIV/AIDS epidemic approaches its fourth decade, each year brings promising news of pioneering research to alleviate the scourge.

20 Jun 2017

Automated rapid blood test provides accurate malaria diagnosis

Diagnosing malaria has been a very time-consuming and error-prone process up to now. Together with his Dutch colleague Jan van den Boogaart, Professor Oliver Hayden from the Technical University of Munich has now developed an automated rapid blood test that provides an accurate diagnosis in almost 100 percent of cases.

16 Jun 2017

Study finds that molecular decoy can target and reduce UTI-causing bacteria in the gut

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections, and they tend to come back again and again, even when treated. Most UTIs are caused by E. coli that live in the gut and spread to the urinary tract.

15 Jun 2017

Experimental drug suppresses new defective PTEN cancer pathway, study finds

A collaboration between Saïd M. Sebti, Ph.D., chair of Moffitt Cancer Center's Drug Discovery Department, and Michele Pagano, M.D., chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at New York University's Langone Medical Center, led to the publication of an important study in the latest issue of Nature.

14 Jun 2017

UNC study uncovers crucial function of key enzyme found in virtually all organisms

UNC School of Medicine researchers have cracked a long-standing mystery about an important enzyme found in virtually all organisms other than bacteria.

13 Jun 2017