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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.

Breakthrough in cellular analysis

Like skilled assassins, many diseases seem to know exactly what types of cells to attack.

16 Nov 2008

Alzheimer's gene apolipoprotein E4 slows export of amyloid-beta

The only known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease slows down the brain's ability to export a toxic protein known as amyloid-beta that is central to the damage the disease causes, scientists have found.

16 Nov 2008

A new method to control bleeding in hemophilia

Investigators at Children's Research Institute, BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Blood Research Institute and the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered a new way to help the blood clot by having the missing clotting factor packaged in the patient's own platelets.

13 Nov 2008

Alzheimer's gene slows brain's ability to export toxic protein

13 Nov 2008

Breakthrough in cell-type analysis offers new ways to study development and disease

Like skilled assassins, many diseases seem to know exactly what types of cells to attack. While decimating one cadre of cells, diseases will inexplicably spare a seemingly identical group of neighbors. What makes cells vulnerable or not depends largely on the kinds and amounts of proteins they produce - their 'translational profile,' in the lingo of molecular biology. For this reason, scientists have struggled to parse the subtle molecular differences among the hundreds of specialized cell types that are tangled together in tissues like the brain.

13 Nov 2008

Rosuvastatin trial shows dramatic reduction in hidden heart disease

A Harvard-led study shows that the risk of heart attack and stroke among subjects with "silent heart disease" - and normal cholesterol levels - can be dramatically reduced by the use of an already widely prescribed class of drugs.

13 Nov 2008

Discovery of stem cells with potential to regenerate injured liver tissue

A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy.

12 Nov 2008

New nanofibers spun from a common blood protein to close wounds with minimal scarring

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a strong, flexible, bio-material that may be used someday to close wounds with minimal scarring and rejection by the immune system.

12 Nov 2008

Blood levels of resistin a new biomarker for heart failure

Blood levels of resistin, a hormone produced by fat cells, can independently predict an individual's risk of heart failure, cardiologists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.

12 Nov 2008

Discovery of essential mechanism for maintenance of myelin's structure

In a new study, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, and the University of Montreal have discovered an essential mechanism for the maintenance of the normal structure of myelin, the protective covering that insulates and supports nerve cells (neurons).

12 Nov 2008

Isoflurane induces Alzheimer's-associated changes in mouse brains

For the first time researchers have shown that a commonly used anesthetic can produce changes associated with Alzheimer's disease in the brains of living mammals, confirming previous laboratory studies.

12 Nov 2008

Novel tool helps study the biochemical basis of Alzheimer's

A new study being published in this Friday's online edition of Cell will help answer the question, what causes Parkinson's disease?

12 Nov 2008

New method of viewing cancer cells shows how breast cancer spreads

In a breakthrough study appearing in advance online publication of Nature Methods, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University describe for the first time a method of viewing individual breast cancer cells for several days at a time.

12 Nov 2008

Scientists crack the code to tamoxifen resistance

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have discovered the molecular basis for tamoxifen response in breast cancer cells - and the reason why some women can develop resistance to the treatment, according to a study published in Nature today (Wednesday).

12 Nov 2008

Without enzyme, biological reaction essential to life takes 2.3 billion years

All biological reactions within human cells depend on enzymes. Their power as catalysts enables biological reactions to occur usually in milliseconds. But how slowly would these reactions proceed spontaneously, in the absence of enzymes - minutes, hours, days? And why even pose the question?

12 Nov 2008