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Researchers suggest ways to make TB drugs more efficacious against mutations

Biophysicists have discovered why the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) are naturally somewhat resistant to antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. Their findings, based on mapping the detailed three-dimensional structure of the drugs interacting with an essential enzyme in the TB germ, also reveal why some TB drugs are more potent than others and suggest how drug developers can make fluoroquinolones more efficacious against mutations that make the lung disease drug resistant.

19 Jan 2016

Johns Hopkins study shows high doses of cocaine kill brain cells

Working with mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have contributed significant new evidence to support the idea that high doses of cocaine kill brain cells by triggering overactive autophagy, a process in which cells literally digest their own insides. Their results, moreover, bring with them a possible antidote, an experimental compound dubbed CGP3466B.

19 Jan 2016

TSRI researchers develop new technique for modifying complex drug molecules

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a versatile new technique for making modifications—especially one type of extremely difficult, but much-sought-after modification—to complex drug molecules.

18 Jan 2016

Determining Ectopeptidase Activity: An Interview with Professor Stephen Weber, University of Pittsburgh

The scope of the activity of neuropeptides is remarkably broad. For example, neuropeptides are involved in pain control, mood/depression/eating disorders, social and emotional behaviour, body weight, drug abuse, stress, reproduction, motor control, memory, and in maintaining neuronal health when they are stressed.

From Pittcon 14 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal totally new biological mechanism that underlies cancer

In a landmark study, researchers from the Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital reveal a completely new biological mechanism that underlies cancer. By studying brain tumors that carry mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes, the team uncovered some unusual changes in the instructions for how the genome folds up on itself.

13 Jan 2016

New discovery may help researchers tackle mitochondrial diseases and age-related diseases

Buck Institute faculty Judith Campisi, PhD, says age researchers need to stop thinking of cellular senescence, now accepted as an important driver of aging, as a single phenotype that stems from genotoxic stress. Research from her lab reveals that cellular senescence, a process whereby cells permanently lose the ability to divide, is also induced by signaling from dysfunctional mitochondria - and that the arrested cells secrete a distinctly different "stew" of biologically active factors in a process unrelated to the damaging free radicals that are created in mitochondria as part of oxygen metabolism.

13 Jan 2016

New mechanism of differentiation may offer novel therapeutic approaches to blood malignancies, solid tumors

In humans the differentiation of stem cells into hundreds of specialized cell types is vital. Differentiation drives development from fertilized egg to a newborn, and it underlies the continuous replacement of the 5 billion cells that die every hour in an adult. On the downside, mutations in differentiation pathways of different cell types can be drivers of cancers.

13 Jan 2016

Researchers discover molecular target for DNA repair defects behind Fanconi anemia

Researchers have identified a molecular target and experimental treatment strategy for DNA repair defects behind Fanconi anemia – a complex genetic disorder responsible for birth anomalies, organ damage, anemia and cancer.

12 Jan 2016

NIH-funded analysis identifies three genes that contribute to most common form of glaucoma

An analysis funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified three genes that contribute to the most common type of glaucoma. The study increases the total number of such genes to 15.

12 Jan 2016

Novel drug shows promise against metastatic breast cancer in mouse models

A doctor treating a patient with a potentially fatal metastatic breast tumor would be very pleased to find, after administering a round of treatment, that the primary tumor had undergone a change in character - from aggressive to static, and no longer shedding cells that can colonize distant organs of the body.

12 Jan 2016

MD Anderson-led study explores role of HIF-1 in triple-negative breast cancer

A multi-institutional international study led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has revealed new information about how molecules called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) interact with HIF-1, a signaling pathway that is overexpressed in many cancers. HIF-1 has been shown to regulate breast cancer progression.

12 Jan 2016

Physicians may soon have new tool to closely track severity, potential spread of metastatic melanoma

Physicians treating patients with metastatic melanoma — one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer — may soon have a superior tool in their efforts to closely track the disease.

12 Jan 2016

Drugs that block KDM4C and PRMT1 genes could be effective in treating AML

Two genes have been identified that are critical to the development of the biggest leukaemia killer, acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Researchers at King’s College London found that drugs that selectively block these genes could be highly effective in treating this type of leukaemia.

12 Jan 2016

Study opens new door on the causes of vision issues in astronauts

Just when you think you've seen it all, our eyes look to be victims of a low-gravity environments, too. According to new research published in the January 2016 issue of The FASEB Journal, two significant genetic differences in enzymes that direct the one-carbon pathway of metabolism can affect astronaut vision.

12 Jan 2016

Discoveries could lead to development of novel therapies to prevent C. diff infection

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have obtained the crystal structure of a toxin from the bacterium Clostridium difficile ("C. diff") -- the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea in the United States.

12 Jan 2016

UTA researchers map out chemical mechanism of key enzyme found in autism, Alzheimer's and Down syndrome

Biochemists at The University of Texas at Arlington are mapping the catalytic processes of sulfur-oxidizing enzymes to improve understanding of the chemical imbalances found in patients with autism, Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome.

11 Jan 2016

Salk Institute scientists find new target for glioblastoma multiforme treatment

Glioblastoma multiforme is a particularly deadly cancer. A person diagnosed with this type of brain tumor typically survives 15 months, if given the best care. The late Senator Ted Kennedy succumbed to this disease in just over a year.

11 Jan 2016

Researchers reveal specific enzyme responsible for sensing energy source that fuels growth of cancer cells

An international research team formed by a University of Cincinnati cancer researcher has shown for the first time that a specific enzyme is responsible for sensing the available supply of GTP, an energy source that fuels the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. The research underscores the enzyme's potential to become a therapeutic target for future cancer drugs.

11 Jan 2016

DNA damage may lead to mutation and changes in cell

A team of researchers from Colorado State University has been studying DNA damage in living cells to learn more about how genetic abnormalities arise. It has long been known that DNA molecules in every cell get constantly damaged by things from the outside environment, like sunlight, cigarette smoke and radiation. However, more recently researchers have discovered that sources from within the cell itself can sometimes be even more damaging.

7 Jan 2016

New injectable agent can potentially increase surgeon's ability to remove cancerous tumor during surgery

Doctors at the Duke University School of Medicine have tested a new injectable agent that causes cancer cells in a tumor to fluoresce, potentially increasing a surgeon's ability to locate and remove all of a cancerous tumor on the first attempt. The imaging technology was developed through collaboration with scientists at Duke, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Lumicell Inc.

7 Jan 2016

Enzyme News and Research

Researchers suggest ways to make TB drugs more efficacious against mutations

Johns Hopkins study shows high doses of cocaine kill brain cells

TSRI researchers develop new technique for modifying complex drug molecules

Determining Ectopeptidase Activity: An Interview with Professor Stephen Weber, University of Pittsburgh

Researchers reveal totally new biological mechanism that underlies cancer

New discovery may help researchers tackle mitochondrial diseases and age-related diseases

New mechanism of differentiation may offer novel therapeutic approaches to blood malignancies, solid tumors

Researchers discover molecular target for DNA repair defects behind Fanconi anemia

NIH-funded analysis identifies three genes that contribute to most common form of glaucoma

Novel drug shows promise against metastatic breast cancer in mouse models

MD Anderson-led study explores role of HIF-1 in triple-negative breast cancer

Physicians may soon have new tool to closely track severity, potential spread of metastatic melanoma

Drugs that block KDM4C and PRMT1 genes could be effective in treating AML

Study opens new door on the causes of vision issues in astronauts

Discoveries could lead to development of novel therapies to prevent C. diff infection

UTA researchers map out chemical mechanism of key enzyme found in autism, Alzheimer's and Down syndrome

Salk Institute scientists find new target for glioblastoma multiforme treatment

Researchers reveal specific enzyme responsible for sensing energy source that fuels growth of cancer cells

DNA damage may lead to mutation and changes in cell

New injectable agent can potentially increase surgeon's ability to remove cancerous tumor during surgery

Biochemical Assays for Efficient Hit Prioritization After Screening eBook

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Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (3rd edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Microbiome (1st edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition)

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