Cell Membrane News and Research

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SLU study findings suggest new method to suppress LDL cholesterol

In a paper published in Biochemical Pharmacology, Saint Louis University researchers examined the way a nuclear receptor called REV-ERB is involved in regulating cholesterol metabolism.

6 Mar 2017

Graduate students develop novel microfluidic platform for monitoring single cell-level electroporation

Graduate students Mingde 'Jack' Zheng and Joseph Sherba have developed a novel, microfluidic platform for monitoring electroporation and molecular delivery at the single cell-level as part of a collaborative re-search team led by Professors Jeffrey Zahn and David Shreiber in the Department of Biomedical Engineer-ing and Professors Hao Lin and Jerry Shan in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers,

3 Mar 2017

Benefits of compact MRI

The kind of research I'm interested in is a technique called diffusion MRI and this technique is sensitive to the microstructure of the tissue. Particular clinical applications that it is used for are cancer and looking at neurodegenerative diseases.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 3 Mar 2017

Researcher examines scarring process in hope of preventing chronic lung transplant rejection

For patients affected by lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis and others, cures for their diseases are incredibly rare, if not nonexistent.

2 Mar 2017

MIT biological engineers develop method to measure heme levels inside malaria parasite

The iron-containing molecule heme is necessary for life. Cells require heme to perform the chemical reactions that produce energy, among other critical tasks.

28 Feb 2017

Study identifies new role of cholesterol in regulating brain proteins

A study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and the Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics at the Faculty of Medicine in Charité Hospital, Berlin, published in the journal Nature Communications, demonstrates that the cholesterol present in cell membranes can interfere with the function of an important brain membrane protein, through a previously unknown mode of interaction.

23 Feb 2017

Researchers use new method to identify how proteins stabilize cell membrane

To withstand external mechanical stress and handle trafficking of various substances, a cell needs to adjust its surrounding membrane.

22 Feb 2017

microDimensions launches new version of high precision whole slide alignment software

microDimensions launches a new version of its high precision whole slide alignment software Slidematch. With the new version users can align digital whole slide images from consecutive sections in brightfield and fluorescence mode, e.g. for the evaluation of the HER2 status of cancer patients.

From microDimensions - Bramlage Scientific GmbH 21 Feb 2017

Glowing mice could mark major step forward for new gene therapy

Timothy Blake, a postdoctoral fellow in the Waymouth lab, was hard at work on a fantastical interdisciplinary experiment. He and his fellow researchers were refining compounds that would carry instructions for assembling the protein that makes fireflies light up and deliver them into the cells of an anesthetized mouse. If their technique worked, the mouse would glow in the dark.

16 Feb 2017

Sperm-egg fusion proteins are homologous to those used by Zika and Dengue viruses, research shows

The protein that helps the sperm and egg fuse together in sexual reproduction can also fuse regular cells together.

15 Feb 2017

Malaria mosquitoes exhibit similar sensitivity to heat and horseradish

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have taken an important step on the road to understanding the underlying mechanism of how and why animals can feel pain in connection with cold or heat. However, according to the study, temperature is just one triggering factor – horseradish, mustard, cinnamon and wasabi have a similar effect.

10 Feb 2017

Researchers shed light on how IFT20 protein helps some cancer cells to invade

An international research team has discovered that the IFT20 protein helps some cancer cells to invade by facilitating the transportation of membranes and proteins within parts of the cell.

9 Feb 2017

Loss of Golgi function may contribute to pathology of neurodegenerative diseases

Disabling a part of brain cells that acts as a tap to regulate the flow of proteins has been shown to cause neurodegeneration, a new study from The University of Manchester has found.

From The University of Manchester 9 Feb 2017

New discovery could lead to development of new cancer treatments

Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that can engulf and destroy cancer cells. A research group led by Professor MATOZAKI Takashi, Associate Professor MURATA Yoji, and YANAGITA Tadahiko, discovered that by using an antibody for a particular protein found on macrophages, the macrophage is activated, and cancer cells are effectively eliminated.

6 Feb 2017

Novel potassium channel genes could be promising therapeutic targets for alcohol use disorder

A handful of FDA-approved drugs exist for treating individuals with alcohol use disorder but they have been largely ineffective at reducing the high rates of relapse. As such, there remains a critical need to identify and develop alternative pharmacological treatment options.

31 Jan 2017

Scientists develop artificial skin capable of detecting temperature changes

A team of engineers and scientists at Caltech and ETH Zurich have developed an artificial skin capable of detecting temperature changes using a mechanism similar to the one used by the organ that allows pit vipers to sense their prey.

30 Jan 2017

Scientists restore partial hearing and balance in deaf mice using new gene therapy

Using a novel form of gene therapy, scientists from Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital have managed to restore partial hearing and balance in mice born with a genetic condition that affects both.

28 Jan 2017

Antibodies can activate nerve cells within milliseconds, study shows

Antibodies are able to activate human nerve cells within milliseconds and hence modify their function -- that is the surprising conclusion of a study carried out at Human Biology at the Technical University of Munich.