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.

Impaired blood flow to brain regions linked with tau buildup in Alzheimer’s disease

In Alzheimer’s disease, impaired blood flow to brain regions coincides with tau protein buildup. This relationship strengthens as cognition declines, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

8 Oct 2020

Experimental Chinese SARS-CoV-2 vaccine appears safe in early trials

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in October 2020 reports the findings of a phase I trial of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, demonstrating that it can elicit a potent immune response without significant adverse reactions.

7 Oct 2020

Plasma ABO protein is a causal risk factor for severe COVID-19

Researchers used an integrative genomics approach to find the genes responsible for COVID-19 and its severity.

7 Oct 2020

Research team discovers a new key player in long-term memory

A McGill-led multi-institutional research team has discovered that during memory consolidation, there are at least two distinct processes taking place in two different brain networks - the excitatory and inhibitory networks.

7 Oct 2020

Proteolytic cleavage of nucleocapsid helps SARS-CoV-2 evade host immune responses

A team of scientists of the University of Oxford reveals that the nucleocapsid protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) undergoes autoproteolysis, and that resulting products can escape the host immune responses and facilitate viral proliferation. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

7 Oct 2020

Researchers create p16-Cre ERT2 -tdTomato mouse model to characterize in vivo senescent cells

Cell senescence is a state of permanent cell cycle arrest that was initially defined for cells grown in cell culture. It plays a key role in age-associated organ dysfunction and age-related diseases such as cancer, but the in vivo pathogenesis is largely unclear.

7 Oct 2020

Rapid, low-cost test for potential universal COVID-19 monitoring

An international team of researchers has presented a convenient, low-cost serology test to detect antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could potentially be made available universally.

7 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection analysis could help fight against COVID-19

Researchers in the United States has provided a detailed catalog of the interactions that occur between host cell proteins and RNA and the RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the course of infection.

7 Oct 2020

New biomarker may help identify patients at risk for graft-versus-host disease after stem cell transplants

A recent report published in Science Translational Medicine by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center investigator Sophie Paczesny, M.D., Ph.D., sheds light on immune cell biomarkers that may reveal which patients are most at risk for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a life-threatening condition that can arise after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for treatment of liquid cancers such as leukemia.

7 Oct 2020

Multi-center Phase I study of anti-VISTA opens for patient enrollment

Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center will serve as one of the lead institutions for a new multi-center clinical trial of anti-VISTA, now open and recruiting for patient enrollment.

7 Oct 2020

UC Davis School of Medicine and UTHealth receive NIH grant for dementia research

A team of brain scientists from UC Davis School of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has been awarded a six-year grant expected to total $53.6 million from the National Institutes of Health.

7 Oct 2020

Biodegradable microneedle patch for local therapeutic gene delivery

There is great potential in gene therapy for treating certain types of cancer and genetic defects, immunological diseases, wounds and infections. The therapies work by delivering genes into the patients' cells, which then produce therapeutic proteins to treat the affliction.

7 Oct 2020

Research elucidates the molecular mechanism of lentiviral cross-species transmission

Humans are exposed continuously to the menace of viral diseases such as those caused by the Ebola virus, Zika virus and coronaviruses. Such emerging/re-emerging viral outbreaks can be triggered by cross-species viral transmission from wild animals to humans.

7 Oct 2020

Why do we need sleep?

In this interview, Dr. Gina Poe speaks to News-Medical about why we sleep, and the importance of REM sleep for brain development.

7 Oct 2020

Theoretical model explains biological phenomena that keep bacteria in shape

Fat bacteria? Skinny bacteria? From our perspective on high, they all seem to be about the same size. In fact, they are.Precisely why has been an open question, according to Rice University chemist Anatoly Kolomeisky, who now has a theory.

7 Oct 2020

Study: Leukocyte telomere length may offer key insights into woman's longevity

No one knows for sure how long they will live. A new study, however, suggests that leukocyte telomere length may offer some key insights into a woman's longevity and further demonstrates how maternal age at birth of last child affects telomere length and long-term health.

7 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein may induce analgesia

A recent study published in the journal Pain in October 2020 adds another piece to the puzzle, showing that the virus is capable of dulling pain pathways. This may contribute to its early and extensive spread.

7 Oct 2020

New imaging technique can replace invasive tissue biopsies in cancer treatment

Imaging techniques could replace the need for invasive tissue biopsies in helping rapidly determine whether cancer treatments are working effectively, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge.

7 Oct 2020

Air pollution can cause neurological damage

Researchers looking at the brainstems of children and young adults exposed lifelong to air pollution in Mexico City have discovered disturbing evidence of harm.

7 Oct 2020

A global review of COVID-19 impact on cancer treatment and research

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every aspect of cancer care and research- from introducing new risks for cancer patients to disrupting the delivery of cancer treatment and the continuity of cancer research, a review of scientific literature shows.

7 Oct 2020