Biochemistry News and Research

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New multimode imaging could help detect blood stain at crime-scene investigations

Chemists at the University of South Carolina have developed a camera with the ability to see the invisible and more. The new technology, called multimode imaging in the thermal infrared, could eventually be used in crime-scene investigations, since it can capture blood stains that the human eye can't see.

20 Nov 2010

UH physicists study workings of PGK enzyme that may cause Alzheimer's, cancer

University of Houston physicists are using complex computer simulations to illuminate the workings of a crucial protein that, when malfunctioning, may cause Alzheimer's and cancer.

20 Nov 2010

Mouse study finds blocking GnT-V enzyme delays breast cancer growth

New University of Georgia research, published this week in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that blocking the action of an enzyme called GnT-V significantly delays the onset and spread of tumors in mice with cancer very similar to many cases of human breast cancer.

19 Nov 2010

NTU to develop Five Peaks of Excellence under 5-year strategic plan

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) today unveiled NTU 2015, a five-year strategic plan that maps out how the university will become a great global university by 2015. Under this blueprint, NTU will build on its current strengths and heritage to make its mark globally in sustainability, healthcare, new media, the best of the East and West, and innovation.

18 Nov 2010

Low allergenic wines with less potential to trigger allergy symptoms

Scientists have identified a mysterious culprit that threatens headaches, stuffy noses, skin rash and other allergy symptoms when more than 500 million people worldwide drink wine. The discovery could help winemakers in developing the first low allergenic vintages - reds and whites with less potential to trigger allergy symptoms, they say. The new study appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

18 Nov 2010

Scientists develop new method for detecting functional sites on proteins

A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute has developed a powerful new method for detecting functional sites on proteins. The technique may have broad applications in basic research and drug development.

18 Nov 2010

Statins activate bacterial-killing properties of white blood cells

Widely prescribed for their cholesterol-lowering properties, recent clinical research indicates that statins can produce a second, significant health benefit: lowering the risk of severe bacterial infections such as pneumonia and sepsis.

18 Nov 2010

New findings suggest novel approach to targeted treatment of cancer

New research that provides potential for exciting new approaches to targeting diseases such as cancer has been announced by an international team of academics.

17 Nov 2010

RNA-based drugs may prevent premature birth: Research

Tiny molecules called microRNAs act together with hormones to control the onset of labor, raising the prospect that RNA-based drugs might be able to prevent premature labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in a preclinical study.

15 Nov 2010

Abaxis releases new Piccolo reagent disc panel

Abaxis, Inc., a medical products company manufacturing point-of-care blood analysis systems, today announced the release of a new Piccolo® reagent disc panel called BioChemistry Panel Plus. This new reagent disc will be used by healthcare professionals in conjunction with the Piccolo Xpress™ point-of-care analyzer.

12 Nov 2010

Discovery on immune system paves way to new vaccine against pneumococcal disease

A new breakthrough in the fight against pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia has been announced today by scientists in Leicester and Dublin. The discovery will lead to a dramatic shift in our understanding of how the body's immune system responds to infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and pave the way for more effective vaccines.

12 Nov 2010

Reata to present bardoxolone methyl Phase 2b clinical trial data for CKD, type 2 diabetes at ASN Conference

Reata Pharmaceuticals today announced that the company will present data on the primary endpoint from a pivotal Phase 2b clinical trial of bardoxolone methyl in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes. The data will be presented in a late-breaking oral presentation at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Renal Week Conference to be held November 16-21, 2010, in Denver, Colorado.

12 Nov 2010

MqsA and MqsR protein complex can disrupt drug-resistant biofilm formation

When a foreign object such as a catheter enters the body, bacteria may not only invade it but also organize into a slick coating - a biofilm - that is highly resistant to antibiotics. Like sophisticated organized crime rings, biofilms cannot be defeated by a basic approach of conventional means. Instead doctors and drug developers need sophisticated new intelligence that reveals the key players in the network and how they operate. New research led by biologists at Brown University provides exactly that dossier on some key proteins in the iconic bacterium E. coli.

11 Nov 2010

18 partner consortium to develop lab-on-a-chip to detect brain diseases

A consortium of 18 partners embarks on the development of a lab-on-a-chip to detect Alzheimer´s disease and similar diseases in the brain. The project is funded by the EU´s 7th Framework programme for nanotechnology.

10 Nov 2010

NCI awards $4 million for UNM's cancer nanotechnology partnership with Sandia Labs

The National Cancer Institute recently announced two five-year awards totaling nearly $4 million for a partnership between the University of New Mexico Cancer Center and Sandia National Laboratories. One $1.95 million grant will fund the creation of a joint Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnership, and another $1.8 million grant will pay for a new Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center to train a new generation of multidisciplinary scientists.

10 Nov 2010

Innovative method for in-cell gene manipulation

A cross-disciplinary Small Medicine and Advanced Research Translation (SMART) team led by Prof. Dar-Bin Shieh of Institute of Oral Medicine in Medical College at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, has announced a breakthrough in the precision in-cell gene scission at pre-designed sequence sites using Artificial Targeting Light Activated Nano Scissors (ATLANS) and a custom build photonic device.

9 Nov 2010

Study explains link between morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome

Scientists have found that the fat cells and tissues of morbidly obese people and animals can reach a limit in their ability to store fat appropriately. Beyond this limit several biological processes conspire to prevent further expansion of fat tissue and in the process may trigger other health problems.

9 Nov 2010

Research on immune system may help in healing chronic inflammatory diseases

Biochemists at Kiel University, along with international scientists, have identified an important messenger in the immune system. The messenger interleukin-27 plays an important role when the human body blocks inflammations.

9 Nov 2010

Research findings on RGL2 protein can lead to new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer

One of the most frustrating problems faced by doctors who treat pancreatic cancer is the lack of effective therapeutic options. More than 38,000 people in the United States die of the disease each year, and new drugs and treatments are desperately needed.

8 Nov 2010

Agios receives two grants under QTDP program to develop novel cancer metabolism therapies

Agios Pharmaceuticals, the leading biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs in the rapidly emerging field of cancer metabolism, today announced it has received two grants totaling more than $488,000 from the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) Program.

8 Nov 2010