Cytoplasm News and Research

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New approach to chronic pain treatment could bring relief

Something like a quarter of the world's population suffers from chronic pain at some point in their lives. As opposed to acute pain - for example, the feeling after hitting your finger with a hammer - chronic pain may not even have a clear cause, and it can linger for years or lifetimes.

19 Aug 2020

New technique enables real-time observation of influenza A hemagglutinin during viral entry

Unlike living organisms, to avoid extinction, viruses need to hijack living host machineries to generate new viruses.

17 Aug 2020

Membrane nanoparticles acts as a bait to trap SARS-CoV-2

In an exciting new bioRxiv preprint research paper, Chinese researchers describe the development of membrane nanoparticles from ACE2-rich cells with a potent capacity to block the adherence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

13 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 a "swarm" of mutant viruses

In this new study, the virus was serially passaged in independent cell types in a controlled environment. The researchers found that the virus rapidly adapts to the changing conditions in culture by selecting for pre-existing species.

12 Aug 2020

DHODH inhibitor PTC299 shows potential as a COVID-19 therapeutic

As COVID-19 continues to take a heavy toll on human health and life in many parts of the world, there is still no effective antiviral drug or vaccine. This has fueled an intensive search for small molecules and proteins that can inhibit viral entry and replication.

10 Aug 2020

Coronavirus-specific structure in cells may lead to new antiviral strategies

By visualizing coronavirus replication in an infected host cell, researchers may have answered a long-standing question about how newly synthesized coronavirus components are able to be incorporated into fully infectious viruses.

7 Aug 2020

Avidity of binding responsible for cross-neutralization of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2

In a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv researchers characterized the crystal structure of the antibody-SARS-CoV-2 RBD complex in an attempt to find the epitope and the mechanism that enables cross-neutralization.

5 Aug 2020

Biomedical engineers create artificial organelles to control biological function in cells

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for controlling the phase separation of an emerging class of proteins to create artificial membrane-less organelles within human cells.

4 Aug 2020

Study finds synthetic neutralizing/enhancing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports the discovery of some antibody molecules that have powerful enhancing or neutralizing activity against the virus, in a library of synthetic antibodies. These hold the promise of being useful for the prevention or treatment of this illness.

30 Jul 2020

Vesigen Therapeutics to develop and commercialize novel drug-delivery technologies

Harvard University's Office of Technology Development (OTD) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health today announced the launch of Vesigen Therapeutics, a startup company that aims to overcome the challenge of delivering next-generation therapeutics, such as gene-editing complexes, RNA molecules, and other large proteins, to intracellular targets in specific tissues of interest.

23 Jul 2020

Advanced cryo-EM imaging reveals high-resolution structure of viral RNA replication complex

For the first time, scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research have generated near atomic resolution images of a major viral protein complex responsible for replicating the RNA genome of a member of the positive-strand RNA viruses, the large class of viruses that includes coronaviruses and many other pathogens.

20 Jul 2020

Novel nanospectroscopy measures biomolecular changes induced by drugs in human cells

Synchrotron InfraRed Nanospectroscopy has been used for the first time to measure biomolecular changes induced by a drug (amiodarone) within human cells (macrophages) and localized at 100 nanometre scale, i.e. two orders of magnitude smaller than the IR wavelength used as probe.

17 Jul 2020

Nanotechnology plays major role in COVID-19 vaccine development

From mRNA vaccines entering clinical trials, to peptide-based vaccines and using molecular farming to scale vaccine production, the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing new and emerging nanotechnologies into the frontlines and the headlines.

15 Jul 2020

A tiny fish could end painful metabolic and genetic bone diseases

In a study published recently in Communications Biology, researchers led by Kanazawa University explain how a tiny fish could help end painful metabolic and genetic bone diseases.

15 Jul 2020

Small molecule drugs binding Mac1 domain of SARS-CoV-2

Now, an intriguing new study out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reveals that numerous small molecule drugs like the proton pump inhibitors omeprazole and rabeprazole bind the important Mac1 domain on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus.

8 Jul 2020

Real-time tracking of protein filaments in the nuclear pore complex

In human cells, the nucleus is enclosed by a structure called the nuclear pore complex (NPC). It acts as a 'gatekeeper' controlling the transport of molecules between the nucleus and the surrounding cytoplasm (the protein-containing solution in the inside of a cell).

6 Jul 2020

Researchers discover new candidate for raw material synthesis through gene transfer

Cyanobacteria hardly need any nutrients and use the energy of sunlight. Bathers are familiar with these microorganisms - often incorrectly called "blue-green algae" - as they often occur in waters.

2 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection modeling in iPSC-derived type 2 cells

The most fatal form of COVID-19 disease is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), caused by direct viral injury as well as indirect noxious effects caused by cytotoxic chemicals and inflammatory processes. A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows that this is partly due to the rapid onset of inflammation caused by the infection of type 2 alveolar cells with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

2 Jul 2020

Novavax SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows promise in animal models

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 shows that a candidate spike protein vaccine can induce neutralizing antibodies, antiviral T cell responses, and protection against infection.

2 Jul 2020

Repurposed drug for acute lung injury in COVID-19

Now, a new study addresses the possible use of an FDA-approved monoclonal antibody, called fostamatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor (SYK), to reduce the levels of mucin-1, a molecule associated with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). People who have severe COVID-19 disease may develop ARDS.

2 Jul 2020

Cytoplasm News and Research

New approach to chronic pain treatment could bring relief

New technique enables real-time observation of influenza A hemagglutinin during viral entry

Membrane nanoparticles acts as a bait to trap SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 a "swarm" of mutant viruses

DHODH inhibitor PTC299 shows potential as a COVID-19 therapeutic

Coronavirus-specific structure in cells may lead to new antiviral strategies

Avidity of binding responsible for cross-neutralization of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2

Biomedical engineers create artificial organelles to control biological function in cells

Study finds synthetic neutralizing/enhancing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Vesigen Therapeutics to develop and commercialize novel drug-delivery technologies

Advanced cryo-EM imaging reveals high-resolution structure of viral RNA replication complex

Novel nanospectroscopy measures biomolecular changes induced by drugs in human cells

Nanotechnology plays major role in COVID-19 vaccine development

A tiny fish could end painful metabolic and genetic bone diseases

Small molecule drugs binding Mac1 domain of SARS-CoV-2

Real-time tracking of protein filaments in the nuclear pore complex

Researchers discover new candidate for raw material synthesis through gene transfer

SARS-CoV-2 infection modeling in iPSC-derived type 2 cells

Novavax SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows promise in animal models

Repurposed drug for acute lung injury in COVID-19

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