Protein News and Research

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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.

PET imaging reveals widespread brain receptor deficits in schizophrenia

A groundbreaking study using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has found that patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower muscarinic acetylcholine M1 receptor availability (~13% to 19%) across multiple brain regions compared with healthy individuals.

16 Jul 2026

Computational framework identifies synergistic compound pairs in herbal medicines

Herbal medicines have long been used in disease treatment, often through formulas that combine multiple herbs to enhance therapeutic effects and reduce side effects.

16 Jul 2026

Weill Cornell Medicine receives DoD grant to target triple-negative breast cancer

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a $2.5 million, three-year grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop therapies with fewer side effects for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancers.

16 Jul 2026

Discovery of lung protein offers hope for pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a deadly disease where scar tissue grows in the lungs, making breathing more difficult. Approximately 2,170 Australians are diagnosed annually with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a form of the disease with no known cause and very few treatments.

16 Jul 2026

Evening chronotype links later eating with higher body fat

Research shows evening chronotypes in women consume more energy later, leading to higher body fat and metabolic issues, highlighting chrono-nutrition's role.

16 Jul 2026

Blood ketone threshold may help predict weight loss success

Achieving and sustaining a blood ketone level of 0.5 mmol/L is crucial for weight loss in ketogenic diets, offering a new approach to dietary monitoring.

16 Jul 2026

Sleeping longer may signal early Alzheimer's-related brain changes

Regularly sleeping long hours each night is associated with higher levels of an Alzheimer's-related protein in the blood, even accounting for other health factors, suggests a new study from UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of The University of Texas at San Antonio.

15 Jul 2026

Researchers uncover new T cell attack mechanism against acute myeloid leukemia

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a new way in which T cells attack acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, which may help explain why AML is particularly sensitive to immune-based treatments and could guide the development of future cancer immunotherapies.

15 Jul 2026

Walking protein structure explains how cells activate molecular motors

A nerve cell resembles a vast tree with branches that communicate with thousands of other cells. To function, it depends on a motor protein that walks on two legs, hauling urgent cargo from the center of the cell to the faraway tips of every branch.

15 Jul 2026

Genome-mining tool reveals new antibiotic hidden in a silent gene cluster

Researchers developed DiscERN, a genome-mining platform that combines four complementary algorithms to identify evolutionarily related biosynthetic gene clusters and prioritize candidates for experimental study. The approach revealed discomycin A, a previously unknown calcium-dependent lipopeptide antibiotic with potent activity against several Gram-positive bacteria.

15 Jul 2026

Fruit fly study uncovers gene behind seasonal winter dormancy

Researchers at Washington State University have discovered a molecular "winter lock" that keeps animals in a less active winter state until favorable conditions return, a discovery that could improve pest control and lead to a better understanding of seasonal health conditions in humans.

15 Jul 2026

Self-assembling antibody drugs successfully target multiple cancer receptors

Modern anticancer medications that combine tumor-fighting drugs with proteins that specifically target cancer cells are a relatively new class of drug, often given to patients for whom standard chemotherapy has not worked.

15 Jul 2026

Ketogenic diet may increase small intestine cancer risk in mice

A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, also called a ketogenic diet, can help some people lose weight by forcing their bodies to burn fat for fuel instead of sugar.

15 Jul 2026

New photoswitchable drugs restore light perception in blind animals

Blinding diseases caused by the degeneration of photoreceptors, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), affect 200 million people worldwide and represent the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness.

15 Jul 2026

Patient-derived organoids uncover new targets for chronic pancreatitis treatment

Around three million people worldwide struggle with chronic pancreatitis, a condition wherein the pancreas becomes inflamed, scarred, and painful.

14 Jul 2026

Experimental gene therapy reverses fragile X symptoms in mice

A gene therapy designed to replace the missing protein that causes fragile X syndrome restored several disease-relevant traits in a mouse model, according to a new study published in Gene Therapy.

14 Jul 2026

New review highlights astrocytes' role in chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Researchers from Kansas City University School of Medicine have published a scoping review examining the role of astrocytes in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

14 Jul 2026

Stealth nanoparticles improve pancreatic cancer treatment with fewer side effects

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most lethal cancer because it is often diagnosed late and is difficult to treat.

14 Jul 2026

Mitochondrial DNA mutations link to cardiometabolic parameters in metabolic syndrome

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability, especially heteroplasmy, is believed to affect cellular immunobiogenesis, particularly in monocytes in metabolic syndrome (MetS).

14 Jul 2026

Biological markers reveal clinical vulnerability in abused children and adolescents

In children and adolescents who have experienced child abuse, the body appears to remain in a state of alert for too long, and this situation can affect several bodily systems, such as the neuroendocrine, immune and metabolic systems.

14 Jul 2026