Amino Acid News and Research

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Amino Acid is one of several molecules that join together to form proteins. There are 20 common amino acids found in proteins.

BioAtla, Pfizer sign license and option agreement for new class of antibody therapeutics

BioAtla LLC, a biotechnology company focused on the development of Conditionally Active Biologic (CAB) antibody therapeutics, today announced that it has entered into a license and option agreement with Pfizer Inc. to advance the development and commercialization of a new class of antibody therapeutics based on BioAtla's CAB platform and utilizing Pfizer's proprietary antibody drug conjugate (ADC) payloads.

8 Dec 2015

Researchers develop novel computational approach to accelerate search for hepatitis C vaccine

Borrowing from several statistical science models, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a novel computational approach for massively accelerating the search for a hepatitis C vaccine.

1 Dec 2015

Exploring how absence of ASS1 protein affects sick children may provide a 'lens' on cancer

What can a rare genetic childhood disease teach us about cancer? Dr. Ayelet Erez of the Weizmann Institute of Science's Department of Biological Regulation says: "A single-mutation disease can act as a 'lens.' If we find exactly what malfunctions in the sick child, we can zoom in and understand the role of the same gene among the many genetic changes that accompany cancer."

26 Nov 2015

Study points to new avenue for developing potential strategies to thwart HIV virus

Nearly 37 million people worldwide are living with HIV. When the virus destroys so many immune cells that the body can't fight off infection, AIDS will develop. The disease took the lives of more than a million people last year.

26 Nov 2015

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research scientists identify promising antitumor agent

Support comes out of the ground: Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany have identified a terrestrial myxobacterium as a promising source for the bengamide class of natural products, which were originally thought to be secondary metabolites of marine sponges only.

17 Nov 2015

New peptide-based hydrogel could one day facilitate microsurgery

Skillful surgeons can do amazing things in extremely small places, but finding better ways to suture tiny blood vessels has been an ongoing challenge for even the best.

3 Nov 2015

Researchers use genomic techniques to show why different strains of Salmonella infect particular animal species

It's called bird flu for a reason. Particular characteristics about the influenza virus known as H5N1 allow it to primarily affect avifauna, though in some worrying cases the disease has been passed to humans.

3 Nov 2015

Study reveals mechanism behind protein-related diseases

Dartmouth researchers have found that some proteins turn into liquid droplets on the way to becoming toxic solids implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and other genetic disorders.

30 Oct 2015

Scientists find new way to inhibit growth of lung cancer cells

Scientists have identified a new way to stop the growth of lung cancer cells, by blocking their ability to use alternative sources of nutrition. The discovery was made possible by identifying the metabolic programs used by cancer cells to fuel their growth.

21 Oct 2015

Melatonin and the circadian rhythm: an interview with Professor Kennaway, University of Adelaide

The production of melatonin is controlled by a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and its timing fine-tuned by our exposure to light during the morning.

20 Oct 2015

Research finding points towards developing effective malaria vaccine

In a recent breakthrough to combat malaria, a collaboration of Indian and American scientists have identified a malarial parasite protein that can be used to develop antibodies when displayed on novel nanoparticles. This approach has the potential to prevent the parasite from multiplying in the human host and also inhibits transmission through mosquitoes. The finding points towards developing a powerful malaria vaccine in the hope of eradicating this debilitating and often fatal disease.

20 Oct 2015

Study could lead to better understanding of metabolic processes behind type 2 diabetes

Scientists in Sweden have discovered that human intestinal flora regulates the levels of the body's main antioxidant, glutathione, which fights a host of diseases. The findings could lead to new probiotic-delivering foods, and a better understanding of the metabolic processes behind diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

19 Oct 2015

New method uses advanced noninvasive neuroimaging to localize and identify epileptic lesions

Epilepsy affects more than 65 million people worldwide. One-third of these patients have seizures that are not controlled by medications. In addition, one-third have brain lesions, the hallmark of the disease, which cannot be located by conventional imaging methods.

15 Oct 2015

Plymouth University and Ingenza partner to develop efficient, scalable microbial production system for epidermicin

Ingenza is collaborating with researchers at Plymouth University to develop an efficient, scalable microbial production system for epidermicin, an exciting new antibiotic that rapidly kills methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other harmful bacteria.

1 Oct 2015

UH researcher investigates two new avenues for detection, treatment of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the U.S. The challenge with prostate cancer is that the standard treatment methods in the advanced stage of the disease lose effectiveness after about one to two years, leading to recurrence and, ultimately, death. A University of Houston researcher and his team are working to change that.

30 Sep 2015

New study on deep-diving whales may help researchers create synthetic blood for human trauma patients

The ultra-stable properties of the proteins that allow deep-diving whales to remain active while holding their breath for up to two hours could help Rice University biochemist John Olson and his colleagues finish a 20-year quest to create lifesaving synthetic blood for human trauma patients.

26 Sep 2015

Research highlights potential new treatment strategy for degenerative diseases

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered evidence of a mechanism at the heart of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related degenerative diseases. The research appears in today's edition of the journal Cell and highlights a possible new treatment strategy for the devastating disorders.

25 Sep 2015

UT Southwestern researchers find a previously unknown genetic code

UT Southwestern physiologists trying to understand the genetic code have found a previously unknown code that helps explain which protein should be created to form a particular type of cell.

24 Sep 2015

Novel mechanism may help explain the virulence of 1918 'Spanish' flu

While yearly outbreaks of flu kill about 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide, the 1918 "Spanish" flu infected one-third of the world's population and killed 50 million to 100 million. Chad Petit, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, has discovered a novel mechanism for one 1918 flu virus protein that may help explain the virulence of that unusually deadly pandemic.

23 Sep 2015

New study finds link between maternal protein deficiency during pregnancy and metabolic diseases in offspring

A new study has uncovered the genetic processes that link insufficient protein consumption during pregnancy with the development of muscle problems in mothers and their male offspring.

19 Sep 2015