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.

New UCSF-led study links obesity to development of chronic kidney disease

A new UCSF-led study of nearly 3,000 individuals links obesity to the development of kidney disease. The work also shows that, when properly measured, declines in kidney function are detectable long before the emergence of other obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

14 Dec 2013

Gilead Sciences gets FDA approval for once-daily single tablet HIV-1 regimen Complera

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the single tablet HIV-1 regimen Complera (emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for use in certain virologically-suppressed (HIV RNA <50 copies/mL) adult patients on a stable antiretroviral regimen in order to replace their current antiretroviral treatment regimen. Complera was first approved in 2011 for patients new to therapy and is now one of the most widely-prescribed HIV regimens in the United States.

13 Dec 2013

Health Canada approves Genzyme's Lemtrada for adults with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today that Health Canada has approved Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for the management of adult patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, with active disease defined by clinical and imaging features, who have had an inadequate response to interferon beta or other disease-modifying therapies.

13 Dec 2013

Skin cells can migrate over regions devoid of support from extracellular matrix

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore have discovered that outer skin cells are able to unite to form suspended "bridges" during wound healing. The new findings will pave the way for tissue engineering, such as the design of artificial skin, and better wound treatment.

13 Dec 2013

Spaceflights cause cellular-level damage and may lead to long-term vision problems

Those who travel to space are rewarded with a beautiful sight - planet Earth. But the effects of space travel on the human sense of sight aren't so beautiful. More than 30 percent of astronauts who returned from two-week space shuttle missions and 60 percent who spent six months aboard the International Space Station were diagnosed with eye problems. Two recent investigations examined mechanisms that may explain eye changes in spaceflight, help find ways to minimize this health risk to astronauts and eventually prevent and treat eye diseases on Earth.

13 Dec 2013

Polyunsaturated fatty acids play key role in embryonic development

One classical question in developmental biology is how different tissue types arise in the correct position of the developing embryo. While one signaling pathway that controls this process has been well described, unexpected findings from a team led by Carnegie's Steven Farber reveal the importance of polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in this process. It is published online December 12 in Developmental Cell.

13 Dec 2013

Dasatinib+letrozole improves survival for women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer

Adding the drug dasatinib to a standard antihormone therapy, letrozole, doubled the time before disease progressed for women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, according to results of a phase II clinical trial presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.

13 Dec 2013

Transport of bacterial substrates through injectisome observed almost in real time

When attacking body cells, bacteria, such as salmonellae or Yersinia (plague pathogens), inject specific bacterial proteins through hollow, syringe-like structures - called injectisomes - into the host cells. These substances reprogram the cells and can thus overcome their defense. From then on, they can infiltrate the cells unhindered in large numbers, and trigger diseases such as typhus, plague, or cholera.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers uncover second rare genetic mutation linked to higher risk of Alzheimer's disease

A research team from The University of Nottingham has helped uncover a second rare genetic mutation which strongly increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers discover completely new targets for treatment of blood cancers

A particularly aggressive form of leukemia is the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is especially common among children and very difficult to treat. Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have now discovered completely new targets for the treatment of blood cancers.

13 Dec 2013

Protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells that fight against bacteria

A protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells -- critical players in the body's fight against bacteria and other pathogens -- rendering them unable to protect against bacterial spread in the body, according to researchers at Duke Medicine and Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS).

13 Dec 2013

Names of 2014 Breakthrough Prize winners in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences unveiled

The names of the 2014 Breakthrough Prize winners in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences were unveiled at an exclusive ceremony at the NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA. At a total awarded amount of $21 million, sponsored by Sergey Brin & Anne Wojcicki, Jack Ma & Cathy Zhang, Yuri & Julia Milner and Mark Zuckerberg & Priscilla Chan, the prizes aim to celebrate scientists and generate excitement about the pursuit of science as a career.

13 Dec 2013

New treatment options for diabetic wound healing in cornea and skin

Diabetes Mellitus (DM), a metabolic disorder that affects nearly 170 million people worldwide, is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia that disrupts carbohydrate fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. DM can cause long-term damage, dysfunction and even failure of various organs.

13 Dec 2013

Vaccines for whooping cough contain 3 to 5 protective antigens

Vaccines for whooping cough contain three to five protective antigens, the presence of which are critical to the vaccine's effectiveness. But one of the antigens, pertactin, which had been present in almost all isolates of Bordetella pertussis in the US as late as 2010, is now absent from more than half of them, according to a paper published ahead of print in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers find way to stop first part of breast cancer metastasis in mice

Cell biologists at Johns Hopkins have identified a unique class of breast cancer cells that lead the process of invasion into surrounding tissues. Because invasion is the first step in the deadly process of cancer metastasis, the researchers say they may have found a weak link in cancer's armor and a possible new target for therapy.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers caution pregnant women about eating red and processed meats

Pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant can make use of the holiday season to adjust their diets and reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute.

13 Dec 2013

New treatment needed for women with HER2- and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with PIK3CA mutation

Women with breast cancer characterized by high levels of the protein HER2 and hormone receptors gained much less benefit from presurgery treatment with chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapies if their cancer had one or more mutations in the PIK3CA gene, according to results presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.

12 Dec 2013

Circulating nucleosomes and colorectal cancer diagnostics: an interview with Dr. Stefan Holdenrieder, University Hospital Bonn

For my MD thesis I modified and evaluated an immunological assay that detected the cell death products “nucleosomes” as a new blood-based cancer biomarker. As cell death processes are enhanced or suppressed during different stages of tumor development, it was assumed that they may enable stage-dependent detection of cancer disease.

12 Dec 2013

Combination therapy safe and active in follicular lymphoma

One drug attacks tumor cells directly, the other treats the immune system by taking the brakes off T cell response.

12 Dec 2013

Mitochondrial enzyme SIRT5 regulates proteins involved in metabolism

The Sirtuin family of protein deacylases has received considerable attention in recent years due to its links to longevity, diabetes, cancer, and metabolic regulation.

12 Dec 2013

Protein News and Research

Further Reading

New UCSF-led study links obesity to development of chronic kidney disease

Gilead Sciences gets FDA approval for once-daily single tablet HIV-1 regimen Complera

Health Canada approves Genzyme's Lemtrada for adults with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

Skin cells can migrate over regions devoid of support from extracellular matrix

Spaceflights cause cellular-level damage and may lead to long-term vision problems

Polyunsaturated fatty acids play key role in embryonic development

Dasatinib+letrozole improves survival for women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer

Transport of bacterial substrates through injectisome observed almost in real time

Researchers uncover second rare genetic mutation linked to higher risk of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers discover completely new targets for treatment of blood cancers

Protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells that fight against bacteria

Names of 2014 Breakthrough Prize winners in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences unveiled

New treatment options for diabetic wound healing in cornea and skin

Vaccines for whooping cough contain 3 to 5 protective antigens

Researchers find way to stop first part of breast cancer metastasis in mice

Researchers caution pregnant women about eating red and processed meats

New treatment needed for women with HER2- and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with PIK3CA mutation

Circulating nucleosomes and colorectal cancer diagnostics: an interview with Dr. Stefan Holdenrieder, University Hospital Bonn

Combination therapy safe and active in follicular lymphoma

Mitochondrial enzyme SIRT5 regulates proteins involved in metabolism

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