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.

Chocoholics jump for joy - chocolate protects from heart attacks

The good news for chocolate lovers is that a small amount of chocolate each day helps protect the heart from disease.

25 Sep 2008

New technology to analyse human cells

A new technology which enables scientists to identify proteins by making a map of the energy flow inside the protein is revealed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

23 Sep 2008

Isoflavone dietary supplement improves the functioning of the arteries in stroke patients

A dietary supplement containing isoflavone - a chemical found in soybeans, chickpeas, legumes and clovers - can improve artery function in stroke patients according to new research published online in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal today.

23 Sep 2008

Chinese baby milk scandal spreads to countries across Asia

The latest victim of the Chinese baby milk scandal appears to be the head of the country's quality watchdog, who has resigned.

23 Sep 2008

Almost 13,000 Chinese babies now sick from contaminated milk

China's Health Ministry says almost 13,000 babies have been taken to hospital suffering from the effects of drinking milk contaminated with the chemical melamine - most 2 years old or younger and four children have already died.

22 Sep 2008

Genetic fishing expedition yields surprising catch important to mammals

Johns Hopkins investigators report the discovery of master controllers of a gene critical to human and all mammalian development by trawling, implausibly enough, through anonymous genetic sequences using tiny zebrafish embryos.

21 Sep 2008

New type of gene manipulation therapy offers hope for Duchenne muscular dystrophy sufferers

A medical research team at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte headed by Qi Long Lu, M.D., Ph.D., has made a discovery that holds promise to restore muscle function in patients afflicted by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

21 Sep 2008

Research provides new insights into how cells accessorize their proteins

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have gained new insight into how the cell's vast array of proteins would instantly be reduced to a confusion of lethally malfunctioning molecules without a system for proteins to "accessorize" in order to regulate their function.

21 Sep 2008

Review of drug delivery market

Combating losses due to patent expiries has become a high priority for pharmaceutical companies. Investing in new drug delivery technologies is becoming a critical strategy for them to maintain a strong presence in this cut-throat market as they offer the potential to enhance the life cycle of established drugs.

18 Sep 2008

Toxic baby milk shocks China

In China's latest food scare 6,000 babies have been poisoned and three babies have died from drinking baby milk tainted by the industrial chemical melamine.

18 Sep 2008

Muscle stem cell identity confirmed

A single cell can repopulate damaged skeletal muscle in mice, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who devised a way to track the cell's fate in living animals. The research is the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells encircling muscle fibers harbor an elusive muscle stem cell.

17 Sep 2008

British scientists to develop blood test for Alzheimer's

Researchers from Nottingham's two universities are joining forces to develop a simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.

17 Sep 2008

A blood marker may indicate Alzheimer's risk

A simple blood test capable of predicting if a person might develop Alzheimer's disease is within sight, and could eventually be used to help scientists reverse onset of the disease in those most at risk.

17 Sep 2008

New drug might make tumor cells more sensitive to therapy

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have shown that it might be possible to make tumor cells more sensitive to irradiation and some types of chemotherapy by treating them with a drug that cripples their ability to repair DNA damage caused by these therapies.

16 Sep 2008

New results help predict treatment response in colorectal cancer

Genetic testing can identify a group of patients with advanced colorectal cancer who are likely to survive on average twice as long if treated with the drug cetuximab, late breaking results show.

16 Sep 2008

Inherited one-hit gene mutation provides new opportunity for colon cancer prevention

More than 30 years ago, Alfred Knudson Jr., M.D., Ph.D., revolutionized the field of cancer genetics by showing that a person must lose both their paternal and maternal copies of a particular class of cancer-inhibiting genes, called tumor-suppressor genes, in order to develop cancer.

15 Sep 2008

Investigational drug shows promise in ovarian cancer

An investigational drug that combats ovarian cancer by inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels has shown promise in a phase II trial, according to a presentation at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm.

15 Sep 2008

DNA vaccine developed at the Karmanos Cancer Institute fights HER2-positive cancers

Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine have developed a HER2 DNA vaccine that has shown to be effective on drug resistant tumors in mice. The study was reported in the September 15 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

15 Sep 2008

Neuroscientists discover a critical early step of memory formation

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report in the July issue of Neuron how nerve cells in the brain ensure that Arc, a protein critical for memory formation, is made instantly after nerve stimulation. Paradoxically, its manufacture involves two other proteins - including one linked to mental retardation - that typically prevent proteins from being made.

14 Sep 2008

Domainex has core intellectual property rights granted for Europe

Domainex Ltd (Domainex), an innovative biopharmaceutical company, today announced the grant of European Patent No.1442134 for its Combinatorial Domain Hunting (CDH) Technology.

From Domainex 14 Sep 2008