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Measuring biological samples using SNAP

My group is interested in host pathogen interaction and we mainly focus on how bacteria enter cells. In essence, the idea is that if you can prevent bacteria from entering cells, then you will prevent illness.

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 24 Oct 2017

Research could pave way to cure for type 2 diabetes

In healthy people, exosomes - tiny structures secreted by cells to allow intercellular communication - prevent clumping of the protein that leads to type 2 diabetes.

23 Oct 2017

Research provides insight on Y-shape in proteins associated with glaucoma

So unheard of was what researchers discovered in a protein associated with glaucoma that for over two years they ran it through a gauntlet of lab tests and published a new research paper on it. The tests validated what they initially saw.

23 Oct 2017

Researchers use nanopore technique to detect biomarkers of disease

Adam Hall, Ph.D., isn't kidding when he says the research he does is on a very small scale. But he is understating things more than just a little.

20 Oct 2017

Pharmacological stimulation of nicotinic receptor could be strategy to treat lung inflammation

It has been amply proven that smoking can cause serious diseases such as emphysema and cancer. A new study, however, shows that pharmacological stimulation of a specific type of nicotinic receptor in cells of the immune system could be a strategy to treat inflammatory lung disease.

20 Oct 2017

Study unlocks complexities of cell death process that plays key role in health and disease

University of Pittsburgh scientists are unlocking the complexities of a recently discovered cell death process that plays a key role in health and disease, and new findings link their discovery to asthma, kidney injury, and brain trauma.

20 Oct 2017

Zinc-binding plays key role in sensing and regulation of brain’s pH levels

Researchers in Oslo, Norway, have discovered that Zinc-binding plays an important role in the sensing and regulation of pH in the human brain. The findings come as one of the first studies that directly link Zinc-binding with bicarbonate transporters.

17 Oct 2017

Study identifies new biomarker for depression in diabetes

A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic has identified a biomarker for depression in diabetes. Findings of epidemiological studies have shown an overall 2-fold increased prevalence of depression in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with the general population worldwide.

16 Oct 2017

Specific regions of silenced DNA help define cell's identity, study suggests

The fundamental mechanisms governing how cells form an identity such as becoming a muscle cell or a nerve cell are not fully understood. Multiple diseases, including cancer, have been linked to cells going down the wrong developmental path during maturation.

13 Oct 2017

NTNU researchers reveal how HCV converts innocent cells into virus factories

The Hepatitis C (HCV) virus is a sly enemy to have in one's body. Not only does it manage to make itself invisible to the immune system by breaking down communication between the immune cells, it also builds secret virus "factories" that quickly go into mass production.

13 Oct 2017

Fundamental discovery may open potential for new types of cancer drugs

Many approved cancer therapies target a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that regulates many crucial cellular processes and can speed the proliferation of tumor cells.

11 Oct 2017

Allergy medication restores nervous system function in patients with chronic MS

In a remarkably rapid translation of laboratory research findings into a treatment with the potential to benefit patients, UC San Francisco scientists have successfully completed a Phase II clinical trial showing that an FDA-approved antihistamine restores nervous system function in patients with chronic multiple sclerosis (MS).

11 Oct 2017

Cells lining blood vessels in the lungs exposed to bacterial toxins don’t die easy, UIC study says

Cells lining blood vessels in the lungs that are exposed to bacterial toxins don't die easy, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

10 Oct 2017

Scientists show how a trio of key molecules directs learning and memory

Learning and memory are two important functions of the brain that are based on the brain's plasticity. Scientists from Goethe University Frankfurt report in the latest issue of the scientific journal "Cell Reports" how a trio of key molecules directs these processes.

9 Oct 2017

New research uncovers how blood cancer 'steals' parts of bone marrow cells to thrive

New research published today uncovers how the blood cancer 'steals' parts of surrounding healthy bone marrow cells to thrive, in work that could help form new approaches to cancer treatment in the future.

5 Oct 2017

Scientists develop novel weapon to combat deadly hospital-acquired infections

Scientists have developed a novel weapon in the battle against deadly hospital-acquired infections - a textile that disinfects itself.

5 Oct 2017

Researchers discover circadian clock at work in our muscles

Biological clocks are ticking everywhere throughout our body. They trigger the release of the hormone melatonin during sleep, favour the secretion of digestive enzymes at lunchtime or keep us awake at the busiest moments of the day.

3 Oct 2017

Non-labeling multiphoton microscopy provides highly reliable prediction of cancer malignancy

A new study by Osaka University scientists shows that non-labeling multiphoton microscopy (NL-MPM) can be used for quantitative imaging of cancer that is safe and requires no resection, fixation or staining of tissues.

3 Oct 2017

NsXeR protein: A new optogenetic tool to control muscle and neuronal cells

Scientists have examined a protein that will find application in optogenetics and could be used to control muscle and neuronal cells. The paper on the light-sensitive NsXeR protein of the xenorhodopsin class was published in Science Advances by the international team of researchers from MIPT, Research center Jülich, and Institut de Biologie Structurale.

30 Sep 2017

British technology offers ultimate surface protection against Aussie flu virus

With breaking news of a more severe Aussie Flu strain heading for the UK, there is a British technology that provides the ultimate surface protection against the virus - reducing it by 99.99%!

30 Sep 2017