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Findings provide better understanding of cell membrane components

Research conducted by Toyohashi University of Technology in collaboration with Tohoku University elucidated the fusion process of proteoliposomes with an artificial lipid bilayer and the mechanism behind this process.

1 Feb 2018

Researchers develop remote-controlled mechanogenetics system to target and kill cancer cells

A team of researchers has developed an ultrasound-based system that can non-invasively and remotely control genetic processes in live immune T cells so that they recognize and kill cancer cells.

15 Jan 2018

Researchers discover way to enhance effectiveness and safety of sonogenetics

Researchers at Duke University have discovered a way to enhance the effectiveness and safety of sonogenetics or ultrasonic modulation, emerging techniques that use sound waves to control the behavior of individual neurons or to promote tissue growth and wound healing in other cells.

3 Jan 2018

Researchers use Nobel prize-winning technology to zoom in and see vital kidney protein

Researchers have applied Nobel prize-winning microscope technology to uncover an ion channel structure that could lead to new treatments for kidney stones.

3 Jan 2018

Research clarifies role of zinc transport mechanism in onset of obstructive pulmonary diseases

Obstructive pulmonary disease is a collective term for refractory respiratory diseases with chronic airway inflammation and excessive mucus retention that are accompanied by airway obstruction.

28 Dec 2017

Scientists unravel structure of protein behind sense of touch

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the mystery of the structure of Piezo1, a member of a family of proteins that convert physical stimuli such as touch or blood flow into chemical signals.

21 Dec 2017

New small-molecule drug restores brain function, memory in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

An international team of researchers has shown that a new small-molecule drug can restore brain function and memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

5 Dec 2017

Overcoming Challenges of Assays of Complex Cellular Models with Real-Time Live-Cell Analysis

There's a continued drive towards making in vitro assays ever more translational towards in vivo models and ultimately the clinic. This ties in with the resurgence of phenotypic screening and is a response to the perceived poor translation of the traditional simple cell-based assays, often developed to study just single protein targets.

From Sartorius 5 Dec 2017

Powerful digital model replicates biological activity that precedes sudden cardiac death

Some heart disease patients face a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, which can happen when an arrhythmia -- an irregular heartbeat-- disrupts the normal electrical activity in the heart and causes the organ to stop pumping.

29 Nov 2017

Oncologists find new biomarker for breast cancer having poor prognosis

With the support of the FWF, an oncologist found a biomarker for breast cancer having a poor prognosis and developed two viable methods to detect it in tissue samples.

22 Nov 2017

Popular Alzheimer's drug shows promise in clinical trials for treating patients with sickle cell disease

A popular drug commonly used to treat Alzheimer's disease has shown promise in laboratory and clinical trials for treating patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).

7 Nov 2017

UTHealth professor receives $2.6 million NIH award for brain research

The National Institutes of Health has presented its Maximizing Investigators' Research Award to Vasanthi Jayaraman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology with McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. It is a $2.6 million, five-year award.

30 Oct 2017

New concise guide to pharmacology offers key information on major drug targets

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2017/18 is now available in the British Journal of Pharmacology. Published by Wiley on behalf of the British Pharmacological Society, the 440 page guide includes overviews of key properties for close to 1,700 human drug targets, identifies 3,500 ligands including more than 2,400 synthetic organic molecules and over 50 antibodies.

27 Oct 2017

Researchers uncover new molecular binding site that can influence electrical impulses in nerves

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have discovered a previously unknown molecular binding site that can influence electrical impulses in nerves.

27 Oct 2017

KU Leuven researchers identify new rapid response mechanism against bacterial infections

When bacteria enter our body, they kick-start a powerful immune response. But this chain of reactions doesn't fully account for our immediate responses. Researchers at KU Leuven, Belgium, show that so-called ion channels play a key role as 'first responders'.

23 Oct 2017

Dietary supplement could be promising therapeutic target for seizure disorders

Seizure disorders -- including epilepsy -- are associated with pathological hyperexcitability in brain neurons. Unfortunately, there are limited available treatments that can prevent this hyperexcitability.

13 Oct 2017

Fever in first trimester of pregnancy increases risk for birth defects, study shows

Fevers in a mother's first trimester of pregnancy increase the baby's risk for some heart defects and facial deformities such as cleft lip or palate, but exactly how this happens is unclear. Scientists have debated whether a virus or other infection causes the defects, or if fever alone is the problem.

12 Oct 2017

Duke researchers unravel how fever in early pregnancy increases risk for heart, facial birth defects

Researchers have known for decades that fevers in the first trimester of pregnancy increase risk for some heart defects and facial deformities such as cleft lip or palate. Exactly how this happens is unclear. Scientists have debated whether a virus or other infection source causes the defects, or if fever alone is the underlying problem.

10 Oct 2017

Brain shapes normal body patterning much earlier than previously thought

The brain plays an active and essential role much earlier than previously thought, according to new research from Tufts University scientists which shows that long before movement or other behaviors occur, the brain of an embryonic frog influences muscle and nerve development and protects the embryo from agents that cause developmental defects.

25 Sep 2017

IUPUI cell biologist receives $1.9 million grant to tackle age-related hearing loss

Cell biologist Benjamin J. Perrin of the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is advancing knowledge of age-related hearing loss with the goal of informing possible therapeutic cell-regeneration approaches to the often-debilitating problem.

14 Sep 2017