Cell Membrane News and Research

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New research lays groundwork for developing treatments for asthma, COPD

In diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the body produces too much mucus, making breathing difficult. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis provides clues to potentially counteract inappropriate mucus production.

18 Mar 2015

Scientists uncover how primary protein responsible for multidrug resistance reacts to therapeutic drugs

Cancer patients fear the possibility that one day their cells might start rendering many different chemotherapy regimens ineffective. This phenomenon, called multidrug resistance, leads to tumors that defy treatment.

5 Mar 2015

TSRI researchers show how ABC transporters cause multidrug resistance

3 Mar 2015

Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids may optimize brain serotonin concentrations and function

Although essential marine omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D have been shown to improve cognitive function and behavior in the context of certain brain disorders, the underlying mechanism has been unclear. In a new paper published in FASEB Journal by Rhonda Patrick, PhD and Bruce Ames, PhD of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, serotonin is explained as the possible missing link tying together why vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids might ameliorate the symptoms associated with a broad array of brain disorders.

27 Feb 2015

Finding opens avenues of research toward precision treatments to boost life expectancy for CF patients

Mutation of one gene is all it takes to get cystic fibrosis (CF), but disease severity depends on many other genes and proteins. For the first time, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have identified genetic pathways - or clusters of genes - that play major roles in why one person with CF might never experience the worse kinds of symptoms while another person will battle severe airway infection for a lifetime.

23 Feb 2015

Research: Complex nerve circuits first evolved in common ancestor of humans and cnidarians

New research shows that a burst of evolutionary innovation in the genes responsible for electrical communication among nerve cells in our brains occurred over 600 million years ago in a common ancestor of humans and the sea anemone.

17 Feb 2015

KU Leuven researchers find aggressive form of HIV in Cuba

Engaging in unprotected sex with multiple partners increases the risk of contracting multiple strains of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Once inside a host, these strains can recombine into a new variant of the virus. One such recombinant variant observed in patients in Cuba appears to be much more aggressive than other known forms of HIV.

16 Feb 2015

Study shows how cannabidiol works within cells

A team of Stony Brook University researchers have identified fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) as intracellular transporters for two ingredients in marijuana, THC and CBD (cannabidiol).

13 Feb 2015

Research finds that mtDNA can move from healthy cell to dysfunctional tumour cell

Ground-breaking research from Griffith University on the Gold Coast has some scientists wondering if the entire study of cellular biology needs to be adjusted.

11 Feb 2015

Griffith research unlocks more about cancer

A research collaboration between Griffith and the Malaghan Institute in Wellington, New Zealand has made the discovery that mitochondria are capable of passing through the healthy membrane of a host cell into defective tumour cells, possibly kicking off the rapid proliferation of tumour cells which is the hallmark of cancer.

10 Feb 2015

Drugs designed to target NHE9 protein could help fight glioblastoma

Applying lessons learned from autism to brain cancer, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have discovered why elevated levels of the protein NHE9 add to the lethality of the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma. Their discovery suggests that drugs designed to target NHE9 could help to successfully fight the deadly disease.

10 Feb 2015

Gramicidin-Based Fluorescence Assay can help predict drug toxicity

Sometimes, toxic side effects aren't discovered until fairly late in the drug development process, when substantial amounts of time and money have already been invested in clinical trials.

9 Feb 2015

New findings could pave way to develop drug therapies for necrosis-related diseases

Strokes, heart attacks and traumatic brain injuries are separate diseases with certain shared pathologies that achieve a common end - cell death and human injury due to hypoxia, or lack of oxygen.

9 Feb 2015

Researchers report novel method for minimally invasive tissue ablation surgery

A team of researchers that includes scientists from the Quinnipiac University and the University of California, Berkeley reports a new method for minimally invasive tissue ablation surgery that combines electrolysis with reversible electroporation.

9 Feb 2015

Cell-penetrating nanoparticles can efficiently transport oligonucleotide drugs into cells

Therapeutic oligonucleotide analogs represent a new and promising family of drugs that act on nucleic acid targets such as RNA or DNA; however, their effectiveness has been limited due to difficulty crossing the cell membrane.

31 Jan 2015

Altered AHNAK gene may open door to improved treatment for keloid scars

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit have identified a gene that may offer a better understanding of how keloid scars develop and potentially open the door to improved treatment for the often painful, itchy and tender scars.

23 Jan 2015

Using HIV drugs to treat AMD: an interview with Dr Mark Young

NRTIs are compounds which were originally developed in the 1960s as anti-cancer agents. They are similar in structure to the bases which make up DNA, and it was hoped that they would interfere with DNA replication in fast-growing cancer cells, slowing down or stopping tumour growth.

7 Jan 2015

TSRI scientists identify 'mechanoreceptor' protein that mediates sense of touch in mammals

A team led by biologists at The Scripps Research Institute has solved a long-standing mystery in neuroscience by identifying the "mechanoreceptor" protein that mediates the sense of touch in mammals.

5 Dec 2014

Scientists reveal how bacterial nanodrills enter into our cells to kill them

A team of scientists has revealed how certain harmful bacteria drill into our cells to kill them. Their study shows how bacterial 'nanodrills' assemble themselves on the outer surfaces of our cells, and includes the first movie of how they then punch holes in the cells' outer membranes.

3 Dec 2014

TSRI study examines body’s own response against chronic protein misfolding

“Protein misfolding” diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer’s may be seriously exacerbated by the body’s own response against that misfolding, according to a new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute.

20 Nov 2014

Cell Membrane News and Research

New research lays groundwork for developing treatments for asthma, COPD

Scientists uncover how primary protein responsible for multidrug resistance reacts to therapeutic drugs

TSRI researchers show how ABC transporters cause multidrug resistance

Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids may optimize brain serotonin concentrations and function

Finding opens avenues of research toward precision treatments to boost life expectancy for CF patients

Research: Complex nerve circuits first evolved in common ancestor of humans and cnidarians

KU Leuven researchers find aggressive form of HIV in Cuba

Study shows how cannabidiol works within cells

Research finds that mtDNA can move from healthy cell to dysfunctional tumour cell

Griffith research unlocks more about cancer

Drugs designed to target NHE9 protein could help fight glioblastoma

Gramicidin-Based Fluorescence Assay can help predict drug toxicity

New findings could pave way to develop drug therapies for necrosis-related diseases

Researchers report novel method for minimally invasive tissue ablation surgery

Cell-penetrating nanoparticles can efficiently transport oligonucleotide drugs into cells

Altered AHNAK gene may open door to improved treatment for keloid scars

Using HIV drugs to treat AMD: an interview with Dr Mark Young

TSRI scientists identify 'mechanoreceptor' protein that mediates sense of touch in mammals

Scientists reveal how bacterial nanodrills enter into our cells to kill them

TSRI study examines body’s own response against chronic protein misfolding

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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