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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.

Study sheds light on fundamental cellular process

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have mapped the precise frequency by which genes get turned on across the human genome, providing new insight into the most fundamental of cellular processes-and revealing new clues as to what happens when this process goes awry.

9 Oct 2012

Scientists discover how protein deficiency may be linked to frontotemporal dementia

Using animal models, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how a protein deficiency may be linked to frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-a form of early-onset dementia that is similar to Alzheimer's disease. These results lay the foundation for therapies that one day may benefit those who suffer from this and related diseases that wreak havoc on the brain.

9 Oct 2012

Endotrophin may serve as novel therapeutic target for breast cancer

Fat cells (adipocytes) surround breast tumors and contribute to tumor growth by expressing factors that aid oncogenesis. Col6 is a protein that is highly expressed in adipocytes and its expression is further increased in both obesity and in breast cancer cells.

9 Oct 2012

Recombinant protein may treat male factor fertility

Male factor infertility resulting in failed oocyte activation from dysfunctional sperm phospholipase C-zeta may be remedied through the use of a recombinant form of the protein, leading to efficient blastocyst formation, say scientists.

8 Oct 2012

Genetic basis of uterine fibroids uncovered

A mutation located near the fatty acid synthase gene is associated with an increased predisposition for uterine leiomyomata or fibroids, suggest US study findings.

8 Oct 2012

Morphine inhibits BDNF protein, whereas cocaine enhances BDNF

Chronic morphine exposure has the opposite effect on the brain compared to cocaine in mice, providing new insight into the basis of opiate addiction, according to Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers. They found that a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is increased in cocaine addiction, is inhibited in opioid addiction. The research is published in the October 5 issue of Science.

8 Oct 2012

Merck receives non-exclusive license to use Delphi StabyExpress technology

Delphi Genetics SA has announced today a broad licensing agreement with a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, for the use of the StabyExpress technology, which allows high yield, cost effective protein expression without the use of antibiotics.

8 Oct 2012

Trevena reports completion of TRV027 Phase 2a study in advanced heart failure patients

Trevena, Inc., the leader in the discovery and development of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) biased ligands, today announced that it has successfully completed a Phase 2a study on the hemodynamic effects of TRV027 in patients with advanced heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

8 Oct 2012

Rainbow, Amarantus report joint venture agreement for NuroPro Parkinson's diagnostic platform

Rainbow Coral Corp. biotech subsidiary Rainbow BioSciences and Amarantus Biosciences have moved into the final stages of the terms for a deal. The pending joint venture agreement will see the two entities working together to move the Amarantus NuroPro Parkinson's diagnostic platform towards commercialization.

8 Oct 2012

Anesthetics and protein interactions: an interview with José A. Fernández

For a long time there was a controversy about how anesthetics work. The large number of molecules that have anesthetic properties (from benzodiazepines to nitrous oxide) and their very different structures...

8 Oct 2012

Researchers discover smallest and fastest-known RNA switches

A University of Michigan biophysical chemist and his colleagues have discovered the smallest and fastest-known molecular switches made of RNA, the chemical cousin of DNA. The researchers say these rare, fleeting structures are prime targets for the development of new antiviral and antibiotic drugs.

8 Oct 2012

NFKB1 gene variant may reduce risk of lung cancer

A variant in a gene involved with inflammation and the immune response is linked with a decreased risk of lung cancer. That is the finding of an analysis published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The results add to the growing body of literature implicating these processes in the development of lung cancer.

8 Oct 2012

Kaneka to launch new Protein A Chromatography Resin for purification of therapeutic antibodies

Kaneka Corporation on 19/09/2012, announces the launch of KANEKA KanCapA, a new Protein A Chromatography Resin for the purification of therapeutic antibodies.

8 Oct 2012

New insight into basis of opiate addiction

8 Oct 2012

CytoDyn announces update on feline immunodeficiency virus therapeutic antibody program

CytoDyn Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of new therapies for combating infection with immune deficiency viruses, announced today that it is presenting an update on its Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) therapeutic antibody program at the 19th West Coast Retrovirus meeting in Palm Springs, California.

8 Oct 2012

New light into evolution of human physiology and brain development

A skull fragment unearthed by anthropologists in Tanzania shows that our ancient ancestors were eating meat at least 1.5 million years ago, shedding new light into the evolution of human physiology and brain development.

6 Oct 2012

Without B-Raf and C-Raf proteins mice's fur turns white

These proteins are required for melanocyte stem cell self-maintenance and, as such, correct pigmentation throughout the mice's life span. Without these two proteins, the mice's fur turns white. Their research is published in the review 'Cell Report' and paves the way for serious possibilities in terms of stopping the formation of melanomas, tumours that originate from melanocyte cells.

6 Oct 2012

Rember revamped for Phase 3 testing in behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia

Rember—the blue dye that created a stir in 2008 when Phase 2 clinical trial data claimed that it slowed decline in people with Alzheimer's disease—has now been revamped for Phase 3 testing in another disease, behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD).

6 Oct 2012

Skin's outmost layer is the first line of defense against UV radiation

Reinhold Dauskardt, PhD, of Stanford's Department of Materials Science and Engineering has been studying skin for years. But when he sent his students to look for data on the mechanical properties of skin, they came back empty-handed. A lot was known about skin structure and disease, but few papers actually talked about its mechanical function - its ability to stretch and resist tension without tearing.

6 Oct 2012

Progress toward preventing initial and recurrent episodes of C. diff infection

Surgeons are making progress toward preventing initial and recurrent episodes of clostridium difficile colitis (C. difficile or C. diff), a vicious bacterial infection that is estimated to affect about 336,000 people each year, typically patients on antibiotics.

6 Oct 2012