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Slime of starfish may hold a clue for treating inflammatory diseases

Starfish have arms, spines and a mouth on the underside of its body. But what scientists are finding really interesting is the sticky goo which is secreted when the Starfish feels threatened. The slime contains properties which may prove invaluable in treating certain kinds of inflammatory illnesses.

20 Feb 2011

Biologist investigates CAPV-EAE population for hereditary breast and ovary cancer

Between 5 % and 10 % of breast cancer cases are hereditary, arising because the patient inherits from the father or mother a mutation in a gene that is susceptible to causing the illness. BRCA1 and BRCA2 have already been identified as two of the genes to be monitored. It is estimated that 30 % of hereditary breast cancer cases are due to mutations in one of these two genes.

19 Feb 2011

Molecular explanation to higher tendency for autism among males

George Washington University researcher, Dr. Valerie Hu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her team at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have found that male and female sex hormones regulate expression of an important gene in neuronal cell culture through a mechanism that could explain not only higher levels of testosterone observed in some individuals with autism, but also why males have a higher incidence of autism than females.

17 Feb 2011

Ban called for allegedly carcinogenic caramel component in sodas

A consumer advocacy group has urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this Wednesday to ban some chemically enhanced caramel food colorings used in widely consumed cola drinks as they could cause cancer.

16 Feb 2011

New review of anthrax case discussed by review committee vice chair, Stanford bioterrorism expert

In 2001, a mystery perpetrator mailed a series of anthrax-laced letters to several locations, killing five people. In 2008, shortly after emerging as the prime suspect in an exhaustive investigation by the FBI, an Army microbiologist, Bruce Ivins, PhD, committed suicide. This morning, a National Academy of Sciences committee, charged in September 2008 with reviewing the scientific approaches used by the FBI in that investigation, released its report.

15 Feb 2011

Study shows beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, announced today the publication of collaborative research in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology entitled, "TGF-beta driven lung fibrosis is macrophage dependent and blocked by Serum amyloid P."

14 Feb 2011

Study reveals beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in TGFβ1-induced lung disease

11 Feb 2011

Cancer cells 'addicted' to self-preservation process

A team of investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ); Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and Princeton University, have determined that cancer cells are "addicted" to a self-preservation process known as autophagy. They also showed that the inhibition of that process could prove to be a valuable treatment approach for aggressive cancers. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

11 Feb 2011

Scientists discover new method for early diagnosis, treatment of plaque-related diseases

UC Santa Barbara scientists have made a discovery that has the potential for use in the early diagnosis and eventual treatment of plaque-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 diabetes. Their work is published in a recent issue of Nature Chemistry.

10 Feb 2011

EMA grants QLT positive opinions for Orphan Drug Designation of QLT091001 to treat inherited blindness

QLT Inc. today announced that QLT091001, an oral synthetic retinoid, has received positive opinions for two distinct Orphan Drug Designations by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) for the treatment of the inherited retinal degenerative diseases, Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) and Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).

10 Feb 2011

Alexion acquires investigational therapy for MoCD Type A ultra-rare genetic disorder from Orphatec

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has purchased patents and assets from Germany-based Orphatec Pharmaceuticals GmbH related to an investigational therapy for patients with molybdenum cofactor deficiency (MoCD) Type A, a devastating ultra-rare genetic disorder characterized by severe brain damage and rapid death in newborns.

10 Feb 2011

Seaweed microsponges may help diagnose many diseases quickly, at far lower cost

Microsponges derived from seaweed may help diagnose heart disease, cancers, HIV and other diseases quickly and at far lower cost than current clinical methods. The microsponges are an essential component of Rice University's Programmable Bio-Nano-Chip (PBNC) and the focus of a new paper in the journal Small.

9 Feb 2011

Evotec signs definitive agreement to acquire all shares in Kinaxo

Evotec AG today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire all shares in Kinaxo Biotechnologies GmbH, a Munich-based drug discovery alliance company supporting the development of targeted drugs.

9 Feb 2011

Drugs against protective action of bacteria's antitoxin molecules

Bacteria often attack with toxins designed to hijack or even kill host cells. To avoid self-destruction, bacteria have ways of protecting themselves from their own toxins.

9 Feb 2011

Mysteries of the hibernating heart

Hibernating, it turns out, is much more complicated than one might think.

8 Feb 2011

Single molecule FRET techniques combined with wavelet transforms give new view of AMPA receptor

A digital signal processing technique long used by statisticians to analyze data is helping Houston scientists understand the roots of memory and learning, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and stroke.

8 Feb 2011

Study: Fluorescent probe may serve as useful tool in future surgeries to repair injured nerves

Accidental damage to thin or buried nerves during surgery can have severe consequences, from chronic pain to permanent paralysis. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine may have found a remedy: injectable fluorescent peptides that cause hard-to-see peripheral nerves to glow, alerting surgeons to their location even before the nerves are encountered.

6 Feb 2011

Lack of DOT1L enzyme could lead to some types of heart disease: Study

Everyone knows chocolate is critical to a happy Valentine's Day. Now scientists are one step closer to knowing what makes a heart happy the rest of the year.

5 Feb 2011

UM researchers find genetic cause of retinitis pigmentosa

Researchers led by geneticists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have identified a new gene that causes retinitis pigmentosa, a form of blindness, ending one South Florida family's nearly 20-year search for what caused three of their four children to lose their sight.

4 Feb 2011

Researchers develop hard X-ray laser to determine structure of biomolecules

Unraveling the molecular basis of life is an age-old quest of humanity. A breakthrough towards this goal was reported in a pair of studies published Feb. 3 in the scientific journal Nature, detailing a new method developed to determine structures of biomolecules based on diffraction from protein nanocrystals that are so small that they are not even visible under the microscope.

3 Feb 2011

Biochemistry News and Research

Slime of starfish may hold a clue for treating inflammatory diseases

Biologist investigates CAPV-EAE population for hereditary breast and ovary cancer

Molecular explanation to higher tendency for autism among males

Ban called for allegedly carcinogenic caramel component in sodas

New review of anthrax case discussed by review committee vice chair, Stanford bioterrorism expert

Study shows beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Study reveals beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in TGFβ1-induced lung disease

Cancer cells 'addicted' to self-preservation process

Scientists discover new method for early diagnosis, treatment of plaque-related diseases

EMA grants QLT positive opinions for Orphan Drug Designation of QLT091001 to treat inherited blindness

Alexion acquires investigational therapy for MoCD Type A ultra-rare genetic disorder from Orphatec

Seaweed microsponges may help diagnose many diseases quickly, at far lower cost

Evotec signs definitive agreement to acquire all shares in Kinaxo

Drugs against protective action of bacteria's antitoxin molecules

Mysteries of the hibernating heart

Single molecule FRET techniques combined with wavelet transforms give new view of AMPA receptor

Study: Fluorescent probe may serve as useful tool in future surgeries to repair injured nerves

Lack of DOT1L enzyme could lead to some types of heart disease: Study

UM researchers find genetic cause of retinitis pigmentosa

Researchers develop hard X-ray laser to determine structure of biomolecules

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