Protein C News and Research

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Good cholesterol helps SARS-CoV-2 enter cells

The researchers explained that the SARS-CoV-2 can infect human host cells after its viral spike protein (SARS-2-S) binds to a cellular surface receptor called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

30 Nov 2020

Researchers reveal how SARS-CoV-2 reaches the brain

Using post-mortem tissue samples, a team of researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have studied the mechanisms by which the novel coronavirus can reach the brains of patients with COVID-19, and how the immune system responds to the virus once it does.

30 Nov 2020

Memory B cells persist in recovered COVID-19 patients

A team of scientists from the University of Washington, USA, and the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, has comprehensively studied the antibody-mediated immune responses in patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

30 Nov 2020

A mutant SARS-CoV-2 subspecies from minks may evade antibody detection

In a recent research letter published on the bioRxiv preprint server, scientists from Japan discovered that the mutation of spike glycoprotein in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) derived from farmed minks can also be found in the group of individuals with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and subsequently evade detection by our immune system.

30 Nov 2020

Study outlines a new role for pregnancy-associated plasma protein A in gestational diabetes

Laboratory research and analysis of epidemiological data by Silvia Corvera, MD, and Tiffany Moore Simas, MD, MPH, MEd, and colleagues show that low levels of a protein commonly seen in screening tests for chromosomal disorders during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with adipose tissue remodeling, glucose resistance and gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers discover molecular mechanism of long-term memory

Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered a molecular mechanism that plays a central role in intact long-term memory. This mechanism is also involved in physiological memory loss in old age.

30 Nov 2020

Highly functional immune response in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers in Singapore have conducted a study showing that asymptomatic individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – mount an efficient, balanced and coordinated cellular immune response that protects the host without appearing to trigger any pathological processes.

30 Nov 2020

Combination therapy found to be effective against treatment-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma

A combination cancer therapy that is effective against treatment-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by inhibiting tumor growth and increasing survival has been identified by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital.

30 Nov 2020

Study describes the role of Zmat3 in lymphoma and lung cancer development

A new study from the UPF and WEHI (the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) in Melbourne, Australia, has described the role of p53 target gene Zmat3 in lymphoma and lung cancer development.

30 Nov 2020

Scientists develop new tools to detect very early changes in Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, together with their colleagues at the Barcelona Beta Research Centre in Spain, the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the University of Paris, have found new forms of tau protein that become abnormal in the very early stages of Alzheimer's disease before cognitive problems develop.

30 Nov 2020

Mild electrical stimulation with heat shock exerts protective effect against nephrotic syndrome

A research team from Kumamoto University in Japan has found that the combination of weak pulsed electrical current and heat exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects in the kidneys, as well as a protective effect against nephrotic syndrome (NS) by inhibiting apoptosis (cell death) of kidney cells.

30 Nov 2020

Are SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors effective antivirals in treating COVID-19?

Many antiviral development studies have focused on the possibility of inhibiting the main viral protease (Mpro), and papain-like protease (PLpro), given their central role in viral replication. A new study draws attention to the high odds that these may not have anti-infective activity because of the redundant pathways present in human host cells.

30 Nov 2020

Could the keto diet help prevent or mitigate severe COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal of Translational Medicine reports that the ketogenic diet (KD) may be useful in this area, with its track history of effectual reduction of fat mass, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and consequent improvement of cardiovascular health.

30 Nov 2020

Steam inhalation therapy found to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 virions

Researchers have published a study on the efficacy of steam inhalations as another possible treatment to help mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection.

30 Nov 2020

New AI solution that can determine the shape of proteins could 'revolutionize' medical research

DeepMind’s AI solution, AlphaFold, has succeeded in determining the shape of proteins with a level of accuracy similar to that of laboratory experiments.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers identify the gene responsible for cellular aging

In a new study, published today in the journal Stem Cells, researchers reveal how they have identified the gene responsible for aging.

30 Nov 2020

TRPC1 protein responds to weak magnetic fields to promote muscle health, shows study

As people age, they progressively lose muscle mass and strength, and this can lead to frailty and other age-related diseases. As the causes for the decline remain largely unknown, promoting muscle health is an area of great research interest.

29 Nov 2020

Study pinpoints specific areas of the brain where serotonin promotes patience

We've all been there. Whether we're stuck in traffic at the end of a long day, or eagerly anticipating the release of a new book, film or album, there are times when we need to be patient.

27 Nov 2020

Researchers study the role of viral intramembrane interactions in controlling programmed cell death

A research group from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of Valencia (UV), in coordination with the National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB) of the CSIC, has studied the role of the interactions within the membrane of proteins of viral families Herpesviridae and Poxviridae in the control of programmed cell death.

27 Nov 2020

MARA project aims to use new DNA based nanotechnology to fight bacteria

Antibiotics are used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. They have played a major role in combating infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid fever, and meningitis in 20th century.

27 Nov 2020