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Automated method identifies and tracks harmful tau deposits involved in Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid-beta and tau are the two key abnormal protein deposits that accumulate in the brain during the development of Alzheimer's disease, and detecting their buildup at an early stage may allow clinicians to intervene before the condition has a chance to take hold.

2 Feb 2021

Scientists discover potential drug target for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome

New study describes a potential drug target for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome that may aid in the development of more effective treatments.

2 Feb 2021

Iron release can be detrimental to the heart, study suggests

A process that releases iron in response to stress may contribute to heart failure, and blocking this process could be a way of protecting the heart, suggests a study in mice published today in eLife.

2 Feb 2021

What is the structure and function of SARS-CoV-2’s D614G spike mutation?

A team of researchers use a computational approach to integrate available data D614G SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation, exploring its structure and molecular mechanisms.

2 Feb 2021

Zinc supplementation bolsters repurposed antivirals against SARS-CoV-2

A new preprint reports the efficacy of two repurposed drugs that could be useful against SARS-CoV-2 when supplemented with zinc.

2 Feb 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows promise against new SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of researchers in the U.S. studied the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate - currently being rolled out in many parts of the world to high-risk individuals - to see if it still holds up against mutant strains of the virus and yielded encouraging results.

2 Feb 2021

ACE2 agonist C21 relieves respiratory difficulty in COVID-19

A new study describes a pilot study on the efficacy of a molecule called C21, which enhances the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the host cell receptor that facilitates viral entry.

2 Feb 2021

Albumin: The Natural Choice for Diagnostic Tests

The availability of established diagnostic kits has enabled researchers to plug-and-play in the design of COVID-19 diagnostics. Such technologies took decades to optimize, but they are now playing an important role in identifying and managing the spread of COVID-19. Recombumin® provides an enhanced solution as part of this toolbox for dealing with this disease

From Albumedix Ltd. 2 Feb 2021

Simvastatin is a promising drug candidate for treatment of ovarian clear cell carcinomas

Oncotarget recently published "Simvastatin is a potential candidate drug in ovarian clear cell carcinomas" which reported that based on previous studies, the authors assessed the anti-proliferative effect of simvastatin, a Rho GTPase interfering drug, in three OCCC cell lines: JHOC-5, OVMANA and TOV-21G, and one high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell line, Caov3. The authors used the Rho GTPase interfering drug CID-1067700 as a control.

2 Feb 2021

ZyCoV-D DNA vaccine immunogenic against SARS-CoV-2 in animal models

In the absence of effective therapeutics or preventives, vaccines have become the focus of attention. Though over 170 vaccines are in preclinical and about 60 in clinical development, very few are based on plasmid DNA technology. However, a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server reports the immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine candidate.

2 Feb 2021

Why SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 is more virulent

A new preprint research paper by scientists from Sweden and India attempts to provide a preliminary answer to these questions using computational modeling. The research, which appears on the bioRxiv* server, predicts increased virulence with the new variant. If validated, this could help public health authorities prepare for new variants' possible impact as they emerge.

2 Feb 2021

Elevated ACE2 and inflammation levels increase risk for pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2

Among the hundred million or so cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that have occurred since the pandemic began, pregnant women have been a conspicuous risk group. However, the exact nature of the risk they and their fetuses face, and the mechanism by which it operates, is far from clear.

2 Feb 2021

2MeOE2 induces apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells, indicates study

Oncotarget published "The pro-apoptotic actions of 2-methoxyestradiol against ovarian cancer involve catalytic activation of PKCδ signaling" which reported that the authors have previously shown that a flaxseed-supplemented diet decreases both the incidence and severity of ovarian cancer in laying hens, also induces CYP1A1 expression in liver.

1 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 triggers development of new-onset IgG autoantibodies in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is associated with several clinical features common in autoimmune diseases as myalgias, arthralgias, fatigue, and rashes. COVID-19 patients also exhibit less common autoimmunity manifestations such as myositis, thrombosis, myocarditis, encephalitis, vasculitis, and arthritis.

1 Feb 2021

New protein acts as trickster to neutralize COVID-19 infection in human kidney organoid

Decoy protein intercepts spike of coronavirus. Virus prevented from infecting human cells. Protein may be a new way to treat and prevent COVID-19.

1 Feb 2021

Urinary shedding of spike protein in COVID-19 patients

A team of scientists from the United States has recently revealed that about 25% of people with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection develop renal complications and that the viral spike protein can be detected in the urine samples of these patients. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

1 Feb 2021

New gold-nanoparticle probes for target identification of bioactive small molecules

The development of pharmaceutical treatments is difficult -- clinicians and researchers know a certain drug can regulate particular functions, but they might not know how it actually works.

1 Feb 2021

Study discovers promising therapeutic agent to inhibit melanoma progression

There have been great advances in treating melanoma over the past five years, however, even with these treatments many patients quickly develop drug resistance and die from their disease.

1 Feb 2021

New platform using green algae tests for SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have demonstrated the potential of using green algae to make recombinant viral proteins that could be used in large scale assays to detect antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

1 Feb 2021

New COVID-19 variant identified in Brazilian Amazon spreads faster

A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, identified in Brazil, is likely more transmissible than its parent strain because of mutations in the spike protein, according to researchers.

1 Feb 2021