Membrane News and Research

RSS

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein.

9 Feb 2011

TREK1 activity offers a key target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs

Using a unique and relatively simple cell-based fluorescent assay they developed, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley have identified a means by which fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, suppresses the activity of the TREK1 potassium channel.

8 Feb 2011

Researchers develop new method for drug discovery using math to combat HIV, other diseases

Using mathematical concepts, Princeton researchers have developed a method of discovering new drugs for a range of diseases by calculating which physical properties of biological molecules may predict their effectiveness as medicines.

8 Feb 2011

Anti-cancer drug tied to golden missiles

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a little bomb that promises a big bang for cancer patients.

5 Feb 2011

Engineered cells take control of the cells and microenvironment following transplantation

In work that could jumpstart the promising field of cell therapy, in which cells are transplanted into the body to treat a variety of diseases and tissue defects, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have engineered cells that could solve one of the key challenges associated with the procedure: control of the cells and their microenvironment following transplantation.

4 Feb 2011

Coordinated behavior occurs whether or not neurons are actually connected via synapses

The brain-awake and sleeping-is awash in electrical activity, and not just from the individual pings of single neurons communicating with each other. In fact, the brain is enveloped in countless overlapping electric fields, generated by the neural circuits of scores of communicating neurons.

3 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

Researchers design nanoparticles that make blood clots visible to CT scanner

For almost two decades, cardiologists have searched for ways to see dangerous blood clots before they cause heart attacks. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report that they have designed nanoparticles that find clots and make them visible to a new kind of X-ray technology.

3 Feb 2011

Malarial drugs may help treat specific form of frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia is caused by a breakdown of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal region of the brain, which leads to, among other symptoms, a change in personality and behavior. The cause of some forms of frontotemporal dementia is a genetically determined reduction of a hormone-like growth factor, progranulin.

3 Feb 2011

Study suggests human amniotic cells 'cross talk' with melatonin receptor MT1

Human amniotic epithelial cells, stem cells derived from human placenta left over from live births and generally discarded, proliferated and differentiated when they interacted with one kind of melatonin receptor, MT1. This potentially therapeutic response occurred when the stem cells were transplanted into laboratory test tube and animal models of stroke. The same cells did not perform similarly when interacting with melatonin receptor MT2.

2 Feb 2011

Inovio publishes scientific paper detailing SynCon DNA vaccine preclinical study for prostate cancer

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today the publication of a scientific paper in the journal Human Vaccines detailing potent immune responses in a preclinical study of Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccine for prostate cancer targeting two antigens.

2 Feb 2011

FDA, Optivia collaborate to examine effect of dietary supplements in drug-induced liver injury

Optivia Biotechnology, a leading provider of in vitro transporter assay services, today announced that the company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have signed a collaboration agreement to assess the effect of dietary supplements on key drug transporters.

1 Feb 2011

Inovio announces regulatory approval for Phase 2 trial to treat leukemia using new vaccine delivery device

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today the regulatory approval of a Phase 2 clinical trial to treat leukemia utilizing Inovio's new ELGEN 1000 automated vaccine delivery device.

31 Jan 2011

Research shows nestin regulates formation of neuromuscular junction

In a study published in the Jan. 30, 2011, advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience, Salk Institute of Biological Studies investigators led by Kuo-Fen Lee, PhD., show that nestin has reason for being in a completely different cell type--muscle tissue.

30 Jan 2011

Both absence of insulin and resistance to insulin are associated with defects in FAS

A key mechanism that appears to contribute to blood vessel damage in people with diabetes has been identified by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

28 Jan 2011

Scientists discover new mechanism neurons use to fine-tune electrical output

Scientists in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, have discovered a new mechanism that nerve cells (neurons) use to fine-tune their electrical output. The exciting discovery, published this week in the prestigious journal Nature Neuroscience, provides new insights about how the activity of the nervous system is regulated at the cellular level.

27 Jan 2011

Molecular mechanism in nerve fibers ensures rapid conductance of nervous system impulses

New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine describes a key molecular mechanism in nerve fibers that ensures the rapid conductance of nervous system impulses.

27 Jan 2011

Human model of rare genetic disease reveals new clues to aging process

Scientists from A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in Singapore and the University of Hong Kong's Department of Medicine have produced the world's first human cell model of progeria, a disease resulting in severe premature ageing in one in four to eight million children worldwide. This model has allowed them to make new discoveries concerning the mechanism by which progeria works.

25 Jan 2011

New investigative tool may explore intracellular processes with unprecedented clarity

Nongjian Tao and his colleagues at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have pioneered a new technique capable of peering into single cells and even intracellular processes with unprecedented clarity.

25 Jan 2011

New research reveals dynamics behind signal transmission in brain

Surprising rate at which neuronal networks in the cerebral cortex delete sensory information. The dynamics behind signal transmission in the brain are extremely chaotic. This conclusion has been reached by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization at the University of Göttingen and the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Göttingen.

24 Jan 2011

Membrane News and Research

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

TREK1 activity offers a key target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs

Researchers develop new method for drug discovery using math to combat HIV, other diseases

Anti-cancer drug tied to golden missiles

Engineered cells take control of the cells and microenvironment following transplantation

Coordinated behavior occurs whether or not neurons are actually connected via synapses

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

Researchers design nanoparticles that make blood clots visible to CT scanner

Malarial drugs may help treat specific form of frontotemporal dementia

Study suggests human amniotic cells 'cross talk' with melatonin receptor MT1

Inovio publishes scientific paper detailing SynCon DNA vaccine preclinical study for prostate cancer

FDA, Optivia collaborate to examine effect of dietary supplements in drug-induced liver injury

Inovio announces regulatory approval for Phase 2 trial to treat leukemia using new vaccine delivery device

Research shows nestin regulates formation of neuromuscular junction

Both absence of insulin and resistance to insulin are associated with defects in FAS

Scientists discover new mechanism neurons use to fine-tune electrical output

Molecular mechanism in nerve fibers ensures rapid conductance of nervous system impulses

Human model of rare genetic disease reveals new clues to aging process

New investigative tool may explore intracellular processes with unprecedented clarity

New research reveals dynamics behind signal transmission in brain

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest Life Science News