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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.

Scientists identify new pathway that may protect brain from Alzheimer's disease

It is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease: Toxic protein fragments known as amyloid-β clumped together between neurons in a person's brain.

19 Aug 2015

Bacteria in gut may be the cause of uveitis in the eye

The inflammatory eye disorder autoimmune uveitis occurs when a person's immune system goes awry, attacking proteins in the eye. What spurs this response is a mystery, but now a study on mice suggests that bacteria in the gut may provide a kind of training ground for immune cells to attack the eye.

19 Aug 2015

Omeros reports additional positive data from OMS721 Phase 2 trial for treatment of thrombotic microangiopathies

Omeros Corporation today announced additional positive data in the company's Phase 2 clinical trial of OMS721 for the treatment of thrombotic microangiopathies (TMAs). TMAs are a family of rare, debilitating and life-threatening disorders characterized by excessive thrombi (clots) – aggregations of platelets – in the microcirculation of the body's organs, most commonly the kidney and brain.

18 Aug 2015

New project seeks to exploit insect oil

Surprised to see how the Dutch people, whose culture is alien to the consumption of insects, have expressed interest in entomology with a scientific and commercial vision, a Mexican researcher is working on a project that seeks to exploit the oil and protein of arthropods.

18 Aug 2015

Nuclear process in the brain may play critical role in health and disease

Every brain cell has a nucleus, or a central command station. Scientists have shown that the passage of molecules through the nucleus of a star-shaped brain cell, called an astrocyte, may play a critical role in health and disease.

18 Aug 2015

Reducing amyloid fibril levels in semen may help reduce transmission of HIV

There may be two new ways to fight AIDS -- using a heat shock protein or a small molecule - to attack fibrils in semen associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the initial phases of infection, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

18 Aug 2015

Scientists map 3-D atomic structure of protein complex that controls neurotransmitter release from brain cells

Scientists have revealed never-before-seen details of how our brain sends rapid-fire messages between its cells. They mapped the 3-D atomic structure of a two-part protein complex that controls the release of signaling chemicals, called neurotransmitters, from brain cells. Understanding how cells release those signals in less than one-thousandth of a second could help launch a new wave of research on drugs for treating brain disorders.

18 Aug 2015

Muscle mass appears to ward off bad cardiovascular effects of obesity

Even without losing fat, more muscle appears to go a long way in fighting off the bad cardiovascular effects of obesity. That emerging evidence has scientists looking hard for new targets to uncouple the unhealthy relationship between fat and cardiovascular disease.

18 Aug 2015

Newly developed technique delivers wireless power for optogenetics

A miniature device that combines optogenetics - using light to control the activity of the brain - with a newly developed technique for wirelessly powering implanted devices is the first fully internal method of delivering optogenetics.

18 Aug 2015

NBTY signs agreement to acquire Dr. Organic

NBTY, Inc., a global leader in vitamins, nutritional supplements and sports nutrition, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Dr. Organic, a leading naturally inspired skincare line in the UK. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close later this year.

17 Aug 2015

Omeros plans to file patent infringement lawsuit against Par

Omeros Corporation today, in response to investor questions, announced that it plans to file a patent infringement lawsuit against Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. and its subsidiary, Par Sterile Products, LLC in response to the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) filed by Par seeking FDA approval to market a generic version of Omeros' commercial drug Omidria (phenylephrine and ketorolac injection) 1%/0.3%.

17 Aug 2015

Researchers reveal how migrating tumour cells produce protein that helps set up home in bones

Cancer cells that migrate to the bone acquire a unique trait: They start to express the protein cathepsin K. Researchers from the University of Freiburg and the BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies have now solved why it is important for the migrating cells to produce this protein.

17 Aug 2015

Nitrogen oxides affect pollen of common ragweed plant

Pollen of the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) has higher concentrations of allergen when the plant is exposed to NO2 exhaust gases, according to findings of scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München. In addition, the study published in the journal 'Plant, Cell & Environment' indicates the presence of a possible new allergen in the plant.

17 Aug 2015

Determining the dynein-dynactin complex structure: an interview with Dr Gabriel C. Lander

This is a macromolecular assembly is made up of two components, dynein and dynactin, that works to move molecular cargo (organelles, RNA, vesicles, proteins, viruses) along microtubule highways within our cells.

16 Aug 2015

‘Medical foods’ for patients with rare IEMs may cause harm when not carefully managed

Many "medical foods" are designed to help manage patients with rare inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), and can help prevent serious and life-threatening complications. However, such special foods may cause harm in some patients when their use is not carefully monitored and managed, according to a research team led by scientists at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

14 Aug 2015

Prion protein could play a role in depression

The discovery of antidepressant drugs in the 1950s led to the first biochemical hypothesis of depression, known as the monoamine hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that an imbalance of certain brain chemicals is the key cause of depression.

14 Aug 2015

NSF awards EAGER grant to expand use of temperature-activated protein switches in neurons

Troy Zars, Mirela Milescu, and Lorin Milescu, faculty members of the Division of Biological Sciences and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at the University of Missouri, have been awarded an Early Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) from the National Science Foundation to expand the use of a temperature-activated protein switches in neurons. The new technology could lead to a better understanding of brain disorders in humans.

14 Aug 2015

Low-fat diets better than low-carb diets for weight loss, NIH study finds

In a recent study, restricting dietary fat led to body fat loss at a rate 68 percent higher than cutting the same number of carbohydrate calories when adults with obesity ate strictly controlled diets. Carb restriction lowered production of the fat-regulating hormone insulin and increased fat burning as expected, whereas fat restriction had no observed changes in insulin production or fat burning.

14 Aug 2015

Improved method for building proteins into antibodies

Some proteins exist so fleetingly in the bloodstream that they can't be given effectively as therapies. However, building them into larger proteins, such as antibodies, can make them persist long enough to be useful. Now a team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has devised an improved method for accomplishing this protein-engineering feat.

14 Aug 2015

3D protein structure reveals new drug targets for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases

Protein Kinase C (PKC) is a family of enzymes that controls the activity of other proteins in a cell by attaching chemical tags. That simple act helps determine cell survival or death.

14 Aug 2015