Amino Acid News and Research

RSS

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

New cyclic peptide enhances blood-brain barrier penetration

A Japanese research team has developed a cyclic peptide (a chain of amino acids bonded circularly) that enhances blood-brain barrier penetration.

17 Apr 2020

Solving the mystery of unidentified late-onset neurodegenerative disorder

When a patient with puzzling neurological symptoms enrolled in the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, researchers led by Dr. Hugo J. Bellen were set on solving the mystery.

16 Apr 2020

New coronavirus possibly circulated within humans before COVID-19 pandemic

Genetic variation analysis and the evidence of recombination events point towards the conclusion that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) might have circulated cryptically among humans for years, as reported by a recent paper on a preprint server bioRxiv.

15 Apr 2020

ACE2 genetic variants may influence coronavirus disease progression

Researchers in British Columbia have identified a set of gene variants that are likely to influence disease progression from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection to COVID-19 disease.

15 Apr 2020

Translating COVID-19 into sound

News-Medical speaks to Professor Markus Buehler about his research into COVID-19 and how he has translated the SARS-CoV-2 virus into sound.

14 Apr 2020

New insights into the building blocks of periodontitis

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major bacterial pathogen which leads to periodontitis also known as gum disease. In Japan, 80% of adults aged 35 and over suffer from this disease. What's more, P. gingivalis has also been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, pancreatic cancer, and even Alzheimer's disease.

13 Apr 2020

The building blocks of gum disease

A team of researchers has revealed the structure of adhesive pili and shed light on how they assemble, causing Periodontitis.

13 Apr 2020

Unraveling interactions between metal ions and peptides may lead to new therapies for diseases

Copper ions could play a key role when peptide folding goes wrong and leads to harmful aggregates.

12 Apr 2020

UofL researchers use computers in schools across Kentucky to identify drugs for COVID-19

The novel coronavirus may have K-12 students in Kentucky's school districts learning at home, but researchers at the University of Louisville are using the computing power of thousands of computers in classrooms across the state to identify drugs to treat COVID-19.

10 Apr 2020

New anti-COVID-19 system could potentially fight other viruses

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked many research projects to meet the challenge of the virus and come up with measures to fight its activity. A new study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe in April 2020 describes a novel system to help scientists understand the virus, including mutations, diagnose infections, and also to develop and evaluate vaccines more quickly.

8 Apr 2020

Natural approaches along with current therapies could improve colon cancer treatment

Using a modified natural substance along with current approaches could improve colon cancer treatment, according to findings by University of California, Irvine biologists.

6 Apr 2020

Researchers uncover genetic mutation responsible for aggressive head and neck, lung cancers

Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore have uncovered a genetic variant in a gene called MET that is responsible for more aggressive growth of head and neck, and lung cancers.

6 Apr 2020

Starving pancreatic cancer cells of cysteine may induce tumor ferroptosis

A new study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests a compound in development for a rare kidney stone disease may have potential against pancreatic cancer.

2 Apr 2020

New study offers clues to why autism is more common in boys than in girls

A new study in Neuron offers clues to why autism spectrum disorder is more common in boys than in girls. National Institutes of Health scientists found that a single amino acid change in the NLGN4 gene, which has been linked to autism symptoms, may drive this difference in some cases.

2 Apr 2020

Tracking tau protein yields insight into possible treatments for neurodegenerative diseases

In the fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, the tau protein is a major culprit.

1 Apr 2020

Research could open up new therapeutic strategies for some lung and kidney cancers

New findings from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center about how some cancer cells become "addicted" to glucose could open up fresh approaches to therapy strategies for cancers with high levels of an amino acid transporter called solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11).

30 Mar 2020

Weakness in lung and kidney cancer cells could serve as therapeutic target

An important discovery about how some cancers rely on glucose to survive could lead to development of tumor-specific treatments.

30 Mar 2020

Researchers enlist the help of citizen scientists to design new drugs against coronavirus

The best thing most of us can do to fight COVID-19 is stay home, to curb the respiratory disease's spread. But anyone with a computer can pitch in more actively too: by helping scientists design drugs to combat the virus now responsible for hundreds of thousands of infections worldwide.

27 Mar 2020

Anteater-like animals are the missing link for coronavirus transmission between bats and humans

As scientists scramble to learn more about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, two recent studies of the virus' genome reached controversial conclusions: namely, that snakes are intermediate hosts of the new virus, and that a key coronavirus protein shares "uncanny similarities" with an HIV-1 protein.

26 Mar 2020

Engineered botox more effective

A new study reports on an engineered botulinum neurotoxin (botox) that is more effective as well as safer to use in various medical procedures. The study was published in March 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

17 Mar 2020