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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.

Blocking tumor-promoting protein could bolster immunotherapy's effectiveness, study suggests

While immunotherapy -- a form of treatment that uses the body's immune system to recognize, attack and kill tumor cells -- has given hope to people across the globe, it fails in a significant proportion of cancer patients.

8 Jul 2020

Research sheds doubt on the Pangolin link to SARS-CoV-2

A startling new study by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and the University of British Columbia and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in July 2020 casts doubt on the hypothesis that the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was transmitted from pangolins acting as the intermediate host. Instead, the authors suggest, the pangolins themselves were incidentally infected from other animals in captivity or from humans.

8 Jul 2020

A biomaterial vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 - quick and scalable

A recent 'tour-de-force' research endeavor, led by scientists from Harvard University, explored the propensity of a biomaterial vaccine based on mesoporous silica rods to spawn highly protective humoral responses against relevant antigens of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

8 Jul 2020

Plant-based diet associated with healthy testosterone levels

Men who follow plant-based diets have testosterone levels that are basically the same as the levels in men who eat meat, a study shows.

8 Jul 2020

Scientists identify how good gut bacteria can help reduce heart disease risk

Scientists have discovered that one of the good bacteria found in the human gut has a benefit that has remained unrecognized until now: the potential to reduce the risk for heart disease.

8 Jul 2020

Small molecule drugs binding Mac1 domain of SARS-CoV-2

Now, an intriguing new study out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reveals that numerous small molecule drugs like the proton pump inhibitors omeprazole and rabeprazole bind the important Mac1 domain on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus.

8 Jul 2020

Scientists introduce a new approach for immunological tumor treatment

Our immune system ought to be able to recognize and kill tumor cells. However, many tumors deceive the immune system.

8 Jul 2020

Study reveals how overactive immune cells aggravate heart valve disease

A new study using organ-on-a-chip technology reveals how overactive immune cells aggravate heart valve disease and how this damaging hyperactivity could potentially be controlled.

8 Jul 2020

Cocktail of chemotherapy drugs may be safe, effective for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer carries a poor prognosis, and it often goes undetected until advanced stages. A new BJS (British Journal of Surgery) study indicates that a certain cocktail of chemotherapy drugs may be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with a metastatic form of the disease.

8 Jul 2020

Scientists discover promising therapy to combat the growing epidemic of liver disease

In an effort to combat a growing worldwide epidemic of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), scientists have discovered a new target and a new therapy that has shown promising results in preclinical mouse models, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

8 Jul 2020

Novel mechanism regulates planar cell polarity crucial for organ function

Planar cell polarity (PCP), a process in which the epithelial tissues are polarized within the plane of the epithelium, plays an important role in development and organ function.

8 Jul 2020

Study: Cellular therapy can improve critical cases of COVID-19

A cellular therapy tested on 13 intubated patients with mechanical ventilation has shown to be efficient for the clinical improvement of critical cases of COVID-19.

8 Jul 2020

No-biopsy diagnosis for adults with suspected celiac disease could cut long NHS waiting lists

The British Society of Gastroenterology has issued interim guidance, pending the publication of its new Coeliac Guidelines in 2021, so that some adults with suspected coeliac disease can now be diagnosed based on blood test results alone, cutting out the long wait for an endoscopy with biopsy.

8 Jul 2020

Study sheds new light on protein movement

Many of the most promising medicines under development are proteins, often antibodies, to help patients fight disease. These proteins must be purified as part of the manufacturing process - a task that can be tricky and result in costly waste.

8 Jul 2020

Researchers examine link between deforestation, agricultural diversity, and food access

Ten years ago, non-indigenous households from three communities in the Ucayali region in Peru regularly ate fish, wild fruits and other products collected from the Amazon forest.

8 Jul 2020

Neuronal subtypes that drive locomotion in fruit fly reveal an unexpected diversity

A new study by MIT neuroscientists into how seemingly similar neuronal subtypes drive locomotion in the fruit fly revealed an unexpected diversity as the brain's commands were relayed to muscle fibers.

8 Jul 2020

Untargeted metabolomics can determine genetic variant to improve patient diagnosis

A patient and family walk into a doctor's office. They hope that the latest tests will reveal what is causing the patient's illness and end the diagnostic odyssey they have been going through for years.

8 Jul 2020

Study suggests natural UV radiation protects against coronavirus

A new study by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 suggests an interesting link between ultraviolet A radiation and deaths due to COVID-19. While this is an observational study, which means that direct inferences cannot be drawn from this finding, it does, however, suggest better strategies for reducing the death rate due to COVID-19.

8 Jul 2020

Study of glycosylation on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

The first intimation of the current COVID-19 crisis came with the news of severe pneumonic illness caused by an unknown agent in a Chinese city called Wuhan, issued on the last day of 2019. Following this, researchers found the cause to be a novel coronavirus, closely related to the earlier SARS virus, now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

8 Jul 2020

RNA plays key role in helping stem cells know what to become

Look deep inside our cells, and you'll find that each has an identical genome -a complete set of genes that provides the instructions for our cells' form and function.

7 Jul 2020