Amino Acid News and Research

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Amino Acid is one of several molecules that join together to form proteins. There are 20 common amino acids found in proteins.

Scientists design 'smart' cellular biosensors for detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike

New research led by Hana El-Samad of the University of California, San Francisco, and the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub confirmed the beneficial use of an antiviral therapeutic called SARSNotch, which uses a combination of the SynNotch platform and de-novo designed protein binders. SARSNotch uses sentinel T cells to detect and mount a genetic response toward the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein.

28 Apr 2021

Study identifies mechanism behind SARS-CoV-2 viral protein production

A new study from German researchers examines how SARS viruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), hijack cells and reprogram them to enhance viral replication.

27 Apr 2021

What is the role of nanotechnology in the current COVID-19 outbreak?

The nanotechnology-based medicine platforms against COVID-19 bears hope for relief from the pandemic to save lives and mitigate the infection as part of a broader global public health agenda.

27 Apr 2021

Research opens up the possibility of dietary therapy for cancer

A research group at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) has discovered molecular events that determine whether cancer cells live or die. With this knowledge, they found that reduced consumption of a specific protein building block prevents the growth of cells that become cancerous.

27 Apr 2021

Can SARS-CoV-2 host factor protein interactions help identify antiviral drug targets?

In a new study proteomic peptide-phage display is utilized to profile the novel SLiM-based interactions that mediate host factor interactions in 229 RNA viruses, with a special focus on SARS-CoV-2, to reveal mechanistic insights and identify drug targets.

22 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-1 utilizes ORF3a protein to trigger viral release

Scientists in the USA – from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland – have recently uncovered the mechanism by which SARS-CoV-1 is released from the infected cells.

21 Apr 2021

Immune escape by SARS-CoV-2 mutations acquired in mink

A new study, published in Cell Reports, suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may have acquired such immune evasion mutations during its transmission in farmed mink.

21 Apr 2021

New Penn State study reveals protective effects of mushrooms against cancer

Next time you make a salad, you might want to consider adding mushrooms to it. That's because higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer, according to a new Penn State study, published on March 16 in Advances in Nutrition.

21 Apr 2021

Can a single BNT162b2 vaccine dose confer protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A team of researchers in Germany aimed to determine if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine mRNA vaccine (also known as the BNT162b2 vaccine) induces robust antibody responses against emergent SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the United Kingdom (or B1.1.7) variant; the South African (or B.1.351) variant; and the Brazilian (or P.1) variant.

21 Apr 2021

Children develop strong, long-lasting immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study that may explain why children who become infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) do not generally develop severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 Apr 2021

Scientists identify protein that operates closely with a genetic mutation to spur lung cancer growth

Scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center have identified a protein that operates in tandem with a specific genetic mutation to spur lung cancer growth and could serve as a therapeutic target to treat the disease.

19 Apr 2021

Researchers manufacture the SARS-CoV-2 RBD in pichia

Researchers in the United States and India have developed a high-volume, low-cost platform for manufacturing vaccines to protect against different variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

19 Apr 2021

Researchers develop computational model to predict changes in SARS-CoV-2’s viral fitness

Two researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, Fabrizio Pucci and Marianne Rooman, recently built a simplified computational model, called SpikePro, to predict the SARS-CoV-2 fitness from the amino acid sequence and structure of the spike protein. This study focuses on the spike protein’s stability and the binding affinity to the host receptor.

19 Apr 2021

Supercomputer simulations illuminate the behavior of dominant G form of SARS-CoV-2

Large-scale supercomputer simulations at the atomic level show that the dominant G form variant of the COVID-19-causing virus is more infectious partly because of its greater ability to readily bind to its target host receptor in the body, compared to other variants.

17 Apr 2021

The FDA seeks a new way to review old drugs without causing prices to soar

Chuck Peterson of Omaha, Nebraska, recently experienced a swollen, painful knuckle caused by arthritis. He got a prescription for colchicine.

15 Apr 2021

A new polymersome-based SARS-CoV-2 nanovaccine elicits robust immunity

As newer vaccines are being developed to combat the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), targeting the pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server describes a new subunit nanovaccine that appears to have robust immunogenicity and neutralizing activity.

14 Apr 2021

Alpaca nanobodies effective against South African SARS-CoV-2 variant

Researchers in South Africa and the UK have identified alpaca-derived nanoantibodies that potently neutralize variants of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Apr 2021