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Scientists identify molecular mechanisms that protect cells against mechanical stress

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) have identified the molecular mechanisms that allow our cells to adapt to, protect themselves against, and survive mechanical stress.

20 Dec 2019

Atomic-level structure of cardiac sodium channel

Atomic-level studies of the architecture of tiny sodium channel proteins, critical to generating electrical signals that start off each beat of the heart, are imparting striking details about their function, malfunctions, disruption by many disease mutations, and response to medication.

20 Dec 2019

Nanopores – the key to identifying amino acids in proteins

DNA and RNA sequencing has become the new watchword for the biological researchers, as this tells them exactly what is going on at cellular level in health and disease. However, it is a partial revelation unless we also know what is happening at the level of proteins as well.

19 Dec 2019

Severe skin and mucous membrane lesions may occur in children with bacterial pneumonia

Painful inflammatory lesions of the skin and mucous membranes may occur in children who develop bacterial pneumonia.

19 Dec 2019

Catastrophic macropinocytosis may aid in cancer treatment

In laboratory experiments, a metabolic inhibitor was able to kill a variety of human cancer cells of the skin, breast, lung, cervix and soft tissues through a non-apoptotic route -- catastrophic macropinocytosis.

18 Dec 2019

New paper-based test for early Lyme diagnosis

A new paper in the journal ACS Nano reports the development of an incredibly cheap and highly sensitive test to diagnose Lyme disease in its earliest stages, when it can be most easily, effectively and inexpensively treated.

18 Dec 2019

Paper-based blood test can quickly and sensitively diagnose early-stage Lyme disease

After a day hiking in the forest, the last thing a person wants to discover is a tick burrowing into their skin. Days after plucking off the bloodsucking insect, the hiker might develop a rash resembling a bull's-eye, a tell-tale sign of Lyme disease.

18 Dec 2019

U-M receives $20 million gift to support research and development of life-saving therapies

The University of Michigan has received a $20 million gift from the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, to support the research and development of life-saving therapies at Michigan Medicine in collaboration with other institutions.

18 Dec 2019

Nature’s own gene therapy

A brand-new technique of gene therapy was reported on December 16, 2019, in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. The scientists made use of the potential of human cells to produce biological nanoparticles chockful of edited genes, so that they could insert beneficial genes into people suffering from various disease processes.

17 Dec 2019

Targeting specific nuclear transport systems may lead to possible therapeutic strategies for cancer

Although less often the focus of cancer research, recent studies have hinted at the possible importance of a type of protein known as nuclear transport receptors.

17 Dec 2019

Researchers identify protein that is key for successful viral DNA uncoating

Viruses have been part of animals and humans for eons. When viruses invade a cell, they can infiltrate the nucleus with their genome and become part of the genome of the infected organism. Viruses transfer their genes between various organisms, as well as between tissues containing well differentiated cells inside a living creature. But how they uncoat their well-packed genes and release them to cause infection is largely unknown.

17 Dec 2019

Houston professor uses stem cells to develop next-generation biologic pacemakers

University of Houston associate professor of pharmacology Bradley McConnell is helping usher in a new age of cardiac pacemakers by using stem cells found in fat, converting them to heart cells, and reprogramming those to act as biologic pacemaker cells.

17 Dec 2019

New gene therapy has potential to reverse disease processes

Scientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of tiny nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes.

17 Dec 2019

Study sheds light on the origins of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7

New research has shed light on the origins of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) and demonstrates effective new therapeutic pathways for SCA7 and the more than 40 other types of spinocerebellar ataxia.

16 Dec 2019

Detection of mouth, throat cancer through saliva testing could become reality

Cancer of the throat and mouth (oropharyngeal cancers, OPC) are common, and are increasing in incidence especially among younger people. However, these are difficult to diagnose as they are not seen either by the patient or during routine medical examinations.

15 Dec 2019

NIH-funded research finds differences in energy use by immune T cells in ME/CFS

New findings published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggest that specific immune T cells from people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) show disruptions in the way they produce energy.

12 Dec 2019

Researchers examine p53-deficient colon cancer cells to identify how p53 impacts metabolic adaptation

Colon cancer cells deficient in p53, one of the most important control proteins in cell growth, activate a particular metabolic pathway to adapt to the lack of oxygen and nutrients inside the tumor. Statins, which are often prescribed to lower cholesterol, block this metabolic pathway and cause the cancer cells to die, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have now discovered.

12 Dec 2019

Mapping genetic links between diseases using data from electronic health records

Physicians use standard disease classifications based on symptoms or location in the body to help make diagnoses. These classifications, called nosologies, can help doctors understand which diseases are closely related, and thus may be caused by the same underlying issues or respond to the same treatments.

9 Dec 2019

'Achilles' heel' of deadly superbug identified

A deadly superbug that infects an estimated 54,500 Americans a year has a secret weapon, a protein, that allows it to defy antibiotic treatment and immune system attacks.

9 Dec 2019

New method to create artificial cells that are active and mimic living cells

Protocells - artificial cells - that are active and mimic living cells by moving independently and that are biocompatible and enzymatically active are now possible using an improved method developed by Penn State researchers.

9 Dec 2019

Membrane News and Research

Scientists identify molecular mechanisms that protect cells against mechanical stress

Atomic-level structure of cardiac sodium channel

Nanopores – the key to identifying amino acids in proteins

Severe skin and mucous membrane lesions may occur in children with bacterial pneumonia

Catastrophic macropinocytosis may aid in cancer treatment

New paper-based test for early Lyme diagnosis

Paper-based blood test can quickly and sensitively diagnose early-stage Lyme disease

U-M receives $20 million gift to support research and development of life-saving therapies

Nature’s own gene therapy

Targeting specific nuclear transport systems may lead to possible therapeutic strategies for cancer

Researchers identify protein that is key for successful viral DNA uncoating

Houston professor uses stem cells to develop next-generation biologic pacemakers

New gene therapy has potential to reverse disease processes

Study sheds light on the origins of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7

Detection of mouth, throat cancer through saliva testing could become reality

NIH-funded research finds differences in energy use by immune T cells in ME/CFS

Researchers examine p53-deficient colon cancer cells to identify how p53 impacts metabolic adaptation

Mapping genetic links between diseases using data from electronic health records

'Achilles' heel' of deadly superbug identified

New method to create artificial cells that are active and mimic living cells

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