Protein C News and Research

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Disruption of the spectrin-actin network leads to lens cell in the eye to lose their shape: Study

A network of proteins underlying the plasma membrane keeps epithelial cells in shape and maintains their orderly hexagonal packing in the mouse lens, say Nowak et al. The study will appear in the September 21, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (online September 14).

15 Sep 2009

Calcium stones and cell death is linked to prolonged stressful conditions

Study shows prolonged stress sparks ER to release calcium stores and induce cell death in aging-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and neurodegeneration

15 Sep 2009

Conserved protein modulates and protects heart function against aging

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have found that the conserved protein d4eBP modulates cardiac aging in Drosophila (fruit flies). The team also found that d4eBP, which binds to the protein dEif4e, protects heart function against aging.

15 Sep 2009

New 'adjuvant' developed by scientists could allow the creation of important new vaccines

Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new "adjuvant" that could allow the creation of important new vaccines, possibly become a universal vaccine carrier and help medical experts tackle many diseases more effectively.

15 Sep 2009

miR-200 supression shifts primary lung cancer to metastatic disease

Primary lung cancer shifts to metastatic disease by suppressing a family of small molecules that normally locks the tumor in a noninvasive state, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Sept. 15 edition of Genes and Development.

15 Sep 2009

Stimulating effect of bioactive collagen peptides in cell experiments demonstrated

Working in collaboration with Kiel University, researchers at the Kiel- based Collagen Research Institute (CRI) have demonstrated the stimulating effect of special bioactive collagen peptides (FORTIGEL(R)) in the context of cell experiments. Last weekend the CRI presented its research findings at the congress of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) in Montreal.

15 Sep 2009

Genetic switch that causes excessive mucus in the lungs identified

Scientists have identified the main genetic switch that causes excessive mucus in the lungs, a discovery that one day could ease suffering for people with chronic lung diseases like asthma and cystic fibrosis, or just those fighting the common cold.

15 Sep 2009

Positive results from Merck's Phase IIB clinical study of odanacatib for treating osteoporosis

New data from a Phase IIB clinical study of odanacatib, Merck & Co., Inc.'s oral, once-weekly investigational treatment for osteoporosis, showed that when stopping treatment after two years, the increases in lower back (lumbar spine) bone mineral density (BMD) were reversed over the next year, while BMD at the hip (femoral neck) remained above levels observed at the start of the study.

15 Sep 2009

New biological process stimulates the growth of blood vessels

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the College of Arts & Sciences have identified a new biological process that spurs the growth of new blood vessels.

15 Sep 2009

New protein substance could be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease

Gothenburg researchers have discovered a previously unknown substance in spinal fluid that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. The findings, described in a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, will also be useful in research on new medications.

15 Sep 2009

Sigma-Aldrich to distribute BioLife's HypoThermosol and CryoStor biopreservation media products

BioLife Solutions, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BLFS), a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of biopreservation tools for cells, tissues, and organs, today announced that Sigma-Aldrich(R) will distribute the Company's proprietary HypoThermosol and CryoStor biopreservation media products under the terms of a non-exclusive distribution agreement.

15 Sep 2009

Zabecor Pharmaceuticals initiates Phase II clinical trial of its Excellair asthma drug

ZaBeCor Pharmaceuticals ("ZaBeCor" or the "Company") announced today the initiation of a Phase II clinical trial for its asthma drug candidate Excellair™, following the successful results of the Company's Phase I clinical trials. ZaBeCor is one of the first companies to deliver siRNA to the lung and one of the first to target asthma with siRNA.

14 Sep 2009

Protalix Biotherapeutics reports completion of its Phase III trial of prGCD

Protalix Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE-Amex: PLX), announced the completion of its pivotal Phase III trial for prGCD, the Company’s proprietary plant-cell expressed recombinant form of glucocerebrosidase (GCD) for the treatment of Gaucher disease. The trial enrolled a total of 31 patients across Europe, North America, South America, Israel and South Africa. No serious adverse events were reported in this trial.

14 Sep 2009

Clinical data emphasizing on efficacy and potency of torezolid to be presented

Trius Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that 13 posters will be presented at the 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) supporting the potency, efficacy and safety of torezolid as a potential new antibiotic for the treatment of severe skin infections caused by gram positive bacteria including MRSA.

14 Sep 2009

Clinical study results of DAS181 against H1N1 influenza presented

NexBio, Inc. announced today the presentation of two studies of DAS181 activity against H1N1 influenza and NAI-resistant influenza at the 2009 Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) meeting on Sunday, September 13, 2009, in San Francisco, CA.

14 Sep 2009

Newly discovered molecular circuit helps maintain proper body metabolism

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered a molecular circuit involving heme that helps maintain proper metabolism in the body, providing new insights into metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.

14 Sep 2009

Prevention and treatment of pneumonia are critical to reducing child mortality

New World Health Organization data to be published in this week's edition of the Lancet will shed new light on two leading causes of pneumonia, the world's leading killer of children under age 5, both globally and within specific countries.

14 Sep 2009

Improved-resolution views of a zinc transporter protein deciphered

New, improved-resolution views of a zinc transporter protein deciphered at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provide not just a structure but also a suggested mechanism for how cells sense and regulate zinc, an element that is essential for life, but which must be kept at a steady state to avoid problems like seizures, diabetes, and possibly Alzheimer's disease.

14 Sep 2009

Master gene could lead to new ways of cancer treatments

The master gene that causes blood stem cells to turn into disease-fighting 'Natural Killer' (NK) immune cells has been identified by scientists, in a study published in Nature Immunology today. The discovery could one day help scientists boost the body's production of these frontline tumour-killing cells, creating new ways to treat cancer.

14 Sep 2009

Knowledge gap regarding the use of breast cancer tests

A new study finds that there is little information available about the use of new testing technologies and targeted therapies in breast cancer, specifically the anti-cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin).

14 Sep 2009