Protein News and Research

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Proteins are complex molecules that are made up of amino acids. They can be found in every cell in the body, and carry out vital processes that keep human beings alive. Mutations in proteins can lead to a multitude of diseases, the most common being cancer.

Researchers develop new method to regenerate bone and heal severe fractures

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden, in collaboration with colleagues in Dresden, Germany, have developed a way of combining a bone substitute and drugs to regenerate bone and heal severe fractures in the thigh or shin bone.

19 Jan 2021

Research finds new evidence about the mechanisms controlling skin repair and regeneration

As the air continues to dry and temperatures drop, the yearly battle against dry hands and skin has officially begun. New research from Northwestern University has found new evidence deep within the skin about the mechanisms controlling skin repair and renewal.

19 Jan 2021

Researchers identify new drug combination that can treat acute myeloid leukemia

Scientists have identified two drugs that are potent against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when combined, but only weakly effective when used alone.

19 Jan 2021

N501Y mutation may be associated with higher viral load, says preliminary study

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server deals with the preliminary results of a study on the so-called British variant, UI-202012/01, also known as lineage B.1.1.7 or 20B/501Y.V1.

19 Jan 2021

Scientists develop world's first test to accurately predict mood disorders

University of South Australia scientists have developed the world's first test to accurately predict mood disorders in people, based on the levels of a specific protein found in the brain.

19 Jan 2021

E-cigarettes stress and inflame the lungs, impair key regulatory proteins

E-cigarettes stress and inflame the lungs of rats, compromising important regulatory proteins through exposure, according to research recently published in the journal Redox Biology.

18 Jan 2021

Green Mediterranean diet reduces non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, show randomized trials

A green Mediterranean (MED) diet reduces intrahepatic fat more than other healthy diets and cuts non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in half, according to a long-term clinical intervention trial led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers and a team of international colleagues.

18 Jan 2021

About 60 percent of SARS-CoV-2 cases in England tied to new variant by the end of December

One new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, called 202012/01, started to spread in England in late October. A new study published on the pre-print server medRxiv found that 60 percent of daily COVID-19 cases screened by the Alderley Park Lighthouse Labs were tied to 202012/01, also known as lineage B.1.1.7 or 20B/501Y.V1. This suggests a rapid spread of the new variant across the country.

18 Jan 2021

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Now, researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom, reveal that engineered closed S constructs may be valuable immunogens that can induce neutralizing antibodies against a different pattern of epitopes. This allows for the flexibility of vaccines at both the individual and population levels.

18 Jan 2021

Essential oils from Greek herbs may protect against COVID-19

Researchers in Greece have demonstrated the antiviral effects of Cretan aromatic plant oils on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Researchers define tumor invasion machinery orchestrated by a master cancer gene

Researchers investigated how cancer genes lead to the breakdown of the capsule that prevents cancerous cells from invading the surrounding healthy tissues and - find a hijacked "molecular crowbar".

18 Jan 2021

Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in China have conducted a study showing that a carbohydrate found in the seaweed Ecklonia kurome blocks the activity of an enzyme that is essential for the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Researchers develop a technique to modify biological polymers with protein-based biochemical messages

Imagine going to a surgeon to have a diseased or injured organ switched out for a fully functional, laboratory-grown replacement. This remains science fiction and not reality because researchers today struggle to organize cells into the complex 3D arrangements that our bodies can master on their own.

18 Jan 2021

Study improves understanding of the chemistry behind potent antibiotic synthesis

Images of a protein involved in creating a potent antibiotic reveal the unusual first steps of the antibiotic's synthesis.

18 Jan 2021

Australian scientists develop a new method for rapid synthesis of safe vaccines

With COVID-19 dominating medical science and human concern, our chemists have developed a method to quickly and safely synthesize protein vaccines for respiratory diseases for pre-clinical tests.

18 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in blood serum could predict COVID-19 mortality

Researchers find that the presence of SARS-CoV-2's genetic material in the serum of positive patients could be a sturdy biomarker for predicting COVID-19-related mortality.

18 Jan 2021

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new study suggests that modified natural killer cells, which express a chimeric antigen receptor using S309 antibody, can bind to and inactivate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro.

18 Jan 2021

Angiopoietin-2 is a crucial determinant of COVID-19 prognosis, study finds

A team of scientists from the United States and Sweden has recently demonstrated that increased levels of a proinflammatory cytokine, angiopoietin-2, is responsible for hypercoagulation observed in severe COVID-19 patients.

18 Jan 2021

Could procalcitonin indicate bacterial co-infections in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study conducted by Austin Health, Australia, has revealed that the serum level of procalcitonin can be a strong indicator of bacterial co-infection with COVID-19.

18 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

Even as the rollout of vaccines all over the world brings a glimmer of hope that the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may end in the near future, new variants continue to emerge, some with the potential to escape vaccine-induced or therapeutic antibodies. Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes a new American variant that may have become the dominant strain in the USA.

18 Jan 2021