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Scientists discover molecular defects associated with rare genetic disorder in children

Damien D'Amours and his team at the Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology needed three years to discover the molecular defects associated with the LIC Syndrome, a serious genetic disorder that affects young children and result in acute respiratory distress, immune deficiency and abnormal chromosomes.

22 Dec 2020

As Biden gets sworn in, White House will get scrubbed down

It was a down-in-the-mud presidential campaign, but the dirtiest part comes on Inauguration Day.

21 Dec 2020

Research may lead to better treatment and vaccines for Ebola, COVID-19

In the midst of a global pandemic with COVID-19, it's hard to appreciate how lucky those outside of Africa have been to avoid the deadly Ebola virus disease.

21 Dec 2020

New understanding of physical properties of chromatin may show how genome is encoded and decoded

University of Alberta researchers have found an answer to a fundamental question in genomic biology that has eluded scientists since the discovery of DNA: Within the nucleus of our cells, is the complex package of DNA and proteins called chromatin a solid or a liquid?

20 Dec 2020

4E-BP proteins are key to unlock the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain

A group of proteins called 4E-BPs, involved in memory formation, is the key to unlocking the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain, according to researchers from three Canadian universities. The discovery could lead to better and safer treatments for certain patients suffering from major depression.

17 Dec 2020

Researchers examine proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection

Like all viruses, the novel coronavirus is dependent on help from the human host cell. Proteins are the functional units of the cell and enable the virus to enter the host cell or help the virus to replicate.

17 Dec 2020

Clemson grad student focuses on studying how genes interact in a normal brain

You must first understand how something works normally before you can figure out why it's broken.

16 Dec 2020

Using hypoxia adaptations in marine mammals to understand COVID-19

News-Medical talks to Terrie Williams about how the diving physiology that adapts marine mammals to hypoxia can improve our understanding of COVID-19.

16 Dec 2020

Unique inhibitory protein may suppress the formation of cancer cells

Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) identify a novel role for a protein, vasohibin-1, in preventing cancer cells from spreading

15 Dec 2020

Hybrid approach reveals details about genes involved in Meier-Gorlin syndrome

Meier-Gorlin syndrome, or MGS, is a rare genetic developmental disorder that causes dwarfism, small ears, a small brain, missing patella and other skeletal abnormalities. In severe cases, MGS results in miscarriages and stillbirths.

14 Dec 2020

Research shows how epithelial cells ward off viruses

A team led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich Researcher Veit Hornung has shown that a protein found in skin cells recognizes a specific nucleic acid intermediate that is formed during virus replication. This recognition process subsequently induces a potent inflammatory response.

11 Dec 2020

IGC researchers receive three out of six European Research Council grants

Since the establishment of the European Research Council in 2008, the IGC has secured 17 of their competitive grants (7 Starting, 8 Consolidator and 2 Advanced).

10 Dec 2020

Repair protein may prevent damage to healthy cells during cancer therapy

A key way radiation therapy and chemotherapy work is by making highly lethal double-strand breaks in the DNA of cancer cells.

9 Dec 2020

Researchers use advanced methods to investigate structure and interactions of proteins

Michael Gross, professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and of immunology and internal medicine at the School of Medicine, and his team are experts in footprinting proteins -- that is, using advanced methods for investigating the structure and interactions of proteins within larger molecules.

8 Dec 2020

Higher degrees of necrosis are inked to poor survival in brain cancer patients

White blood cells are part of many immune system responses in the human body. New research shows that a specific type of those cells may cause brain cancer tissues to die – but that's not good news, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Cancer Institute.

8 Dec 2020