Yeast News and Research

RSS

Nanobodies efficiently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in cells

Two separate studies have identified nanobodies - which could be produced less expensively than monoclonal antibodies - that bind tightly to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and efficiently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in cells.

5 Nov 2020

Rapid generation of divergent synthetic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a cell-free engineering platform

In a groundbreaking bioRxiv paper, a research group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the US engineered antibodies against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein by using a novel approach. In doing so, they also identified more than 800 predicted binder families.

3 Nov 2020

New versatile method to isolate individual cells with unique profiles

Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a new method to isolate specific cells, and in the process found a more robust fluorescent protein.

23 Oct 2020

Researchers create AI system that matches tumors to best drug combinations

Only 4 percent of all cancer therapeutic drugs under development earn final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

23 Oct 2020

New method for producing FTVI enzyme can help improve cord blood transplants

A new way of producing an enzyme called fucosyltransferase VI (FTVI) in the lab could help enhance the therapeutic potential of cord blood transplants.

22 Oct 2020

Study characterizes biochemical mechanism of cancer-linked enzyme

A new study led by scientists at IUPUI and Indiana University Bloomington is the first to describe a biochemical mechanism that increases the activity of a molecule whose presence is observed in many types of cancer.

21 Oct 2020

More than 2.5 million person-years of life lost in US due to COVID-19

In a recently published study, researcher Stephen Elledge from Harvard Medical School has described converting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) death toll from individual deaths to “person-years” lost in order to provide a more accurate picture of the pandemic’s toll on the population.

21 Oct 2020

NIH provides $9.3 million grant to create new Center for Precision Animal Modeling at UAB

A new Center for Precision Animal Modeling, or C-PAM, has been created at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, supported by a five-year, $9.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's Office of Research Infrastructure Programs.

9 Oct 2020

Excess genetic exchanges impede the segregation of chromosomes into eggs

The exchange of DNA between chromosomes during the early formation of sperm and egg cells normally is limited to assure fertility.

8 Oct 2020

A cost-effective scalable production of SARS-CoV-2 RBD in yeast

A new study by the Argentinian AntiCovid Consortium and published in the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 reports on the successful characterization of the conformation and stability of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) in two different cell systems. This may help to accelerate the development of vaccines and neutralizing antibodies.

21 Sep 2020

Study implicates new gene as driver of motor neuron diseases

Failures in a quality control system that protects protein-building fidelity in cells can lead to motor neuron degeneration and related diseases, according to a new study from an international team co-directed by Scripps Research molecular biologist Claudio Joazeiro, PhD.

16 Sep 2020

A map of SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations enables the development of therapeutic antibody cocktails

A recent tour-de-force study by the US researchers describes a comprehensive approach to completely map mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) that escape antibody binding – enabling, in turn, rational design of antibody therapeutics and appraisal of the antigenic consequences of viral evolution. The results are currently available in a bioRxiv preprint paper.

13 Sep 2020

Scientists solve decades old mystery of key molecule that fuels mitochondria

Penn Medicine researchers have solved a decades old mystery around a key molecule fueling the power plant of cells that could be exploited to find new ways to treat diseases, from neurodegenerative disorders to cancer.

10 Sep 2020

Fungi can develop drug resistance without genetic changes

The management of fungal infections in plants and humans could be transformed by a breakthrough in understanding how fungi develop resistance to drugs.

9 Sep 2020

CARE consortium launches to accelerate drug discovery and development for COVID-19

CARE a new consortium supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative public-private partnership announced its launch today to accelerate the discovery and development of urgently needed medicines to treat SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

19 Aug 2020

Potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 identified

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 reports the discovery of two inhibitors of the helicase enzyme, which is essential for viral replication and the most highly conserved non-structural coronavirus (CoV) protein.

16 Aug 2020

Synthetic nanobodies prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers from the University of California San Francisco has created a powerful nasal spray or inhaler that can provide high-grade protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The report is presently available on the bioRvix* preprint server.

13 Aug 2020

Study sheds new light on mechanisms of cohesin function involved in cancer and cardiac development

Ana Losada, from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), is the scientist who identified cohesin in vertebrates, a protein that is essential in cell division.

12 Aug 2020

Inhaled delivery of a potent neutralizing nanobody effective against SARS-CoV-2

A recent study by researchers from China, available on the bioRxiv preprint server, shows how stable neutralizing nanobody Nb11-59 might be a promising prophylactic and therapeutic molecule against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – especially if administered via the inhalatory route.

11 Aug 2020

A SARS-CoV-2 assay using plant proteins

Researchers in South Africa have developed a serological assay that readily detects antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using recombinant viral proteins produced in plants.

5 Aug 2020