Protein News and Research

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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

New research has implications for developing cancer therapies targeting mutant p53 protein

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is mutated in more than half of all human cancers. Several drugs that potentially can restore mutant p53 to its normal cancer-killing function are in clinical investigation.

31 Aug 2021

The tale of mRNA vaccines: Turning calamity into opportunity

In a review paper published in the journal Nature Reviews, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pennsylvania have described the underlying technologies for mRNA vaccines and their future prospects with improved delivery systems and applications in diseases beyond the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

31 Aug 2021

Researchers explore the fate of dietary fructose in the body

In today's fast-paced world, the dependence on the widely available "fast" foods and beverages has risen. These foods are typically low in fiber and essential nutrients, and often consist of high amounts of added sugar. This shift in dietary trends, accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle, has been attributed to the rise in various metabolic disorders like diabetes, fatty liver disease, and heart disease.

31 Aug 2021

Shorter survival of multiple myeloma subgroup linked to worse kidney damage

Nearly 20% of patients with multiple myeloma have a form in which they make extreme quantities of one component of the abnormal antibody they are producing, and these so-called "free monoclonal light chains" pile up and damage the kidneys, investigators say.

31 Aug 2021

Finding the genetic cause of childhood epilepsy helps improve treatment and care

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological diseases, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide. Although it is believed that a large proportion of childhood-onset epilepsies are caused by genetic changes, it remains unknown precisely how many of these patients suffer from a genetic disorder and how often the treatment can be targeted to their specific genetic alteration.

31 Aug 2021

Durability of cellular immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after mRNA vaccination

A recent study, available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, investigated the durability of cellular immune memory after mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 and whether booster jabs affect the durability of different immune response components. The study included testing for antibodies and cellular immune responses in covid patients and recovered individuals.

31 Aug 2021

FDA grants seven years of marketing exclusivity for Octapharma’s Octagam 10%

Octapharma USA today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) has awarded seven years of marketing exclusivity for Octagam® 10% [Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human)], the first and only intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) to be indicated for the treatment of adult dermatomyositis (DM).

31 Aug 2021

Researchers develop chemistry approach to polymerize proteins inside microbes

Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a synthetic chemistry approach to polymerize proteins inside engineered microbes.

31 Aug 2021

Role of glycans on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human receptor interaction

A team of investigators, led by Dr. Benjamin F. Mann, from Merck, USA have published a new study on the preprint server bioRxiv*. They have used a biochemical approach to control the glycosylation profile of the S protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and to analyze the effect of different glycosylation patterns on receptor binding.

30 Aug 2021

Computational study identifies human proteins structurally similar to SARS-CoV-2 proteins

A new study published in Scientific Reports identifies the human proteins that share structural similarities with the SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

30 Aug 2021

Gitelman syndrome more common in Japanese population than previously reported

Clinical Fellow KONDO Atsushi and Professor NOZU Kandai et al. of Kobe University's Graduate School of Medicine have estimated the prevalence of Gitelman syndrome across different ethnicities using a genome database.

30 Aug 2021

Will mRNA vaccine boosters be required for SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A new study shows that the highly effective mRNA Moderna vaccine designed against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain may lose some efficacy as new variants arise.

30 Aug 2021

Could genetic variants in host cell receptors (ACE2) explain COVID-19 susceptibility among certain ethnic groups?

Led by Ioannis Karakikes of Stanford University, a new study suggests some hospitalized patients with COVID-19 contain ACE2 genetic variants that increase ACE2 expression. Some variants that altered ACE2 protein expression and binding affinity were more prevalent in people with European backgrounds.

30 Aug 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 natural infection immunity better protect against the Delta variant than vaccination?

A new study from Israel suggests immunity gained after recovering from a previous COVID-19 infection is more protective against the new Delta variant than vaccine-induced immunity. Natural immunity was estimated to be about 13 times stronger than having two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

30 Aug 2021

Molecular autopsy of dried blood spots can identify underlying cause of sudden cardiac death in a young person

The underlying cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a young person is often difficult to identify. A genetic analysis could provide more information in many cases, but blood samples are not collected routinely at the time of death, and DNA extracted from the tissues collected at autopsy is damaged because of the way they are fixed in formalin and paraffin-embedded.

30 Aug 2021

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern modulate receptor and antibody binding

In a trailblazing engineering effort, Canadian and US researchers indicate that the emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 stems from the mutations of spike glycoprotein that confer either increased affinity for the host cell receptor or increased antibody evasion.

30 Aug 2021

New study maps the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 delta and delta plus variants

The SARS-CoV-2 delta variant bears the D164G mutation, which is known to enhance viral fitness. However, a number of additional mutations are known to be common to the delta and delta plus lineages, at least 25 as identified in a study recently published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, mainly located on the spike protein of the virus.

30 Aug 2021

Polymeric and lipid nanoparticles in self-amplifying RNA vaccines result in higher protein expression and immunogenicity

Self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) is an advanced platform for nucleic acid vaccine development. The backbone is typically derived from an alphaviral genome and encodes a gene of interest (GOI) and a viral replicase that can amplify the genomic and subgenomic RNA.

30 Aug 2021

Next-gen COVID vaccine to make persistent neutralizing antibodies

Presently, there is a need to develop improved versions of COVID-19 vaccines that are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) and can confer long-term protection. Considering the need of the hour, scientists from the University of Sydney in Australia have generated a new COVID-19 vaccine CoVac-II and evaluated its effect against COVID-19 strains. The findings from this study are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

30 Aug 2021

Can molecular mimicry impact fertility in female COVID-19 patients?

There exists a possibility that COVID-19 can also affect the reproductive function in the body, which can lead to infertility in infected patients. A study published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology explored the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on reproductive functions and fertility.

30 Aug 2021