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.

Biological anti-tumor mechanism can provide long-term immune response against tumors

Blocking a newly identified "immune memory checkpoint" in immune cells could improve immunotherapy and help prevent cancers from recurring, according to new findings in mice and human samples by researchers at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

15 Jul 2020

Experimental vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

An investigational vaccine, mRNA-1273, designed to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was generally well tolerated and prompted neutralizing antibody activity in healthy adults, according to interim results published online today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Jul 2020

Certain antibodies may cause the dangerous part of COVID-19 disease

A new study out of the Netherlands and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in July 2020 discusses the commonly observed phenomenon of COVID-19 progression at 1-2 weeks from the onset of the earliest symptoms. This is ascribed to the overactivation of the inflammatory signaling cascade triggered by a hyperactive adaptive immune reaction, commonly called the cytokine storm.

15 Jul 2020

Mobility and flexibility in SARS-CoV-2 proteins

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 describes the use of in silico modeling of potential drug targets on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protein structures, using data retrieved from the Protein Databank (PDB).

15 Jul 2020

Ashion's GEM ExTra assay receives Medicare coverage

Ashion Analytics LLC announced today that Palmetto GBA, a Medicare administrative contractor for the Molecular Diagnostic Services Program (MolDX), has awarded coverage to its proprietary cancer profiling test, GEM ExTra®, one of the nation's most comprehensive genomic cancer analysis tests.

15 Jul 2020

Llama nanobodies block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Now, a team of scientists at the United Kingdom's Rosalind Franklin Institute may have a surprising solution for the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 574,000 people worldwide.

14 Jul 2020

Cold sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 could impact vaccine studies

Researchers at Duke University in Durham, USA, have made an important discovery about the spike protein on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have a broad impact on vaccine studies.

14 Jul 2020

Two new studies highlight possible treatment options for patients with neuroendocrine tumors

Two new studies led by Renuka Iyer, MD, Section Chief for Gastrointestinal Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, highlight possible new treatment options for patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) - a rare and hard-to-treat cancer.

14 Jul 2020

Dual inhibitor therapy may be safer for CLL patients, Moffitt study shows

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults. One in four new leukemia cases are CLL.

14 Jul 2020

Avacta and Integumen team up for detection of novel coronavirus in waste water

Avacta Group plc, the developer of Affimer® biotherapeutics and reagents, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a collaboration with Integumen plc (“Integumen”) to evaluate recently generated Affimer reagents that bind the SARS-COV-2 spike protein for the detection of the coronavirus in wastewater, to provide a real-time alert system to warn of localized COVID-19 outbreaks.

From Avacta Life Sciences Ltd. 14 Jul 2020

Absolute Antibody and University of Zurich partner to offer novel SARS-CoV-2 sybodies

Absolute Antibody Ltd., an industry-leading provider of recombinant antibody products and services, today announced a partnership with University of Zurich to offer synthetic nanobodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

From Absolute Antibody Ltd 14 Jul 2020

Vav3 protein promotes cystic fibrosis, shows study

Cystic fibrosis, one of the most common genetic diseases in Switzerland, causes severe respiratory and digestive disorders.

14 Jul 2020

UMass Amherst chemist and kinesiologist synthesize artificial fuel for muscle

A chemist and kinesiologist got on a bus, but this isn't the set-up to a joke. Instead, kinesiologist and lead author Ned Debold and chemist Dhandapani Venkataraman, "DV," began talking on their bus commute to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and discovered their mutual interest in how energy is converted from one form to another - for Debold, in muscle tissue and for DV, in solar cells.

14 Jul 2020

Cancer drug could help inhibit adenovirus infection

An adenovirus infection can be potentially life-threatening, especially for children after a stem cell transplant.

14 Jul 2020

UTHealth physicians investigate blood pressure drug's effect on improving COVID-19 outcomes

An interventional therapy aimed at improving survival chances and reducing the need for critical care treatment due to COVID-19 is being investigated by physicians at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

14 Jul 2020

Researchers identify new factor that regulates the size of scar following heart injury

When a person has a heart attack, the person's coronary artery is blocked, cutting off the flow of blood and oxygen to that portion of the person's heart.

14 Jul 2020

A new measles-based COVID-19 vaccine

Now, a new study by researchers from Germany's Paul Ehrlich Institute and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 describes a potential vaccine based on the measles vaccine, which elicits both an antibody response and cellular immunity against the virus. This also protects against the measles virus. This could be a significant weapon in the fight against these two threats.

14 Jul 2020

Alcohol and autoclaving are not efficient for disinfecting face masks

A University of Cincinnati researcher is advising against using two widely available sterilization methods to clean disposable surgical masks and N95 respirators for reuse in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

14 Jul 2020

Current assays reflect non-neutralizing antibodies, finds study

Several serologic tests have been developed to help diagnose the presence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), either currently or in the past. However, all of them are not equally effective.

14 Jul 2020

Researchers stabilize the closed SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer

Now, a new study by researchers at Janssen Vaccines & Prevention BV and Leiden University and published on the preprint server bioRxiv uses cryoEM to reveal the structure of this trimer, in order to support both vaccine development and diagnostic testing based on antibody production.

14 Jul 2020