Signaling Pathway News and Research

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Research suggests a promising therapeutic target to treat or prevent metabolic disorders

Research led by Suresh Alahari, PhD, Fred Brazda Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology at LSU Health New Orleans, suggests a novel protein may be a promising therapeutic target to treat or prevent metabolic disorders.

18 Dec 2018

Research identifies nerve-signaling pathway behind sustained pain after injury

A toddler puts her hand on a hot stove and swiftly withdraws it. Alas, it's too late--the child's finger has sustained a minor burn. To soothe the pain, she puts the burned finger in her mouth.

13 Dec 2018

Virginia Tech and UC San Diego researchers team up to develop nonopioid drug for chronic pain

Researchers from the Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience are teaming with the University of California San Diego and the U.S. National Institutes of Health to develop a drug -- now in its earliest stages -- that can treat certain types of chronic pain without the addictive consequences of opioids.

12 Dec 2018

Researchers report novel findings on plant hormone

Jasmonic acid is not just the aromatic odor of the plant Jasminum grandiflorum used in cosmetics and perfume industries. Plants wounded by e.g. chewing herbivores produce jasmonic acid as a defense signal, as a phytohormone to mount their defense responses - this includes for example the formation of toxic substances.

10 Dec 2018

New drug combination could kill melanoma cells more effectively, study shows

A class of cancer drugs called protein kinase inhibitors is one of the most effective treatments for melanoma. However, in many cases, tumors eventually become resistant to the drugs and cause a relapse in the patient.

3 Dec 2018

UA researchers discover promising lead in genetic approach to treating deadly brain cancer

Glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer that has grabbed headlines for claiming the lives of Sens. Edward Kennedy and John McCain, could be "tricked" into sparing more of its victims.

30 Nov 2018

New strategy for developing cell replacement therapies to combat type 1 diabetes

Scientists have discovered the signals that determine the fate of immature cells in the pancreas. The research shows that they are very mobile and that their destiny is strongly influenced by their immediate environment.

29 Nov 2018

Researchers regrow hair strands on damaged skin

By stirring crosstalk among skin cells that form the roots of hair, researchers report they have regrown hair strands on damaged skin. The findings better explain why hair does not normally grow on wounded skin, and may help in the search for better drugs to restore hair growth, say the study's authors.

28 Nov 2018

Rainforest vine compound makes pancreatic cancer cells susceptible to nutrient starvation

Pancreatic cancer cells are known for their ability to thrive under extreme conditions of low nutrients and oxygen, a trait known in the cancer field as "austerity." The cells' remarkable resistance to starvation is one reason why pancreatic cancer is so deadly.

14 Nov 2018

Biologists uncover novel genetic control of lipid maintenance and its potential connection to lifespan

Tiny microscopic worms, invisible to the naked eye, are helping scientists to better understand an extraordinarily complex biological pathway that connects fat to overall health and aging in humans.

14 Nov 2018

Researchers identify epigenetic changes that increase risk of type 2 diabetes

Small chemical changes in the DNA building blocks, which may be influenceable by lifestyle factors, can reduce the amount of IGFBP2. A DIfE / DZD research team has now reported in the journal Diabetes that these epigenetic changes increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

8 Nov 2018

UA scientists aim to identify drug targets for rare pediatric cancer

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare cancer of the skeletal muscle that primarily affects pediatric patients. After diagnosis, about 3 out of 4 patients are cured with standard treatment. Survival rates drop to 17 percent if the disease comes back (recurs) and to 30 percent if it spreads (metastasizes).

1 Nov 2018

Gut microbiota can contribute to type 2 diabetes

A study published in the journal Cell shows that the gut microbiota has the ability to affect how cells respond to insulin, and can thus contribute to type 2 diabetes. The findings demonstrate an hereto unknown pathological mechanism.

26 Oct 2018

Molecular breakthrough may improve prognosis for pancreatic cancer

Scientists have discovered a method by which fibroblasts in the stroma of pancreatic tumors can be reprogrammed to suppress tumor cell growth.

26 Oct 2018

Targeting specific signaling pathway could provide new avenue for treating fetal alcohol syndrome

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are an array of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome, the most severe of these conditions, often results in physical abnormalities, behavioral development issues and intellectual disabilities.

24 Oct 2018

Zebrafish study uncovers molecular 'brake' that helps control eye lens development

How different cells in a multicellular organism acquire their identities remains a fundamental mystery of development. In the eye, for example, the lens contains two cell types - lens epithelial cells and lens fiber cells -- the first of which differentiates into the second as an animal matures.

16 Oct 2018

Research points to potential new treatment for hearing loss

Researchers have taken an important step toward what may become a new approach to restore the hearing loss. In a new study, out today in the European Journal of Neuroscience, scientists have been able to regrow the sensory hair cells found in the cochlea - a part of the inner ear - that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals and can be permanently lost due to age or noise damage.

15 Oct 2018

Modeling Non-Numerical Data in Systems Biology

An interview with Dr. Eshan Mitra, discussing the importance of computer models in biology and the development of a more accurate model of the RAF phosphorylation pathway.