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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.

Two abnormalities associated with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes

A new University of Iowa study suggests there are two root causes of a type of diabetes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). The findings, which already have sparked a clinical trial, may guide development of new treatments or even help prevent diabetes in patients with CF.

18 Sep 2012

Researchers to probe causes, treatments of toxic reactions in blood plasma

In the largest undertaking of its kind, scientists at four leading U.S. research institutions are embarking upon a five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study to make blood transfusions safer and more effective by uncovering the exact causes of hemoglobin toxicity.

18 Sep 2012

Positive data from Aprea’s APR-246 Phase I/II study on blood or prostate cancer

Aprea today announced positive data from a completed Phase I/II clinical study with its investigational drug APR-246. The results from the study have been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

18 Sep 2012

New light-based technique demonstrates that toxic proteins build up gradually in blood cells

A new light-based technique for measuring levels of the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) has been used to demonstrate that the protein builds up gradually in blood cells. Published today (17th) in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the findings shed light on how the protein causes damage in the brain, and could be useful for monitoring the progression of HD, or testing new drugs aimed at suppressing production of the harmful protein.

18 Sep 2012

Important data from Pfizer’s lung cancer and RCC portfolios to be presented at ESMO Congress

Pfizer Oncology today announced that important data from its lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) portfolios will be presented at the upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Vienna, Austria, September 28 - October 2, 2012.

18 Sep 2012

Researchers obtain first detailed and complete picture of PRC2 protein

The first detailed and complete picture of a protein complex that is tied to human birth defects as well as the progression of many forms of cancer has been obtained by an international team of researchers led by scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

18 Sep 2012

UCSF-led research team targets physiological factors that lead to asthma attack

A new study that identifies ways to reduce the factors that lead to an asthma attack gives hope to asthma sufferers. A UCSF researcher and his colleagues believe they have found a way to help asthma sufferers by impeding the two most significant biological responses that lead to an asthma attack.

18 Sep 2012

Scripps Florida scientist receives two grants to focus on sulfenylation

A scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a pair of grants totaling $2.8 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, and from TargAnox, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology firm.

18 Sep 2012

Modifying fat intake during pregnancy benefits children regardless of mother's size

If you are overweight and pregnant, your baby isn't destined to a life of obesity after all, according to a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal. In the report, a team of U.S. scientists show that modifying fat intake during pregnancy to a moderate level is enough to benefit the child regardless of the mother's size.

17 Sep 2012

Single HPV protein is required for cervical cancer growths to survive

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has long been implicated in cervical cancer, but details of how it happens have remained a mystery. Now researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that a single HPV protein is required for cervical cancer and even pre-cancer growths in the cervix to survive.

17 Sep 2012

Scientists solve co-crystal structure of human antibody that can neutralize influenza viruses

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and Sea Lane Biotechnologies have solved the co-crystal structure of a human antibody that can neutralize influenza viruses in a unique way.

17 Sep 2012

Researchers identify gene mutations in Wolfram syndrome that affects insulin-secreting beta cells

The rare disorder Wolfram syndrome is caused by mutations in a single gene, but its effects on the body are far reaching. The disease leads to diabetes, hearing and vision loss, nerve cell damage that causes motor difficulties, and early death.

17 Sep 2012

Limited positive effect of Tafamidis in neurological disorders

Tafamidis meglumine was approved in November 2011 for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis in adults.

17 Sep 2012

Natural antibiotic to treat tuberculosis

A natural product secreted by a soil bacterium shows promise as a new drug to treat tuberculosis report scientists in a new study published in EMBO Molecular Medicine. A team of scientists working in Switzerland has shown how pyridomycin, a natural antibiotic produced by the bacterium Dactylosporangium fulvum, works.

17 Sep 2012

Progenra’s P5091 inhibits growth of bortezomib resistant multiple myeloma tumor cells

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Progenra, Inc. announce the publication of a research article entitled "A Small Molecule Inhibitor of Ubiquitin-Specific Protease-7 Induces Apoptosis in Multiple Myeloma Cells and Overcomes Bortezomib Resistance."

17 Sep 2012

MVK mutations linked to disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis

A Chinese research team, led by Anhui Medical University and BGI, has found the strong genetic evidences of mevalonate kinase gene (MVK) mutations link to disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP).

17 Sep 2012

Study could reveal whether breast cancer patients with BRCA mutations are responsive to Veliparib

Ongoing research at the Methodist Cancer Center could reveal whether metastatic breast cancer patients with BRCA gene mutations are particularly responsive to a drug regimen that includes Veliparib, an investigational drug believed to hamper cancer cells.

15 Sep 2012

‘C’ variant disrupts brain connectivity in children with ASD

Over the past decade, researchers have made great strides in identifying genes that lead to an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which result in a continuum of social deficits, communication difficulties and cognitive delays. But it's still critical to determine how exactly these genetic risk factors impact the brain's structure and function so that better treatments and interventions can be developed.

15 Sep 2012

Pancreatic B-cell dedifferentiation leads to decline in insulin production in type 2 diabetes

Scientists generally think that reduced insulin production by the pancreas, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, is due to the death of the organ's beta cells. However, a new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers shows that beta cells do not die but instead revert to a more fundamental, undifferentiated cell type.

15 Sep 2012

Experimental diabetes drug shows promise against Alzheimer's

A drug designed for diabetes sufferers could have the potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, a study by scientists at the University of Ulster has revealed.

15 Sep 2012