Cell Membrane News and Research

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Nanoparticles' movements reveal whether they can hit intended cancer targets

Targeted drug-delivery systems hold significant promise for treating cancer effectively by sparing healthy surrounding tissues. But the promising approach can only work if the drug hits its target.

10 Aug 2019

Common feature that makes cancer cells appear bloated could be their potential weak spot

In a study using yeast cells and data from cancer cell lines, Johns Hopkins University scientists report they have found a potential weak spot among cancer cells that have extra sets of chromosomes, the structures that carry genetic material.

23 Jul 2019

Low estrogen causes muscle loss in women after menopause

Pioneering research shows the essential role played by the female hormone estrogen in preserving muscle bulk and strength in women.

19 Jul 2019

Getting rid of chronic infections by waking up sleeping bacteria

Researchers in the group of Jan Michiels (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology) identified a mechanism of how sleepy bacteria wake up.

18 Jul 2019

How cell-free DNA can be targeted to prevent spread of tumors

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is DNA found in trace amounts in blood, which has escaped degradation by enzymes.

12 Jul 2019

How electrical stimulation promotes wound healing

Scientists have known for decades that electrical stimulation promotes healing of chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers and bedsores, but how it happens has been a mystery-until now.

9 Jul 2019

Study sheds light on complex caspase-1-induced cell death mechanisms

Most unnecessary or dangerous cells such as virus-infected cells commit suicide by activating an in-built suicide program.

5 Jul 2019

A small chemical change reverses prediabetes in obese mice

A small chemical change - shifting the position of two hydrogen atoms - makes the difference between mice that are healthy and mice with insulin resistance and fatty liver, major risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.

5 Jul 2019

HER2-positive breast cancer may be treated with imprinted nanospheres

A particularly aggressive, metastasizing form of cancer, HER2-positive breast cancer, may be treated with nanoscopic particles “imprinted” with specific binding sites for the receptor molecule HER2.

4 Jul 2019

Scientists discover new way to direct stem cells to heart tissue

In a world first, scientists have found a new way to direct stem cells to heart tissue. The findings, led by researchers at the University of Bristol and published in Chemical Science, could radically improve the treatment for cardiovascular disease, which causes more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK.

4 Jul 2019

A short bout of exercise improves brain function, study reveals

Most people know that regular exercise is good for your health. New research shows it may make you smarter, too.

3 Jul 2019

Researchers synthesize artificial cells to detect histamine

Baking a cake from scratch is a task deemed difficult for many. Constructing an artificial cell-like system from scratch, well that's another story.

3 Jul 2019

Electronic cigarettes produce stress response in neural stem cells, study finds

A research team at the University of California, Riverside, has found that electronic cigarettes, often targeted to youth and pregnant women, produce a stress response in neural stem cells, which are critical cells in the brain.

1 Jul 2019

Cutting-edge electron microscopy reveals first structures of a lipid-flippase

Using cutting-edge electron microscopy, researchers from Aarhus University have determined the first structures of a lipid-flippase.

29 Jun 2019

Pharmaceutical products made of solid gold

Over the past twenty years, the use of nanoparticles in medicine has steadily increased. However, their safety and effect on the human immune system remains an important concern.

28 Jun 2019

Low dose of endotoxin could have protective effect on men at risk of acute kidney injury

In a counterintuitive result, researchers found that giving male rats a low dose of the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) prior to inducing a model of acute kidney injury (AKI) improved outcomes.

26 Jun 2019

LDL-cholesterol does not predict future cardiovascular events in high-risk heart patients

New international study shows that LDL-cholesterol is unable to predict future cardiovascular events and fails to identify those coronary heart disease patients who are at the highest risk and who would benefit most from additional attention and preventive action.

24 Jun 2019

Researchers examine transport mechanism of bacterial membrane protein

An international research team has investigated the transport mechanism of a bacterial membrane protein using an artificially produced antibody fragment.

17 Jun 2019

New discovery could improve therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A new multi-institution study spearheaded by researchers at Florida State University and the University of California, Los Angeles suggests a tiny protein could play a major role in combating heart failure related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common lethal genetic disorder among children.

16 Jun 2019

Researchers uncover new mechanism by which cells communicate in inflammatory processes

A research group from MedUni Vienna and CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has discovered a new mechanism by which cells communicate in inflammatory processes.

14 Jun 2019