Toxin News and Research

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New nanosponge safely removes dangerous toxins from bloodstream

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a "nanosponge" capable of safely removing a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream - including toxins produced by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes and bees.

15 Apr 2013

Athletes with vocal cord disorder inappropriately treated for exercise-induced asthma

Athletes with a vocal cord disorder that restricts breathing are more likely to be misdiagnosed and inappropriately treated for exercise-induced asthma, according to research presented today at the Triological Society's 116th Annual Meeting.

15 Apr 2013

Researchers use metagenomics to identify the cause of outbreaks of bacterial infection

Researchers have been able to reconstruct the genome sequence of an outbreak strain of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), which caused over 50 deaths in Germany, using an approach known as metagenomics which bypasses the need for growing bacteria in the lab.

12 Apr 2013

Researchers use metagenomics to reconstruct genome sequence of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli

Researchers have been able to reconstruct the genome sequence of an outbreak strain of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli using metagenomics (the direct sequencing of DNA extracted from microbiologically complex samples), according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue.

10 Apr 2013

UCSB researchers examine role played by Rhs proteins in bacterial intercellular competition

There's an epic battle taking place that's not on the national radar: intercellular competition. While it's not an Olympic event, new research from UC Santa Barbara demonstrates that this microscopic rivalry can be just as fierce as humans going for the gold.

9 Apr 2013

Researchers discover that fruit fly mutation holds clues for treating motor neuron diseases

A team of researchers, led by Marc Freeman, PhD, an early career scientist with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and associate professor of neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have discovered a gene in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that, when mutant, blocks the self-destruction of damaged axons, which could hold clues to treating motor neuron diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

9 Apr 2013

Antibody-guided drug shows promising activity in ovarian cancer patients with platinum drug-resistant disease

A new antibody-guided drug has shown promising activity in a phase I trial involving ovarian cancer patients with platinum drug-resistant disease, researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will report today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

8 Apr 2013

Study offers new possibilities for developing potent antibacterial drugs

A new study which was performed jointly at Ume- University and the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, discovered that bacteria can degrade the cell membrane of bacterial competitors with enzymes that do not harm their own membrane.

5 Apr 2013

New medical device detects biothreat agents

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are developing a medical instrument that will be able to quickly detect a suite of biothreat agents, including anthrax, ricin, botulinum, shiga and SEB toxin.

3 Apr 2013

Revance Therapeutics raises $33M in Series E financing

Revance Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held specialty biopharmaceutical company developing novel botulinum toxin products for use in aesthetic and therapeutic indications, today announced that it has raised $33 million of its Series E growth financing.

2 Apr 2013

Data shows efficacy of MANF in neuroprotection 6-hydroxydopamine rat models of Parkinson's disease

Amarantus BioScience, Inc., a biotechnology company discovering and developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases associated with neurodegeneration and apoptosis, today reported positive preclinical data for its lead therapeutic MANF in neuroprotection 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat models of Parkinson's disease.

28 Mar 2013

Konzo's harm goes beyond devastating physical effects

The harm done by konzo - a disease overshadowed by the war and drought it tends to accompany - goes beyond its devastating physical effects to impair children's memory, problem solving and other cognitive functions.

25 Mar 2013

Certain strains of lactobacillus bacteria can dampen production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1

Certain Streptococci increase their production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, sometimes to potentially dangerous levels, when aerobic bacteria are present in the vagina. But scientists from the University of Western Ontario have discovered certain strains of lactobacillus bacteria are capable of dampening production of that toxin according to research published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

25 Mar 2013

Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent gets FDA approval for patients showing signs of botulism

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)-(Equine) to treat patients showing signs of botulism following documented or suspected exposure to botulinum neurotoxin.

25 Mar 2013

Mycolactone activation of N-WASP boosts Buruli ulcer formation

Mycobacterium ulcerans infects the skin and subcutaneous tissues and secretes a lipid toxin, mycolactone, which causes open skin lesions, known as Buruli ulcers.

18 Mar 2013

Anti-cancer drug conjugates: an interview with Dr Andreas Menrad, CSO Ablynx and Dr Chris Martin, CEO Spirogen

Antibodies and in the case of Ablynx, Nanobodies, can be raised and selected to bind with high affinity selectively to cancer cells in a tumour. Cancer cells are exquisitely sensitive to certain toxins such as the PBDs produced by Spirogen.

12 Mar 2013

Melittin-loaded nanoparticles can destroy human immunodeficiency virus

Nanoparticles carrying a toxin found in bee venom can destroy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while leaving surrounding cells unharmed, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown.

8 Mar 2013

Study now tells physicians that dystonia can occur in African-American patients

A pair of studies tells the tale of how a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic in Florida helped to discover the first African-American family to have inherited the rare movement disorder dystonia, which causes repetitive muscle contractions and twisting, resulting in abnormal posture.

7 Mar 2013

Drugs that inhibit buildup of acylcarnitines may block axonal degeneration

Anyone whose hand or foot has "fallen asleep" has an idea of the numbness and tingling often experienced by people with peripheral nerve damage. The condition also can cause a range of other symptoms, including unrelenting pain, stinging, burning, itching and sensitivity to touch.

6 Mar 2013

Microcystins in drinking water

An interview with Rohan Thakur, discussing the prevalence of microcystins in drinking water, and the use of LC-MS to identify cyanotoxins within water samples.

From Bruker Daltonics 5 Mar 2013

Toxin News and Research

New nanosponge safely removes dangerous toxins from bloodstream

Athletes with vocal cord disorder inappropriately treated for exercise-induced asthma

Researchers use metagenomics to identify the cause of outbreaks of bacterial infection

Researchers use metagenomics to reconstruct genome sequence of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli

UCSB researchers examine role played by Rhs proteins in bacterial intercellular competition

Researchers discover that fruit fly mutation holds clues for treating motor neuron diseases

Antibody-guided drug shows promising activity in ovarian cancer patients with platinum drug-resistant disease

Study offers new possibilities for developing potent antibacterial drugs

New medical device detects biothreat agents

Revance Therapeutics raises $33M in Series E financing

Data shows efficacy of MANF in neuroprotection 6-hydroxydopamine rat models of Parkinson's disease

Konzo's harm goes beyond devastating physical effects

Certain strains of lactobacillus bacteria can dampen production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1

Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent gets FDA approval for patients showing signs of botulism

Mycolactone activation of N-WASP boosts Buruli ulcer formation

Anti-cancer drug conjugates: an interview with Dr Andreas Menrad, CSO Ablynx and Dr Chris Martin, CEO Spirogen

Melittin-loaded nanoparticles can destroy human immunodeficiency virus

Study now tells physicians that dystonia can occur in African-American patients

Drugs that inhibit buildup of acylcarnitines may block axonal degeneration

Microcystins in drinking water

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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