Biochemistry News and Research

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Researchers study relationship between MITF, ATF2 in melanoma development

Melanoma is one of the least common types of skin cancer, but it is also the most deadly. Melanocytes (pigment-producing skin cells) lose the genetic regulatory mechanisms that normally limit their number, allowing them to divide and proliferate out of control. One such regulator, called MITF, controls an array of genes that influence melanocyte development, function and survival.

24 Dec 2010

Discovery highlights potential to combat HIV/AIDS

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered how HIV binds to and destroys a specific human antiviral protein called APOBEC3F. The results suggest that a simple chemical change can convert APOBEC3F to a more effective antiviral agent and that shielding of a common feature shared by related proteins may yield a similar outcome.

23 Dec 2010

UH scientist evaluates microRNAs as potential treatment strategy for ovarian cancer

The day when an ovarian cancer patient can treat her tumor with a single, painless pill instead of a toxic drug cocktail is the ultimate goal of the pioneering research of a University of Houston scientist.

22 Dec 2010

Prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation increases intellectual, motor function in children

In developing countries where iron deficiency is prevalent, prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation increased offspring intellectual and motor functioning during school age, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

22 Dec 2010

Biomagnification of nanomaterials in simple food chain demonstrated

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at UC Santa Barbara has produced a groundbreaking study of how nanoparticles are able to biomagnify in a simple microbial food chain.

21 Dec 2010

Kanis receives Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence in osteoporosis

Professor John A. Kanis is the winner of the 2010 Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence in the field of osteoporosis. The prestigious Award honours his outstanding contribution to the development and validation of a widely used fracture risk assessment tool

21 Dec 2010

'Histone code' needs to be used with caution

The function of histones -- the proteins that enable yards of DNA to be crammed into a single cell -- depends on a number of chemical tags adorning their exterior. This sophisticated chemical syntax for packaging DNA into tight little coils or unraveling it again -- called the "histone code" -- is the latest frontier for researchers bent on understanding how genetics encodes life.

17 Dec 2010

Genetic biomarker linked to increased risk for breast cancer found in 'junk' DNA

A new genetic biomarker that indicates an increased risk for developing breast cancer can be found in an individual's "junk" (non-coding) DNA, according to a new study featuring work from researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and their colleagues.

17 Dec 2010

UT Southwestern and Rabin Medical Center enter innovative 5-year affiliation agreement

UT Southwestern Medical Center and Rabin Medical Center, Israel, two of the world's top academic medical centers, announced today that they have entered into an innovative affiliation agreement for the next five years.

16 Dec 2010

New study contradicts presence of oxysterols in multiple sclerosis patients

New research findings appearing in the January Journal of Lipid Research indicate that compounds called oxysterols are not present in any significant amount in multiple sclerosis patients, contradicting a previous study that suggested that some of these cholesterol metabolites were associated with MS and could be used as diagnostic tools in the clinic.

16 Dec 2010

New findings says TRIM24 protein plays active role in breast cancer formation

The recently identified TRIM24 protein plays an active role in pushing normal breast cells into rapid cell proliferation and, potentially, into breast cancer.

16 Dec 2010

Houston Endowment awards UH $5 million to increase number of doctoral student graduates

Houston Endowment Inc. has awarded $5 million to the University of Houston, which it will use to help increase the number of doctoral students it graduates annually, a key element in UH's mission to become a Tier One institution.

16 Dec 2010

Study broadens understanding of role of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations in AML

Agios Pharmaceuticals, the leading biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs in the rapidly emerging field of cancer metabolism, today announced the publication of a paper in Cancer Cell that illuminates the mechanism by which 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), and the mutations in the metabolic genes IDH1 and IDH2 that produce it, may be driving the growth of tumors in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

15 Dec 2010

German Research Foundation opens four new research units

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is establishing four new Research Units. The decision was made by the DFG Senate at its December session in Bonn. The establishment of the Research Units will enable researchers to explore prevailing topical questions and generate new approaches in their respective fields.

15 Dec 2010

Reversible two-step binding mechanism to stop cancer cell growth

What makes cancer cells so dangerous is that they grow in an unregulated way and proliferate much faster than other cells. The proteasome, a large protein complex, plays a key role in this process: By breaking down used proteins for recycling, it clears the way for the next cycle.

14 Dec 2010

Osteoporosis drug reduces bone loss in oral cancer

A drug currently approved for osteoporosis treatment has been shown to reduce bone loss in a study of mice with oral cancer, suggesting it could serve as an important supplemental therapy in patients with head and neck cancers that erode bone.

14 Dec 2010

New osteoporosis drug appears to reduce bone loss in mice with oral cancer

14 Dec 2010

ORNL's software scans molecular databases, may help scientists to develop new drug treatments

A quicker and cheaper technique to scan molecular databases developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could put scientists on the fast track to developing new drug treatments.

13 Dec 2010

Researchers generate insulin-secreting pancreatic islet cells from human SSCs

Insulin-secreting pancreatic islet cells have been generated from human spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) directly isolated from human testicular tissue, researchers reported today at the American Association of Cell Biology 50th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

13 Dec 2010

Simple molecular sensor color test to determine safe fluoride levels

Used in the proper amounts, it can make teeth stronger and aid in the treatment of osteoporosis. When excessive amounts are consumed, however, it can be a killer - a carcinogen that causes bone, lung and bladder cancers. The "it" is fluoride, a common additive in most American communities' drinking water and an ingredient in the vast majority of commercially produced adult toothpastes.

10 Dec 2010