Protein C News and Research

RSS

Biomedical engineers create artificial organelles to control biological function in cells

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for controlling the phase separation of an emerging class of proteins to create artificial membrane-less organelles within human cells.

4 Aug 2020

Decoy receptor neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 virus in tissue cultures

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, scientists and health care providers are seeking ways to keep the coronavirus from infecting tissues once they're exposed. A new study suggests luring the virus with a decoy - an engineered, free-floating receptor protein - binds the virus and blocks infection.

4 Aug 2020

Study identifies impact of gene mutations on severity of myelodysplastic syndrome

The Myelodysplastic Syndromes Group of Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, led by Dr. Francesc Solé, has participated in the first international study that confirms that having two mutated copies of the TP53 gene, as opposed to a single mutated copy, is associated with a worse prognosis in patients diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

4 Aug 2020

Picomolar inhibitors to SARS-CoV-2 proteins

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 reports the development of mini-inhibitors based on computational design, that are suitable for such topical use.

4 Aug 2020

Study shows how amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's dissociate with infrared laser irradiation

The agglomeration of proteins into structures called amyloid plaques is a common feature of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's.

4 Aug 2020

Novel mutation identified in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from Sweden

Researchers from Sweden and Brazil have identified a novel mutation in a strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) obtained from a patient in Stockholm, Sweden, in late April.

4 Aug 2020

Regeneron antibody cocktail shows promise as potential COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in the U.S. have shown both preventive and treatment effects of an antibody cocktail in animal models of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

4 Aug 2020

Yale researchers develop new mouse model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine have developed a new mouse model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease and to accelerate testing of novel treatments and vaccines against the novel coronavirus.

4 Aug 2020

Heart cell treatment can benefit patients, shows study

More than three years after a clinical trial was prematurely ended for failing to show progress in healing heart attack scars, a prominent peer-reviewed journal is publishing some surprising results showing that the heart cell treatment does benefit patients.

4 Aug 2020

New peptide molecule offers hope for emphysema

Emphysema is a progressive, debilitating lung disease in which the lung's breathing sacs, or alveoli, enlarge, get thinner, and eventually are destroyed as the cells die off. It can be fatal, and there is currently no cure.

4 Aug 2020

Researchers develop scalable strategy to find novel molecular glue degraders

Despite enormous efforts to advance traditional pharmacology approaches, more than three quarters of all human proteins remain beyond the reach of therapeutic development.

4 Aug 2020

Zika virus mutation responsible for quick spread, birth defects uncovered

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered a Zika virus mutation that may be responsible for the explosive viral transmission in 2015/2016 and for the cause of microcephaly (babies with small heads) born to infected pregnant women.

3 Aug 2020

Study reveals impact of TP53 gene mutations on MDS severity

Considered the "guardian of the genome," TP53 is the most commonly mutated gene in cancer. TP53's normal function is to detect DNA damage and prevent cells from passing this damage on to daughter cells.

3 Aug 2020

Membrane protein regulates epigenetic plasticity by mediating iron endocytosis

CNRS researchers at the Institut Curie have recently shown that cancer cells use a membrane protein that has been known for several decades to internalise iron.

3 Aug 2020

Penn researchers identify genetic driver of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Inherited mutations in a gene that keeps nerve cells intact was shown, for the first time, to be a driver of a neuropathy known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease.

3 Aug 2020

High-speed atomic force microscopy reveals diverse amyloid structures and dynamics

In the human body, proteins sometimes occur in fibrillar aggregates called amyloids. Although certain amyloids are known to have a biological function, amyloid formation is often associated with pathologies, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

3 Aug 2020

Study shows high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, but low death rate in Malawi's health care workers

A study by researchers from Malawi and United Kingdom reveals a significant discrepancy between predicted coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortality in the observed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence rates in health care workers and reported deaths in urban Malawi in southeastern Africa, indicating early exposure, but a slow progression of the outbreak. Their findings are currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

3 Aug 2020