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Novel method accelerates development of drugs

One of the key steps in developing new drugs is determining the atomic structure of its biologically active substances. This generally involves performing X-ray analyses of single crystal structures to determine the ingredient's detailed three-dimensional set-up. However, growing suitable single crystals is often a complex and time-consuming process.

26 Mar 2018

Researchers uncover cause of rare childhood neurodegenerative disease

Neurology researchers investigating a rare but devastating neurological regression in infants have discovered the cause: gene mutations that severely disrupt crucial functions in mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells.

23 Mar 2018

Researchers discover 'missing mutation' in severe infant epilepsy

Researchers have discovered a "missing mutation" in severe infant epilepsy--long-suspected genetic changes that might trigger overactive, brain-damaging electrical signaling leading to seizures.

20 Mar 2018

Researchers find the heart to be capable of arrhythmia termination after local gene therapy

The heart is capable of terminating arrhythmias itself after local gene therapy, potentially avoiding the need for patients to undergo painful electric shocks, according to a proof-of-concept study presented today at EHRA 2018, a European Society of Cardiology congress.

19 Mar 2018

Boosting the brain's immune cells may prevent or reduce severity of Alzheimer's disease

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute researchers have published two new studies in Neuron that describe how TREM2, a receptor found on immune cells in the brain, interacts with toxic amyloid beta proteins to restore neurological function.

8 Mar 2018

New study provides better understanding of asymmetric cell division

Stem cells are the basic material from which mature, specialised cells such as muscle and blood cells are produced -- this process is known as differentiation.

28 Feb 2018

Artificial intelligence methods used for developing precision cancer medicine

A patient's own molecular data can be used to identify, with the use of artificial intelligence methods, the best combinatorial multi-drug therapy for that patient. Network modelling plays a major role in this line of work.

27 Feb 2018

New discovery may allow doctors to treat inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases

A new discovery about the immune system may allow doctors to treat harmful inflammation that damages the brain in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. It might also let doctors save patients from the potentially deadly inflammation of sepsis, a full-body infection that kills a quarter-million Americans every year.

26 Feb 2018

Study reveals functional dynamics of ion channels

Most ion channels are very selective about the ions, which may or may not pass through them. They may be conductive for potassium ions and non-conductive for sodium ions or vice versa.

19 Feb 2018

Phonak expands its latest-generation Belong platform with Phonak Naída B, Phonak Sky B hearing aids

Phonak, the leading global innovator for hearing instruments and wireless communication solutions, today announces the extension of its latest-generation Belong platform with Phonak Naída™ B and Phonak Sky™ B hearing aids.

16 Feb 2018

Producing Super-Swelled Lyotropic Monocrystals for Drug Development

An interview with Dr. Cecília Leal, about a new method for producing bicontinuous cubic phases that are super-swollen and exist as monocrystals in solution.

15 Feb 2018

Alternative MRI contrast agent shows promising results in NIH study

NIH-supported researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are studying an alternative to the contrast agents currently used for magnetic resonance imaging.

14 Feb 2018

Study unravels developmental splicing program that promotes neuronal maturation

Neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain communicate with each other by transmitting electric signals, or firing action potentials, through long processes named axons (which send out signals) and dendrites (which receive signals).

1 Feb 2018

Findings provide better understanding of cell membrane components

Research conducted by Toyohashi University of Technology in collaboration with Tohoku University elucidated the fusion process of proteoliposomes with an artificial lipid bilayer and the mechanism behind this process.

1 Feb 2018

Free magnesium ions regulate chromosome shape, new tool shows

Japanese researchers report a new ion detector, MARIO. Using it, they show that changes in the intracellular concentration of free magnesium ions (Mg2+) is critical for the chromosome folding that must occur for cells to divide.

1 Feb 2018

Computer-based models reveal optimal conditions for killing harmful bacteria

Bacteria, transformed into dormant spores, can survive millions of years in extreme environments, threatening human life in the form of food poisoning and the biological weapon anthrax. But understanding how bacteria adapt to hostile environments has largely remained a mystery--until now.

1 Feb 2018

Biologists discover new genetic pathway for injured nerve regeneration

On the hunt for genes involved in regenerating critical nerve fibers called axons, biologists at the University of California San Diego came away with a surprise: The discovery of a new genetic pathway that carries hope for victims of traumatic injuries - from stroke to spinal cord damage.

25 Jan 2018

Artificial sweetener could lead to development of cancer therapies with less side effects

Artificial sweeteners are used in diet drinks and foods but also could someday be used as treatments targeting carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX), a protein associated with aggressive cancers.

24 Jan 2018

Reminders can improve immunization rates

Rates of immunization against infectious diseases in children and adults are improving, but under-vaccination remains a problem that results in vaccine-preventable deaths and illnesses. In Europe, 11,316 cases of measles were reported during 2012, and an estimated four to 50 million symptomatic cases of flu occur each year.

19 Jan 2018

Scientists develop unique technique to map elasticity of cell components

Scientists at Université de Montréal have developed a unique technique to map, on a scale of milliseconds, the elasticity of the components inside a cell.

17 Jan 2018