Protein C News and Research

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Gene discovery unveils a new protein that protects against hearing loss

Discovery of a deafness-causing gene defect in mice has helped identify a new protein that protects sensory cells in the ear, according to a study by University of Iowa and Kansas State University researchers. The findings appear in the August 21 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

24 Aug 2009

Ends of protein templates useful for arresting growth of cancerous cells

The tail ends of cellular protein templates, regions often thought relatively inconsequential, may actually play a role in preventing normal cells from becoming cancerous. The finding from scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical research is reported in the August 20 edition of Cell.

21 Aug 2009

Results of PCF funded study could impact the standard of care for prostate cancer patients

Twice-yearly intravenous infusion with denosumab, a new targeted therapy to stop bone loss, increased bone density and prevented spinal fractures in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. The report from an international research study, the first to document reduced fracture risk in men receiving the hormone-blocking treatment, was published today in the print edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Both fundamental research on rank ligand (RANKL) in prostate cancer bone metastasis and other molecular factors involved in the denosumab study were supported at Massachusetts General Hospital with funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).

21 Aug 2009

Research study discovers lethal effects of tetracycline and chloramphenicol against certain bacterial strains

By studying the intricate mechanisms at work in protein production, a Princeton-led team has discovered why certain kinds of antibiotics are so effective. In doing so, they also have discovered how one protein protects against cell death, shedding light on a natural cancer-fighting process.

21 Aug 2009

Researchers develop new ways for splitting dangerous pair of cancer proteins

A research team led by U of T Mississauga scientists has developed a new way to split up a dangerous pair of cancer proteins, a finding that could ultimately lead to chemotherapy that is more effective and has fewer side effects.

21 Aug 2009

Genetic engineering technique used to treat bowel disorders

For the first time, scientists have used a genetically engineered "friendly" bacterium to deliver a therapy.

21 Aug 2009

Study reveals that brain damage in amateur boxers can be detected by a blood test

A blood test can now be used to detect brain damage in amateur boxers. Deterioration of nerve cells seems to occur even after a two-month break from boxing. This is shown in a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

21 Aug 2009

NY-ESO-1 recombinant proteins to be used in clinical trials for treating melanoma and ovarian cancer

The Bioproduction Facility at Cornell University has produced the first batch of NY-ESO-1 recombinant protein-a cancer vaccine-that will be used in clinical trials for patients facing either ovarian cancer or melanoma. The facility was developed as a partnership between The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Cornell University.

21 Aug 2009

New discovery on cellular fusion

Success in soccer sometimes comes with "bending it like Beckham." Success in cellular fusion - as occurs at the moment of conception and when nerve cells exchange neurotransmitters - requires that a membrane be bent before the merging process can begin, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have shown.

20 Aug 2009

Shape-changing in proteins opens new avenue for drug discovery

Computational biologists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have shown that proteins have an intrinsic ability to change shape, and this is required for their biological activity. This shape-changing also allows the small molecules that are attracted to a given protein to select the structure that permits the best binding. That premise could help in drug discovery and in designing compounds that will have the most impact on protein function to better treat a host of diseases.

20 Aug 2009

RBC Life Sciences reports on patent-pending, nutritional supplement

RBC Life Sciences, Inc., a provider of proprietary nutritional supplements and wound care/pain management products, announced today the debut of NeuroBright(TM), a patent-pending, nutritional supplement that improved test subjects' learning and memory skills by 50 percent during a recent laboratory trial.

20 Aug 2009

Nutrisystem's 28-Day program maintains an affordable per-meal cost

Nutrisystem, Inc., a leading provider of weight management products and services that are delivered directly to the customers' doors, announced today that its popular 28-Day Nutrisystem Select program now includes an additional week of delicious fresh-frozen entrees - all for the same low monthly cost.

20 Aug 2009

New strategy found to increase the efficacy of protein-based drugs

A new method for attaching a large protective polymer molecule to a protein appears to improve protein drugs significantly.

20 Aug 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center: Human gut bacteria ward off Toxoplasma gondii

Immunology researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that bacteria present in the human gut help initiate the body's defense mechanisms against Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis.

20 Aug 2009

New tool for scientists - light used to manipulate cell movement

One of the biggest challenges in scientists' quest to develop new and better treatments for cancer is gaining a better understanding of how and why cancer spreads. Recent breakthroughs have uncovered how different cellular proteins are turned 'on' or 'off' at the molecular level, but much remains to be understood about how protein signaling influences cell behavior.

19 Aug 2009

Newly discovered anti-aging gene linked to high blood pressure

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have shown the first link between a newly discovered anti-aging gene and high blood pressure. The results, which appear this month in the journal Hypertension, offer new clues on how we age and how we might live longer.

19 Aug 2009

CEL-SCI expands work on current H1N1 virus vaccine

CEL-SCI Corporation has announced that it is expanding the scope of its work towards creating a novel treatment and vaccination against the current H1N1 virus, as well as a future mutated form in which the virus has acquired greater morbidity and mortality.

19 Aug 2009

Genetic mutation that helps regulate high blood pressure is a cause of inherited kidney disease

The discovery provides insight into a protein, renin, that is important in blood pressure regulation, and reveals the cause of one type of inherited kidney disease occurring in adults and children, said co-investigator Anthony Bleyer, M.D., professor of internal medicine-nephrology at the School of Medicine.

19 Aug 2009

Light-activated delivery system enhances anti-tumour drug potency

The effects of tumour-targeting drugs in mice are significantly enhanced by PCI Biotech's light-activated delivery system, a new study shows. Researchers say this dual therapy approach could be employed to increase the effect and lower the side effects of anti-cancer drugs in humans.

19 Aug 2009

Discovery of mechanism that allows hepatitis C virus to remain in the body for decades

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows that the virus blocks the actions of a specific ion channel in the cell membrane that would usually trigger apoptosis - the cell's self-destruct programme - and in doing so, has evolved another way of protecting itself from being eliminated from the body.

19 Aug 2009