Toxin News and Research

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Scientists modify a toxic protein to create a biosensor

Researchers have shown that the pore-forming toxin (PFT), aerolysin, could be used as a biosensor in the sequencing of DNA and proteins.

30 Oct 2019

Can Probiotics Support Healthy Kidney Function?

An interview with Dr Natarajan Ranganathan, key founder and Managing Director of Kibow Biotech Inc. about the use of probiotics for supporting healthy kidney function.

From Kibow Biotech Inc. 30 Oct 2019

Homeopathy quackery - NHS leaders urge caution

A new controversy is ripe, what with the head of the UK National Health Service (NHS), Simon Stevens, publicly expressing his “serious concerns” about the “fundamentally flawed” practice of homeopathy.

29 Oct 2019

Some plant foods causing paralysis, death, in malnourished populations

There are a lot of plants eaten for food that may also contain toxins that harm the brain and the nervous system, when present in amounts that cross the limit of individual tolerance. This happens when such toxin-containing foods are the chief or only source of nutrition.

26 Oct 2019

Scientists make breakthrough in the hunt for new C. diff vaccine

Scientists have made a breakthrough in the hunt for a new vaccine for killer hospital bug Clostridioides difficile (C. diff).

25 Oct 2019

Advances in translational genetics unlocked by Bio-Rad technologies to be presented at ASHG 2019

Scientists will present 24 abstracts and three talks, highlighting research driven in part by Bio-Rad Laboratories' Droplet Digital PCR and single-cell ATAC-Seq (scATAC-Seq) technologies, at the 2019 American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting in Houston, October 15-19.

15 Oct 2019

Firefighters call for governmental action to protect them from cancer

Firefighters in the UK are calling on the government for more health protection, after researchers find they are at an increased risk of cancer.

2 Oct 2019

UC Davis research team receives NIH grant to develop novel drugs for treating pain

A UC Davis research team, led by Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy and Heike Wulff, will receive a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a novel class of peptides that are better at treating pain and don't have the side effects of opioids.

1 Oct 2019

Toxin may play key role in promoting transmission of deadly E. coli strains in cattle

Shiga toxin subtype 2a (Stx2a) may play a key role in promoting the colonization and transmission of life-threatening Escherichia coli strains in cattle, according to a study published October 3 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Tom McNeilly of the Moredun Research Institute, David Gally of the University of Edinburgh, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 27 Sep 2019

Study: Whole genome sequencing can improve surveillance, control of gastroenteritis

A new study into one of the UK's leading causes of gastroenteritis has shown how whole genome sequencing can improve its surveillance and control of the disease.

25 Sep 2019

Blue-green algae pose threat to patients with liver disease

Researchers are calling for new guidelines for people with pre-existing liver disease who are exposed to a toxin released by blue-green algae.

19 Sep 2019

Toxic algae may be more harmful for people with pre-existing liver disease

Toxins produced during harmful algal blooms may be more harmful to people than previously known.

19 Sep 2019

Study shows how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater may cause ALS

Can a computer be used to explain why an environmental toxin might lead to neurodegenerative disease? According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, a computer generated-simulation allowed them to see how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater might cause Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

17 Sep 2019

New strain of Streptococcus A rampant in England and Wales

According to a new study on cases of scarlet fever and other Streptococcus A infections in England and Wales, the recent rise in cases is due to a newly identified strain. This accounted for the great increase in the number of cases of scarlet fever that occurred in 2014. The last such outbreak was way back in the 1960s.

11 Sep 2019

Scientists discover new strain of group A streptococcus bacteria in England and Wales

A team of scientists led by Imperial College London have discovered a new strain of group A streptococcus bacteria.

11 Sep 2019

Gut microbiome could be used to predict individual's risk of bowel cancer

The makeup of the bacterial community that lives in the gut has been identified as a risk factor for bowel cancer.

10 Sep 2019

Scientists reveal how typhoid toxin works to accelerate aging of cells

Scientists have revealed how the typhoid toxin works to hijack DNA repair machines and accelerate the aging of cells, a breakthrough that could pave the way for new strategies to combat the killer disease.

6 Sep 2019

Polycystic kidney disease may be preventable

Kidney failure is a lifelong burden in hundreds of thousands of people who need to be treated either by dialysis or a kidney transplant. Both procedures significantly increase the cost of healthcare and reduce the quality of life.

26 Aug 2019

Researchers target cancer's protective barrier

Cancer cells are notorious for their camouflage work, which enables them to escape immune targeting. Now scientists are learning how to strip away the disguise and allow the immune system to do its work, by targeting cells called myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that shield the tumor. This would also enhance the effectiveness of newer cancer immunotherapies like Chimeric-Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR-T).

26 Aug 2019

New method prevents the release of synthetic DNA from genetically modified cells

The method prevents a gene that encodes a synthetic protein from spreading into the wild and stabilizes it so that it cannot mutate and lose its function.

21 Aug 2019