Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) News and Research

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Aptamer nanoflares for molecular detection in living cells

By combining a gold nanoparticle with a unique family of nucleic acids, researchers at Northwestern University have created a new type of intracellular reporting system that with a flash of light reveals the presence and quantity of a wide variety of biologically important molecules. These so-called nanoflares could provide cancer biologists with a highly sensitive method of tracking complex biochemical processes in real time without interfering with those processes.

7 Sep 2009

Mitoxantrone is highly efficient in suppressing multiple sclerosis

According to data supplied by the German Multiple Sclerosis Society's national MS register (DMSG - Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft), up to 10% of German MS patients have been treated with mitoxantrone in the past few years.

1 Sep 2009

$201,339 grant offered to a professor for developing a database on enzyme functions

Since the advent of the Human Genome Project an explosion of data has sent the science world scrambling. There is a growing demand to fine-tune genomic codes, which list the "ingredients for life," but do not adequately explain how those ingredients function. A Rutgers University-Camden biochemist is addressing this knowledge gap through the creation of a database for quick "background checks" on all known enzyme functions. Thanks to a National Institute of Health grant, Peter Palenchar, an assistant professor of chemistry at Rutgers-Camden, will categorize decades-worth of scholarship on enzymes into a database, beginning with those that bind to molecules that contain adenosine.

27 Aug 2009

New research results reveal that two Parkinson genes can maintain the mitochondrial functions

Parkinson's disease is caused by the degeneration of neurons in the midbrain. The mechanisms leading to the loss of these neurons, however, are largely unknown. Recent research revealed that about ten per cent of cases are caused by defects in so-called Parkinson-associated genes. Furthermore, mitochondria, the cellular powerhouses, seem to play a major role. New results from researchers at the LMU Munich under the lead of associate professor Dr. Konstanze Winklhofer and Professor Christian Haass connect both phenomena, showing that two Parkinson genes maintain the function of mitochondria.

24 Aug 2009

Scientists find another mechanism that destroys tumor cells

Cells don't like to be alone. In the early stages of tumor formation, a cell might be pushed out of its normal home environment due to excessive growth. But a cell normally responds to this homeless state by dismantling its nucleus, packing up its DNA, and offering itself to be eaten by immune system cells. Simply put, the homeless cell kills itself. This process, known as apoptosis, typically stops potential cancer cells before they have a chance to proliferate.

20 Aug 2009

Celera and Aurora to collaborate on cardiovascular genetics

Aurora Health Care, Wisconsin's largest health care provider, and Celera Corporation announced today that they have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the integration of genetic testing aimed at optimizing heart care for Aurora patients

6 Aug 2009

PATRICIA trial shows HPV vaccine effective in prevention of cervical lesions

The final analysis of the PATRICIA study shows that the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine (GlaxoSmithKline) has high efficacy against the precancerous cervical lesions that can eventually lead to cervical cancer.

6 Jul 2009

Protein regulates movement of mitochondria in brain cells

Scientists have identified a protein in the brain that plays a key role in the function of mitochondria - the part of the cell that supplies energy, supports cellular activity, and potentially wards off threats from disease.The discovery, which was reported today in the Journal of Cell Biology, may shed new light on how the brain recovers from stroke.

15 Jun 2009

Snoring and sleep apnoea damage the brain

Australian researchers have found that the effects of sleep apnoea on the brain of a sleeping patient are far worse than previously thought.

17 May 2009

aPKC enzyme tells stem cells which way to divide

Driving Miranda, a protein in fruit flies crucial to switch a stem cell's fate, is not as complex as biologists thought, according to University of Oregon biochemists. They've found that one enzyme (aPKC) stands alone and acts as a traffic cop that directs which roads daughter cells will take.

13 May 2009

New evidence of how high glucose damages blood vessels could lead to new diabetes treatments

New evidence of how the elevated glucose levels that occur in diabetes damage blood vessels may lead to novel strategies for blocking the destruction, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

12 May 2009

Diabetes, obesity and hypertension increase mortality in hepatitis C patients

The specific impact of metabolic syndrome on mortality in hepatitis C patients has been revealed by new research to be presented on Sunday April 26 at EASL 2009, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Copenhagen, Denmark.

22 Apr 2009

PDAs, more education help doctors follow cholesterol treatment guidelines

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that patients with high cholesterol receive better care when physicians use a variety of tools to learn and apply a clinical practice guideline for treating the condition.

22 Apr 2009

Some orthodontic appliances more prone to bacteria

Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry have found the majority of patients with self-ligating orthodontic brackets retain fewer bacteria in plaque than patients with elastomeric orthodontic brackets.

14 Apr 2009

Carnitine supplementation appears to prevent development of liver cancer

A study will be published on March 21, 2009 in World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses the question.

24 Mar 2009

Cordex Pharma files ATPace formulation patent

Cordex Pharma, Inc. has announced today that it has filed a formulation patent covering its lead product, ATPace.

4 Mar 2009

Slices of living human brain tissue are helping scientists identify new stroke therapies

Slices of living human brain tissue are helping scientists learn which drugs can block the waves of death that engulf and engorge brain cells following a stroke.

21 Jan 2009

E. coli persists against antibiotics through HipA-induced dormancy

Bacteria hunker down and survive antibiotic attack when a protein flips a chemical switch that throws them into a dormant state until treatment abates, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Jan.16 edition of Science.

19 Jan 2009

Condensin II proteins found to keep chromosomes apart when necessary

If chromosomes snuggle up too closely at the wrong times, the results can be genetic disaster.

28 Nov 2008

Scientists shed light on how DNA is unwound so that its code can be read

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have figured out how a macromolecular machine is able to unwind the long and twisted tangles of DNA within a cell's nucleus so that genetic information can be "read" and used to direct the synthesis of proteins, which have many specific functions in the body.

24 Nov 2008