Membrane News and Research

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Researchers discover molecular "switch" in receptor that controls cell behavior

If scientists can control cellular functions such as movement and development, they can cripple cells and pathogens that are causing disease in the body.

17 Dec 2013

Innovation leads to faster drug therapies, increased understanding of proteins on microscopic level

Membrane proteins are the "gatekeepers" that allow information and molecules to pass into and out of a cell. Until recently, the microscopic study of these complex proteins has been restricted due to limitations of "force microscopes" that are available to researchers and the one-dimensional results these microscopes reveal.

17 Dec 2013

Arizona scientists investigate intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Cheryl Nickerson and her team have been investigating the intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens.

17 Dec 2013

WSU researchers discover how Nipah virus employs burglary-ring-like teamwork to infiltrate human cell

A team of scientists from Washington State University has discovered how one of the planet's most deadly known viruses employs burglary-ring-like teamwork to infiltrate the human cell.

17 Dec 2013

Duke University receives $2.9M grant to develop HIV vaccine candidate

Duke University has received a grant of up to $2.9 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to produce an HIV vaccine candidate that will be tested in humans.

10 Dec 2013

Scientists devise method to measure forces in 3D tissues, living embryos

As embryonic tissue develops, cells push and pull on each other, and they must do so correctly for the tissue to develop properly. Now scientists at Harvard University have devised the first method to measure these forces in three-dimensional (3D) tissues and living embryos.

10 Dec 2013

Scientists discover how lymphotoxin controls production of immunoglobulins in gut

Lymphotoxin is a cytokine, or intercellular messenger, and plays an important role in the immunological balance of the gastrointestinal tract. It regulates the immune system of the digestive tract, which is made up of immune cells, immunoglobulins (antibodies) as well as intestinal bacteria.

10 Dec 2013

IBN and IBM discover new medical application for converted PET bottles

Researchers at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and California's IBM Research - Almaden (IBM) have discovered a new, potentially life-saving application for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to make plastic bottles.

10 Dec 2013

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals signs license agreement with University of Toronto for novel anti-KIT antibodies

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, today announced the Company has signed a license agreement with the University of Toronto for novel anti-KIT receptor tyrosine kinase antibodies identified in the laboratories of Dr. Sachdev Sidhu at the University of Toronto and the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Schlessinger of Yale University.

6 Dec 2013

Researchers illuminate inner workings of enzymes placed inside the outer envelopes of cells

For what is believed to be the first time, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have illuminated the inner workings of an important class of enzymes located inside the outer envelopes of cells. Much to their surprise, they report, these protein cutters, called rhomboid proteases, are entirely different than nearly every other type of enzyme studied, showing no attraction to the proteins they cut and being extremely slow in making their cuts.

6 Dec 2013

Biologists discover how nerve cells recycle tiny vesicles

University of Utah and German biologists discovered how nerve cells recycle tiny bubbles or "vesicles" that send chemical nerve signals from one cell to the next. The process is much faster and different than two previously proposed mechanisms for recycling the bubbles.

5 Dec 2013

Scientists receive $4M grant to identify biomarker for secondary injuries associated with brain

In an effort to lower medical costs, identify patients at risk for injury, and speed patient recovery, scientists will attempt to identify a molecular signal that indicates severity of brain-injury during a $4 million, five-year federal grant to Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix Children's Hospital and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

5 Dec 2013

New research offers fresh insights to drug designers searching for better pain treatments

In a technical tour de force, UC San Francisco scientists have determined, at near-atomic resolution, the structure of a protein that plays a central role in the perception of pain and heat.

5 Dec 2013

USPTO awards patent to Sanovas' Abrading Balloon Catheter for Extravasated Drug Delivery

Sanovas, Inc., (www.sanovas.com) a life science technology company focused on developing and commercializing next generation micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent # 8,597,239 for the company's Abrading Balloon Catheter for Extravasated Drug Delivery.

4 Dec 2013

Pyridomycin turns out to be a lethal weapon against TB

Technology has made it possible to synthesize increasingly targeted drugs. But scientists still have much to learn from Mother Nature. Pyridomycin, a substance produced by non-pathogenic soil bacteria, has been found to be a potent antibiotic against a related strain of bacteria that cause tuberculosis.

4 Dec 2013

Scientists identify enzyme that could lead to better treatment of Alzheimer's disease

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified an enzyme that can halt or possibly even reverse the build-up of toxic protein fragments known as plaques in the brains of mice with Alzheimer's disease. The research appeared in a recent edition of the scientific journal Nature Communications.

3 Dec 2013

Scientists figure out how transporters work

Researchers have tried for decades to understand the undulations and gyrations that allow transport proteins to shuttle molecules from one side of a cell membrane to the other.

3 Dec 2013

Scientists explain new family of proteins that appear to play key role in cancer

Scientists have described a new family of proteins that appear to play a key role in cancer and might be targets for future cancer drugs.

3 Dec 2013

Study: Diet low in vitamin D can cause free radical damage in brain

A new study led by University of Kentucky researchers suggests that a diet low in vitamin D causes damage to the brain.

2 Dec 2013

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA-both within the bloodstream and on the skin. Nanoengineers from the University of California, San Diego described the safety and efficacy of this nanosponge vaccine in the December 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

2 Dec 2013

Membrane News and Research

Researchers discover molecular "switch" in receptor that controls cell behavior

Innovation leads to faster drug therapies, increased understanding of proteins on microscopic level

Arizona scientists investigate intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens

WSU researchers discover how Nipah virus employs burglary-ring-like teamwork to infiltrate human cell

Duke University receives $2.9M grant to develop HIV vaccine candidate

Scientists devise method to measure forces in 3D tissues, living embryos

Scientists discover how lymphotoxin controls production of immunoglobulins in gut

IBN and IBM discover new medical application for converted PET bottles

Kolltan Pharmaceuticals signs license agreement with University of Toronto for novel anti-KIT antibodies

Researchers illuminate inner workings of enzymes placed inside the outer envelopes of cells

Biologists discover how nerve cells recycle tiny vesicles

Scientists receive $4M grant to identify biomarker for secondary injuries associated with brain

New research offers fresh insights to drug designers searching for better pain treatments

USPTO awards patent to Sanovas' Abrading Balloon Catheter for Extravasated Drug Delivery

Pyridomycin turns out to be a lethal weapon against TB

Scientists identify enzyme that could lead to better treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists figure out how transporters work

Scientists explain new family of proteins that appear to play key role in cancer

Study: Diet low in vitamin D can cause free radical damage in brain

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

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