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Scientists develop technique to clear abnormal tau protein from human neurons

Harnessing a probe used to image the brain in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and related forms of dementia, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital have successfully cleared patient-derived brain cells of an abnormal protein associated with dementia and other neurogenerative disorders.

10 Apr 2019

Mechanism behind how diabetes causes muscle loss revealed

Diabetes mellitus is associated with various health problems including decline in skeletal muscle mass. A research group led by Professor Wataru Ogawa at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine revealed that elevation of blood sugar levels leads to muscle atrophy and that two proteins, WWP1 and KLF15, play key roles in this phenomenon.

23 Feb 2019

Researchers develop novel mouse model to study immunomodulatory therapies

Because mice do not respond to immunomodulatory drugs, preclinical therapeutic and safety studies of the effects of IMiDs have not been possible in existing types of mice.

19 Nov 2018

Researchers identify LZTR1 as evolutionarily conserved component of RAS pathway

Mutations in RAS proteins initiate many of the most aggressive tumors, and the search for pharmacological inhibitors of these proteins has become a priority in the battle against cancer. Michail Steklov, Francesca Baietti, and colleagues from the Anna Sablina lab identified LZTR1 as an evolutionarily conserved component of the RAS pathway.

16 Nov 2018

Inhibition of one protein clears toxic clumps seen in Parkinson's disease, study finds

A defining feature of Parkinson's disease is the clumps of alpha-synuclein protein that accumulate in the brain's motor control area, destroying dopamine-producing neurons.

14 Nov 2018

Scientists discover new details about UHRF1 protein

Epigenetic changes often play an important role in cancer, because they cause the genetic material to be read incorrectly at certain locations. Genes that are especially critical are those that control the growth and death of cells.

7 Nov 2018

Repair defect in neurons hints at possible therapy for preventing ALS

Houston Methodist researchers have discovered a repair defect in nerve cells that send messages to the brain, opening the door to a possible therapy for preventing or slowing down ALS.

1 Nov 2018

Study shows how cellular waste disposal processes also promote inflammation

A study conducted at the University of California has revealed how cells use G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their waste disposal systems to mediate inflammation.

19 Sep 2018

Study gives new insights into how cells leverage GPCRs to control inflammation

G-protein-coupled receptors are everywhere in our bodies. They are embedded in our cell membranes, where they act as signal transducers, allowing cells to respond to their external environments.

19 Sep 2018

Scientists take important step to understand mechanisms that cause Huntington's disease

The neuroscientist Dr David Vilchez and his team at CECAD, the University of Cologne's Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research, have made an important step towards understanding the mechanisms that cause the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease.

27 Jul 2018

Researchers identify new potential target protein for colon cancer

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have identified a new potential target protein they believe can help further the understanding of colon cancer and ultimately survival of patients with the disease.

18 Jul 2018

Researchers identify key protein involved in irregular brain cell activity

In a new study in mice, researchers have identified a key protein involved in the irregular brain cell activity seen in autism spectrum disorders and epilepsy. The protein, p53, is well-known in cancer biology as a tumor suppressor.

17 Jul 2018

New approach could greatly enhance people's long-term tolerance for transplants

Currently, people receiving organ transplants must take drugs to suppress the inflammatory immune response that leads to rejection. Even so, almost all recipients eventually lose their transplant.

10 Jul 2018

Research findings offer path for drug discovery to treat hyperaldosteronism

A new study led by researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, in collaboration with researchers at Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health, identifies a mechanism that explains the development of hyperaldosteronism.

7 Dec 2017

Scientists solve decade-old mystery that could lead to development of new treatments for TB

Scientists have solved a decade-old mystery that could eventually lead to the development of earlier treatments for one of the world's deadliest diseases, which affects up to 2 billion people.

1 Nov 2017

Study identifies new gene involved in Fanconi anemia

Researchers from the group led by UAB Chair Professor Dr Jordi Surrallés at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the CIBER of Rare Diseases participated in a study which has led to the identification of a new gene involved in Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disease.

17 Jul 2017

Study provides new understanding of molecular mechanisms that impact intellectual disability

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that a protein helps balance nerve cell communication.

25 Apr 2017

Scientists generate new insights into intricate molecular underpinnings of ubiquitin signaling

Scientists at the University of Würzburg have generated new insights into the intricate molecular underpinnings of ubiquitin signaling. Their results may provide new avenues for cancer therapy.

13 Feb 2017

Scientists identify Smurf1 protein that plays role in autophagy of TB bacteria

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a protein that is central to the immune system's ability to recognize and destroy the bacterium responsible for the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic.

12 Jan 2017

Researchers find new therapeutic target of biomedical interest in ischemic injury research

An international scientific team has developed a new small molecule -VH298- which can provoke a hypoxic response controlled from outside the cells, according to a study recently published in the magazine Nature Communications with its first authors being the expert Carles Galdeano, Beatriu de Pinós researcher at the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona, and Julianty Frost, from the University of Dundee.

15 Nov 2016