Membrane News and Research

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Yeast cells help show how GSAO (glutathionarsenoxide) angiogenesis inhibitor drug works

The humble yeast has revealed the molecular workings of an anti-cancer drug that stops the growth and spread of tumours in humans by starving their blood supply.

18 Oct 2005

Why the human immune system does not function well in the weightlessness of space

Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center have identified a set of key immune-response genes that do not turn on in a weightless environment. The discovery is another clue in the effort to solve an almost 40-year-old mystery

12 Oct 2005

Researchers find gene that is important for the control of fundamental rhythms in nematode worms

University of Utah biologists found a gene that controls rhythmic events in a worm's life: swallowing food, laying eggs and pooping.

9 Oct 2005

Common cancer susceptibility gene appears to be frequently acquired in metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer

A relatively common cancer susceptibility gene appears to be frequently acquired in metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer, and give cancer cells a growth advantage, according to a study in the October 5 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

4 Oct 2005

Compounds secreted by frog skin are potent blockers of HIV infection

The findings could lead to topical treatments for preventing HIV transmission, and they reinforce the value of preserving the Earth's biodiversity.

3 Oct 2005

100 year old technology to fight MRSA

A technique that has been around for more than one hundred years is being used in new research as a way of killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using light. The research to be reported today at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, is being undertaken by researchers from Queen's University Belfast.

28 Sep 2005

Water management is the key to regulating cell volume

...says Dutch researcher Bas Tomassen. He investigated the uptake and secretion of water by the plasma membrane of animal and human cells.

27 Sep 2005

Researchers gain insights into how malaria pathogen destroys the cells in which it resides

By specially tagging the outer and inner membranes of red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite and tracking the cellular changes that precede the cell bursting event that disperses parasites to other blood cells, a group of researchers has deepened our understanding of how the malaria pathogen destroys the cells in which it resides.

26 Sep 2005

PUMA protein offers critical insights for developing new anti-cancer drugs

The discovery of how the activities of the protein p53 initiate signals that trigger cell suicide offers critical insights for developing new anti-cancer drugs, according to investigators from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

20 Sep 2005

Salicylate an active metabolite of aspirin - weakens lipid membranes

It's well known that high doses of aspirin can cause ulcers and temporary deafness, but the biochemical mechanism responsible for these phenomena has never been deciphered.

19 Sep 2005

Researchers determine the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects

Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have determined the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is one of the Institutes comprising the National Institutes of Health.

19 Sep 2005

Carbon nanotubes as transport agents for antimycotics (antifungal agents)

Putting pharmaceutical agents into the body isn't hard, but getting them into targeted areas can be problematic. If drugs aren't taken up by a large enough proportion of cells, a suitable "transport agent" must be used.

19 Sep 2005

Key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells

In many patients with type 2 diabetes, the liver acts like a sugar factory on overtime, churning out glucose throughout the day, even when blood sugar levels are high. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered a key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells.

12 Sep 2005

New ways to enhance or block fertilization

Researchers have capitalized on the unique properties of a sperm cell to follow cell membrane fusion as it occurs during fertilization, tracking the full cascade of events for the first time. The findings could reveal new ways to enhance or block fertilization, as well as how to control the secretion of neurotransmitters and hormones such as insulin.

6 Sep 2005

Immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil may be effective in controlling inflammatory eye diseases

The immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil, used to prevent rejection of transplanted hearts, kidneys and livers, may also be effective in controlling inflammatory eye diseases, according to a study by Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute.

4 Sep 2005

Macrophages kill bacteria - but not always

Macrophages are effective weapons used by our immune system to absorb and digest pathogenic intruders. Some bacteria, however, can subvert this defence mechanism and even multiply within the macrophages.

1 Sep 2005

Tools for studying the chemistry of the brain, neuron by neuron

The human brain is composed of billions of cells, each a separate entity that communicates with others. The chemical interaction of those cells determines personality, controls behavior and encodes memory; but much remains to be understood.

1 Sep 2005

Carbohydrate known as OGT2378 inhibits tumor growth

A non-toxic chemical compound that prevents cancer cells from producing a critical membrane component has been shown to suppress tumor growth and tumor size in mice without unwanted side effects, according to researchers at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

30 Aug 2005

Possibility of a continuously functioning, wearable or implantable artificial kidney

Researchers have developed a human nephron filter (HNF) that would eventually make possible a continuously functioning, wearable or implantable artificial kidney.

30 Aug 2005

Blocking Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) with anticancer drugs

A class of anticancer drugs currently being evaluated in phase 3 clinical trials may also be an effective treatment for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a fatal genetic disorder that causes premature aging.

29 Aug 2005

Membrane News and Research

Yeast cells help show how GSAO (glutathionarsenoxide) angiogenesis inhibitor drug works

Why the human immune system does not function well in the weightlessness of space

Researchers find gene that is important for the control of fundamental rhythms in nematode worms

Common cancer susceptibility gene appears to be frequently acquired in metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer

Compounds secreted by frog skin are potent blockers of HIV infection

100 year old technology to fight MRSA

Water management is the key to regulating cell volume

Researchers gain insights into how malaria pathogen destroys the cells in which it resides

PUMA protein offers critical insights for developing new anti-cancer drugs

Salicylate an active metabolite of aspirin - weakens lipid membranes

Researchers determine the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects

Carbon nanotubes as transport agents for antimycotics (antifungal agents)

Key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells

New ways to enhance or block fertilization

Immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil may be effective in controlling inflammatory eye diseases

Macrophages kill bacteria - but not always

Tools for studying the chemistry of the brain, neuron by neuron

Carbohydrate known as OGT2378 inhibits tumor growth

Possibility of a continuously functioning, wearable or implantable artificial kidney

Blocking Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) with anticancer drugs

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