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Researchers explore better way to address the root cause of cystic fibrosis

Treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF) have added years to the lives of thousands of Americans. But they can be difficult to administer, and most don't fix the underlying cause. Scientists have now found that a small molecule, when tested in yeast, can substitute for a protein and restore a key cellular function related to those missing in people with CF and similar conditions.

27 Aug 2015

Flu remedies can help treat E. coli bacteria

If the intestinal bacteria level becomes unbalanced, it can cause diseases. Physiologists from the University of Zurich reveal how a specific carbohydrate in the intestinal mucosa heavily multiplies certain E. coli bacteria and thus causes inflammations. These could be treated with flu remedies, which opens up new therapeutic possibilities.

26 Aug 2015

Alpha lipoic acid can stimulate telomerase with positive effects in mouse model of atherosclerosis

In human cells, shortened telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, are both a sign of aging and contribute to it. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found that the dietary supplement alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can stimulate telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, with positive effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis.

24 Aug 2015

UC Davis researchers reveal how four proteins come together to help assemble tubulin

When they think about how cells put together the molecules that make life work, biologists have tended to think of assembly lines: Add A to B, tack on C, and so on. But the reality might be more like a molecular version of a 3-D printer, where a single mechanism assembles the molecule in one go.

21 Aug 2015

Researchers establish structure of important tumor-suppressing protein

An international group of researchers led by Carnegie Mellon University physicists Mathias Lösche and Frank Heinrich have established the structure of an important tumor suppressing protein, PTEN. Their findings provide new insights into how the protein regulates cell growth and how mutations in the gene that encodes the protein can lead to cancer.

21 Aug 2015

Johns Hopkins study advances scientific understanding of how DNA segments move among bacteria

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have deciphered the structure and unusual shape of a bacterial protein that prepares segments of DNA for the insertion of so-called jumping genes.

21 Aug 2015

Energy-burning 'good' fat helps reduce weight gain, lower blood glucose levels in mice

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a novel way to engineer the growth and expansion of energy-burning "good" fat, and then found that this fat helped reduce weight gain and lower blood glucose levels in mice.

20 Aug 2015

Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator funds advanced biomedical research projects

A few years ago, Andrew Myers' laboratory discovered a new way to synthesize an important class of antibiotics that could one day tackle the toughest, most resistant infections.

20 Aug 2015

Ancient Chinese practice lowers hypertension, may lessen risks of stroke and heart disease

Patients with hypertension treated with acupuncture experienced drops in their blood pressure that lasted up to a month and a half, researchers with the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine have found.

20 Aug 2015

PHD1 inhibition may have therapeutic potential for colorectal cancer

Scientists at VIB and KU Leuven have shown that blocking the PHD1 oxygen sensor hinders the activation of p53, a transcription factor that aids colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in repairing themselves and thus resisting chemotherapy. Chemotherapy resistance remains a major clinical issue in the treatment of CRC. These findings indicate that PHD1 inhibition may have valuable therapeutic potential. The study was published in the leading medical journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, which features molecular biology-driven research.

19 Aug 2015

Advanced liver damage in hepatitis C patients grossly underestimated and underdiagnosed

The number of hepatitis C patients suffering from advanced liver damage may be grossly underestimated and underdiagnosed, according to a study led by researchers at Henry Ford Health System and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

19 Aug 2015

Reducing amyloid fibril levels in semen may help reduce transmission of HIV

There may be two new ways to fight AIDS -- using a heat shock protein or a small molecule - to attack fibrils in semen associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the initial phases of infection, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

18 Aug 2015

FSU study reveals new method for treating diabetes

A new Florida State University study is changing how researchers look at diabetes research and the drugs used to treat the disease.

18 Aug 2015

VA study examines use of medicinal maggots to heal diabetic foot ulcers

Maggot, or larval, therapy has been around since ancient times as a way to heal wounds. Now, the method has gone high-tech--in some ways--and it's being tested in a rigorous clinical trial at the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Gainesville, Fla. Recruitment is now underway.

18 Aug 2015

New research explores underlying mechanisms by which bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance genes

A scientific peek into bacteria boudoirs is revealing how "sex" among disease-causing microbes can lead different species or strains to become resistant to antibiotic medications.

18 Aug 2015

Regulation of tumor microenvironment may offer alternate method for cancer treatment

Scientists know that activation of growth factor receptors like epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) promote tumor progression in many types of cancer.

18 Aug 2015

‘Medical foods’ for patients with rare IEMs may cause harm when not carefully managed

Many "medical foods" are designed to help manage patients with rare inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), and can help prevent serious and life-threatening complications. However, such special foods may cause harm in some patients when their use is not carefully monitored and managed, according to a research team led by scientists at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

14 Aug 2015

Prion protein could play a role in depression

The discovery of antidepressant drugs in the 1950s led to the first biochemical hypothesis of depression, known as the monoamine hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that an imbalance of certain brain chemicals is the key cause of depression.

14 Aug 2015

3D protein structure reveals new drug targets for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases

Protein Kinase C (PKC) is a family of enzymes that controls the activity of other proteins in a cell by attaching chemical tags. That simple act helps determine cell survival or death.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers help explain how malaria infection increases children's risk of developing Burkitt's lymphoma

In equatorial Africa, a region of the globe known as the "lymphoma belt," children are ten times more likely than in other parts of the world to develop Burkitt's lymphoma, a highly aggressive blood cancer that can be fatal if left untreated. That area is also plagued by high rates of malaria, and scientists have spent the last 50 years trying to understand how the two diseases are connected.

14 Aug 2015

Enzyme News and Research

Researchers explore better way to address the root cause of cystic fibrosis

Flu remedies can help treat E. coli bacteria

Alpha lipoic acid can stimulate telomerase with positive effects in mouse model of atherosclerosis

UC Davis researchers reveal how four proteins come together to help assemble tubulin

Researchers establish structure of important tumor-suppressing protein

Johns Hopkins study advances scientific understanding of how DNA segments move among bacteria

Energy-burning 'good' fat helps reduce weight gain, lower blood glucose levels in mice

Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator funds advanced biomedical research projects

Ancient Chinese practice lowers hypertension, may lessen risks of stroke and heart disease

PHD1 inhibition may have therapeutic potential for colorectal cancer

Advanced liver damage in hepatitis C patients grossly underestimated and underdiagnosed

Reducing amyloid fibril levels in semen may help reduce transmission of HIV

FSU study reveals new method for treating diabetes

VA study examines use of medicinal maggots to heal diabetic foot ulcers

New research explores underlying mechanisms by which bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance genes

Regulation of tumor microenvironment may offer alternate method for cancer treatment

‘Medical foods’ for patients with rare IEMs may cause harm when not carefully managed

Prion protein could play a role in depression

3D protein structure reveals new drug targets for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers help explain how malaria infection increases children's risk of developing Burkitt's lymphoma

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

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