Mycology News and Research

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Viamet initiates phase 2 clinical trial of antifungal agent VT-1161 for treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis

Viamet Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of the phase 2 clinical program for its antifungal agent VT-1161. The initial phase 2 study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of VT-1161 in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and is being conducted at leading clinical centers in the United States.

7 Sep 2013

Disease Twofer: Parkin Problem Leads To Parkinson’S And Impairs Response To TB

University of California, San Francisco researchers report that a key protein associated with Parkinson's disease also plays a major role in the destruction of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis.

5 Sep 2013

Parkin protein plays key role in destruction of bacteria that cause tuberculosis

A protein at the center of Parkinson's disease research now also has been found to play a key role in causing the destruction of bacteria that cause tuberculosis, according to scientists led by UC San Francisco microbiologist and tuberculosis expert Jeffery Cox, PhD.

5 Sep 2013

Researchers identify possible treatment strategy for ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers have tied mutations in a gene that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative disorders to the toxic buildup of certain proteins and related molecules in cells, including neurons. The research, published recently in the scientific journal Cell, offers a new approach for developing treatments against these devastating diseases.

29 Aug 2013

Glutathione peroxidase activity protects against symptoms of Huntington's disease

Leicester geneticists have discovered a potential defence against Huntington's disease - a fatal neurodegenerative disorder which currently has no cure.

26 Aug 2013

Scientists discover that chromosomal rearrangements can be advantageous

In a pioneer study published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Communications, a research team at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci-ncia (IGC; Portugal), led by Miguel Godinho Ferreira in collaboration with Isabel Gordo, show for the first time that chromosomes rearrangements (such as inversions or translocations) can provide advantages to the cells that harbor them depending on the environment they are exposed.

23 Aug 2013

FDA approves first mass spectrometer system in U.S. for identification of bacteria, yeasts

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing in the U.S. of the first mass spectrometer system for automated identification of bacteria and yeasts that are known to cause serious illness in humans.

22 Aug 2013

Probiotic does not prevent clinical relapse in patients with Crohn's disease

Despite previous data showing beneficial effects, the probiotic Saccharomuces boulardii (S. boulardii) does not prevent clinical relapse in patients with Crohn's disease, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

16 Aug 2013

Chemical compound prevents fungal cells from adhering to surfaces

Targeting serious and sometimes deadly fungal infections, a team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) has discovered a chemical compound that prevents fungal cells from adhering to surfaces, which, typically, is the first step of the infection process used by the human pathogen Candida albicans (C. albicans).

14 Aug 2013

Bacterial strains that delay cell division might be used to design drugs that stop division entirely

In 1958 a group of scientists working in Denmark made the striking observation that bacterial cells are about twice as large when they are cultured on a rich nutrient source than when they are cultured on a meager one.

13 Aug 2013

Penn State researchers find that protein changes can control gene functions

A Penn State-led research team has found that changes to proteins called histones, which are associated with DNA, can control whether or not a gene is allowed to function. The changes may be important in maintaining the genes' "expression potential" so that future cells behave as their parent cells did.

8 Aug 2013

Cancer-linked mitosis: an interview with Professor Scott Kern, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Mitosis is the process by which a cell gives rise to two daughter cells. It’s the basis behind the growth of the human body, the renewal of the human body as it ages, and unfortunately, the growth of cancers.

7 Aug 2013

American Academy of Microbiology issues new report on West Nile Virus

Where does the virus come from? How is it spread? Can we predict when and where outbreaks will occur? What factors determine how sick a person will become if they are infected with West Nile virus?

19 Jul 2013

Texas scientists develop new medium for cultivation of beneficial microorganisms

Texas A&M University System scientists from the departments of nutrition and food science and poultry science have developed a new medium for the cultivation of beneficial microorganisms called lactobacilli.

4 Jul 2013

Study offers new insights into how genome gets regulated by signalling molecules within human cells

There's not much difference between what makes a man and what makes his beer - at least at the molecular level - according to a new study led by Professor John Schwabe at the University of Leicester.

2 Jul 2013

Researchers receive NIH grant to study 3-D structure of Plasmodium's genome during parasite's erythrocytic cycle

Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the developing world, with the absence of a vaccine and the development of parasite resistance to commonly used antimalarial drugs complicating efforts to fight the deadly disease.

28 Jun 2013

BioFire Diagnostics' FilmArray Blood Culture Identification Panel receives FDA clearance

BioFire Diagnostics, Inc., announced today the FDA clearance of its FilmArray Blood Culture Identification Panel. To date, the 27-target panel is the most comprehensive test to be approved by the FDA.

26 Jun 2013

Researchers discover key role of RAP1 gene in obesity

The discovery of an unexpected function for a gene that was associated to another process in the organism might be a solution in search of a problem, a clue to unsuspected connections. That is what has happened with RAP1, a gene that protects telomeres- the ends of chromosomes-after researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre surprisingly discovered its key role in obesity.

21 Jun 2013

UCSF researchers discover memory-boosting molecule in mice

Memory improved in mice injected with a small, drug-like molecule discovered by UCSF San Francisco researchers studying how cells respond to biological stress.

15 Jun 2013

GSA selects five early career researchers as recipients of fall 2013 DeLill Nasser Award

The Genetics Society of America is pleased to announce the selection of five early career researchers - one graduate student and four postdoctoral researchers - as recipients of a fall 2013 DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics.

12 Jun 2013