Protein News and Research

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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.

Protein modification network plays vital role in cancer development

A review published in Genes & Diseases highlights the complex interplay between protein arginine methylation and ubiquitination, two forms of protein modification that can profoundly influence cancer development, progression and treatment response.

24 Sep 2026

Mount Sinai researchers discover how Alzheimer's gene damages blood vessels

Mount Sinai researchers have identified how APOE4, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, damages the brain's blood vessels and promotes the buildup of abnormal proteins linked to neurodegenerative disease.

24 Sep 2026

Review explores biological strategies of organisms with exceptional longevity

A new review was published in Volume 18 of Aging on September 8, 2026, titled "How to live for centuries: common denominators of organisms with exceptional longevity."

24 Sep 2026

Scientists uncover molecular mechanism that tunes eye light sensitivity

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have determined the mechanism by which a molecule within cells can help tune the light sensitivity of the eyes.

24 Sep 2026

Cornell study reveals hidden nutritional trade-offs in healthy food labels

A new analysis of nearly 150,000 food and beverage products launched in the United States over the past decade, found that products bearing health-related claims are not only not consistently healthier, they are sometimes less nutritious.

24 Sep 2026

Scientists discover the molecular mechanism behind instantaneous memory formation

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, President: OHNO Hideo, Ph.D.) has discovered molecular mechanism of synaptic facilitation, instantaneous strengthening of synaptic transmission, which may be physiological basis of instantaneous memory.

24 Sep 2026

Structural insights into synchronous calcium channel gating in muscle cells

Using cryo-electron microscopy, researchers at the Max Delbrück Center have revealed how muscle cell calcium channels open synchronously.

24 Sep 2026

Advances in chemistry and delivery are taking oligonucleotide medicines beyond rare diseases

A review in Cell Reports Medicine examines how advances in oligonucleotide chemistry and delivery have established ASOs and RNA interference therapies as a class of genetic medicines, with 21 oligonucleotides approved at the time of writing. It also identifies extrahepatic delivery, safety, target validation, individualized treatment, and data quality as priorities as the field expands into common diseases and explores AI-assisted development.

24 Sep 2026

Menopause leaves a blood protein signature linked to brain aging and Alzheimer’s risk

Researchers identified a 16-protein blood signature associated with menopause that tracked more strongly with reproductive hormones than chronological age and was largely replicated in an independent UK Biobank cohort. Higher menopause proteomic scores were also associated with less favorable proteomic aging estimates and poorer cognitive outcomes in older women, including incident Alzheimer’s dementia, although the observational evidence does not establish causality.

23 Sep 2026

A child's gut microbiome may offer early clues to type 1 diabetes risk

Researchers tracking 887 children at high genetic risk of type 1 diabetes identified three distinct patterns of gut microbiome maturation during early childhood. One pattern was associated with substantially higher risk of islet autoantibody seroconversion or type 1 diabetes, while host genetic background altered the risk associated with another pattern.

23 Sep 2026

Brain organoids reveal new clues for childhood epilepsy treatments

Tiny, year-old human brain organoids that mimic the brain of a newborn are providing new clues to potential treatments for a leading genetic cause of childhood epilepsy that typically manifests as the brain matures shortly after birth.

23 Sep 2026

Genetic system converts scar-forming cells into neurons to restore movement after spinal cord injury

What if cells that form scars after a spinal cord injury could become part of the repair process? Researchers have developed a genetic system that converts certain scar-forming cells into neurons, improving movement in mice and rats with spinal cord injuries.

23 Sep 2026

New AI tool predicts hydrogen positions to speed up drug discovery

New York University researchers have trained an AI model to learn chemical patterns associated with stability in drug-like molecules and accurately predict where their hydrogen atoms should be positioned.

23 Sep 2026

Cancer-related DNA changes may appear in blood years before diagnosis

Researchers found that genome-wide plasma cfDNA methylation profiles collected before diagnosis contained early molecular signatures associated with future prostate and breast cancer, with prostate silencer methylation providing the stronger risk stratification. Breast enhancer signals were weaker and varied by subtype and disease stage, indicating that cfDNA methylation may have greater value for risk assessment and surveillance than as a standalone diagnostic test.

23 Sep 2026

What links smoking, body fat, mental health, genes, and heart risk? Inflammation may be part of the answer

In a large UK Biobank study, higher levels of the chronic inflammation marker GlycA were associated with smaller heart chambers, thicker heart walls, impaired diastolic function, reduced stroke volume, and a 43% higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in the highest versus lowest GlycA group. Genetic susceptibility also modified the associations between environmental exposures, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk, while inflammatory proteins in the IL-1, TNF, and IL-6 pathways statistically mediated several of these associations.

23 Sep 2026

Higher ultra-processed food intake linked to multiple health risks

A higher ultra processed food (UPF) intake is linked to a heightened risk of several major chronic health issues, such as digestive diseases, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome/diabetes, as well as death, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal Family Medicine and Community Health.

22 Sep 2026

C-Path awards $1.7 million to advance five drug development projects

Critical Path Institute (C-Path) today announced that its Translational Therapeutics Accelerator has awarded $1,699,500 through five Bridging Research and Innovation in Drug Development Grants (BRIDGe).

22 Sep 2026

MLC1 auto-antibodies identified as possible trigger for NMOSD-like diseases

NMOSD is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder that damages support and supply cells in the central nervous system, known as astrocytes.

22 Sep 2026

City of Hope develops adaptive plug-and-play CAR T technology to attack tumors

Researchers from City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the country, have developed a new "plug-and-play" technology that adds engineered molecules to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells after treatment, allowing scientists to better control the cells and redirect them to attack different types of cancer.

22 Sep 2026

The FFS (Fight Fibrin Sheath) campaign launches to improve patient lives by tackling dialysis catheters' most common dysfunction

An international coalition of vascular access surgeons, nephrologists, researchers and industry partners today launched the Fight Fibrin Sheath (FFS) campaign, a clinician-led action group working collaboratively to advance research, education and innovation relating to fibrin sheath formation, and to improve vascular access outcomes for dialysis patients worldwide.

22 Sep 2026