Cellular Biology News and Research

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Scientists discover how motors maneuver cells' intricate roadway system

Much like motors power our cars, they also ensure that proteins get to the right place in our cells, and a wide variety of diseases - from cancer to heart problems - can result when they don't.

7 Dec 2016

SMU virologist receives NCI grant to advance research into how certain viruses cause cancers

SMU virologist and cancer researcher Robert L. Harrod has been awarded a $436,500 grant from the National Cancer Institute to further his lab's research into how certain viruses cause cancers in humans.

8 Nov 2016

UGA researchers find new way to improve cancer-killing power of chemotherapy

University of Georgia researchers have found a way to enhance chemotherapy's cancer-killing powers, bringing science one step closer to a more complete cancer treatment.

2 Nov 2016

New oncogene may contribute to high incidence of prostate cancer among African American men

A team of scientists has identified MNX1 as a new oncogene - a gene than can cause cancer - that is more active in African American prostate cancer than in European American prostate cancer.

21 Oct 2016

Scientists suggest potential approach of lowering tau levels to thwart Alzheimer's disease

Taking a pill that prevents the accumulation of toxic molecules in the brain might someday help prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease, according to scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

21 Oct 2016

Researchers to explore potential roles of tumor-suppressor gene in kidney cancer

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer, and African-Americans and males appear most at risk for this disease that can be asymptomatic until it has spread and become highly lethal, said Dr. Vinata B. Lokeshwar, cancer researcher and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

7 Oct 2016

Researchers suggest need for human studies to examine effects of cannabinoid use during pregnancy

In this new era of legalized marijuana, far too little research has been conducted on the effect of cannabis on the development of human embryos, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center who scoured medical literature on the topic and found what they say is worrisome animal research.

30 Sep 2016

Experts receive $5.2 million NIH grant to develop affordable test for diagnosing Chagas disease

An international team of researchers led by infectious disease experts at the University of Georgia has received $5.2 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop a more accurate, affordable diagnostic test for Chagas disease, a parasitic infection that kills more than 50,000 people each year in Central and South America.

21 Sep 2016

Gene therapy may be viable approach for treating CF lung problems

Two new studies from the University of Iowa suggest that gene therapy may be a viable approach for treating or preventing lung disease caused by cystic fibrosis.

20 Sep 2016

Researchers identify mutant traits in mouse for many human disease genes

About one-third of all genes in the mammalian genome are essential for life. An international, multi-institutional research collaboration identified, for the first time, mutant traits in the mouse for 52 human disease genes, which significantly contributes to the understanding of the genetic bases for some human diseases, including cardiovascular defects, spina bifida, and metabolic disorders, among many others. The study was published this week in Nature.

19 Sep 2016

Mitosis study identifies new potential target for cancer therapy

Structural biologists show in a new study that an apparently key step in the process of cell division depends on a unique interaction among specific proteins, including one that is strongly linked to cancer. Their hope now is that the detailed new characterization of the interaction will make it a target for exploring a new cancer therapy.

31 Aug 2016

Researchers working to find faster way to treat sleeping sickness using oral drugs

Researchers at the University of Georgia are working to find the fastest way possible to treat and cure human African trypanosomiasis, long referred to as sleeping sickness. By working to improve chemical entities already tested in human clinical trials, they hope to have a faster route to field studies to treat the disease using drugs that can be administered orally to patients.

30 Aug 2016

UC Davis scientists show how cells control DNA synthesis in mitochondria

Aging, neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic disease are all linked to mitochondria, structures within our cells that generate chemical energy and maintain their own DNA. In a fundamental discovery with far-reaching implications, scientists at the University of California, Davis, now show how cells control DNA synthesis in mitochondria and couple it to mitochondrial division.

18 Jul 2016

International project to develop globally accessible bank of new cancer cell models for research

An international project to develop a large, globally accessible bank of new cancer cell culture models for the research community launched today.

12 Jul 2016

Pain reliever appears to help preserve vision in animal model of retinal degeneration

A pain medicine that potently activates a receptor vital to a healthy retina appears to help preserve vision in a model of severe retinal degeneration, scientists report.

28 Jun 2016

Researchers aim to protect kidneys while improving cisplatin's efficacy against cancer

Cisplatin is a common, powerful chemotherapy agent used for a wide range of cancers such as breast, ovarian and lung, that in a handful of days can also permanently damage or destroy patients' kidneys.

14 Jun 2016

New FDA draft guidelines place tighter restrictions on surgical practices using tissue-based regenerative therapies

The therapeutic use of human cell and tissue products is highly regulated by the U.S. government, but a specific exception allows surgeons to harvest, manipulate, and implant tissues in many commonly performed procedures.

2 Jun 2016

UCLA scientists discover cystatin E/M protein that can inhibit cervical cancer growth

UCLA scientists have identified a protein that has the potential to prevent the growth of cervical cancer cells. The discovery could lead to the development of new treatments for the deadly disease.

1 Jun 2016

OIST scientists reveal how big protein complex inside E. coli cells divide and multiply

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacteria that live all around and inside of us. Most E. coli are harmless, but some strains can cause illness, and can even, in extreme cases, be deadly. With recent outbreaks of E. coli around the world, there is a fear of acquiring an infection from these bacteria.

28 May 2016

Metabolic characteristics of CRPC may open new avenues for treatment

Advanced prostate cancer is usually treated by removing androgen, the male hormone that helps it grow. Although initially effective, this treatment often leads to the tumor becoming castration resistant- a lethal condition.

27 May 2016