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UCLA researchers have blueprint of telomerase that plays major role in cancer, aging

Cancer, aging-related diseases and other illnesses are closely tied to an important enzyme called "telomerase." UCLA researchers report in the journal Cell the deepest scientific understanding yet of this once-mysterious enzyme, whose catalytic core -- where most of its activity occurs -- can now be seen in near atomic resolution.

7 Jun 2018

Scientists elucidate 3D structure of protein involved in cancer

The human glutamine transporter ASCT2 is upregulated in several forms of cancer. It is also the docking platform for a wide range of pathogenic retroviruses.

6 Jun 2018

Scientists find enzyme that breaks down plasmalogens in Alzheimer's disease patients

Alzheimer's disease patients lose up to 60% of a component called plasmalogen from the membranes of the cells in their brains, but it's still not known how or why.

31 May 2018

Scientists create small, self-contained spaces inside mammalian cells

How to install new capabilities in cells without interfering with their metabolic processes? A team from the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Zentrum München have altered mammalian cells in such a way that they formed artificial compartments in which sequestered reactions could take place, allowing the detection of cells deep in the tissue and also their manipulation with magnetic fields.

23 May 2018

Researcher develops nanoparticle-based tags to detect viruses and cancer with high sensitivity

How can we detect cancer and viruses with high sensitivity? Physical chemist Laura Fabris-;an associate professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and principal investigator of the Fabris NanoBio Group-;is addressing this very question.

22 May 2018

Clinical trial begins enrollment to test safety of experimental MERS treatments

Enrollment has begun in an early-stage clinical trial testing the safety of two human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) designed to treat people infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

18 May 2018

Drug-resistant staph infections found to be deadly, but less costly

Staph infections, whether MRSA (resistant to methicillin) or susceptible, are important and deadly. Drug-resistant staph infections continue to be deadlier than those that are not resistant and treatable with traditional antibiotics, but treatment costs surprisingly are the same or slightly less, a new national analysis shows.

15 May 2018

Biochemists isolate protein supercomplex from bacteria that generates voltage

Biochemists at the University of Illinois have isolated a protein supercomplex from a bacterial membrane that, like a battery, generates a voltage across the bacterial membrane.

15 May 2018

Researchers to take 'unprecedented look' into protein behind hypertension, epilepsy, and overactive bladder

The seemingly unrelated conditions of hypertension, epilepsy and overactive bladder may be linked by electrical activity in a protein long studied by a biomedical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis.

15 May 2018

Increasingly failing communication between cells' organelles is main cause of aging, shows study

A basic discovery of how the cellular functions are connected to control aging is presented in the journal Cell Metabolism.

11 May 2018

UAB researchers unravel brain neuron dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies

A decay of brain function is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, or DLB. Specifically, cognitive dysfunction defines DLB, and nearly eight of every 10 Parkinson's patients develop dementia.

11 May 2018

Scientists use X-ray laser to gain insights into structure of Alzheimer's proteins

A new experimental method permits the X-ray analysis of amyloids, a class of large, filamentous biomolecules which are an important hallmark of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

9 May 2018

Mutations in EBOV-Makona do not alter disease-causing ability in animal models, shows study

Early during the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa, scientists speculated that the genetic diversity of the circulating Makona strain of virus (EBOV-Makona) would result in more severe disease and more transmissibility than prior strains.

9 May 2018

TUM researchers unravel mechanism of action for one of pore-forming bacterial toxins

Pore-forming toxins are common bacterial poisons. They attack organisms by introducing holes in cell membranes.

7 May 2018

New chemical sensing chip could detect cocaine within minutes

What if you could test for cocaine, opioids and marijuana as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol? A new, low-cost chemical sensing chip brings us one step closer to this technology, which has long been on the wish list of police officers and others looking to monitor drug use and curb dangerous driving.

7 May 2018

Researchers discover how key brain receptor can function in hostile environment

During a stroke or an epileptic seizure, neurons in affected parts of the brain fire at an abnormally rapid rate.

7 May 2018

Fujitsu announces development of molecular simulation technology for drug discovery

Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and Fujitsu Limited today announced the development of molecular simulation technology for drug discovery that can accurately estimate binding affinity, which represents the degree to which proteins that can cause diseases (target proteins) bind to chemical substances that could become candidate drugs.

7 May 2018

New research illustrates how beneficial bacteria establish robust gut colonization

The mammalian gut is warm, moist, and incredibly nutrient-rich--an environment that is perfect for bacterial growth. The communities of "good bacteria" in the gut, commonly referred to as the microbiome, are vital partners for the body, helping to digest fiber, extract nutrients, and prevent various diseases.

4 May 2018

Study reveals essential malaria parasite genes

Researchers have exploited a quirk in the genetic make-up of the deadly malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to create 38,000 mutant strains and then determine which of the organism's genes are essential to its growth and survival.

3 May 2018

3D structures of nicotine receptor could lead to new ways for treating addiction

UT Southwestern researchers today published in Nature atomic-scale blueprints of the most abundant class of brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. A structural understanding of the protein, found in neurons, could lead to new ways to treat nicotine addiction from smoking and vaping.

3 May 2018

Electron News and Research

UCLA researchers have blueprint of telomerase that plays major role in cancer, aging

Scientists elucidate 3D structure of protein involved in cancer

Scientists find enzyme that breaks down plasmalogens in Alzheimer's disease patients

Scientists create small, self-contained spaces inside mammalian cells

Researcher develops nanoparticle-based tags to detect viruses and cancer with high sensitivity

Clinical trial begins enrollment to test safety of experimental MERS treatments

Drug-resistant staph infections found to be deadly, but less costly

Biochemists isolate protein supercomplex from bacteria that generates voltage

Researchers to take 'unprecedented look' into protein behind hypertension, epilepsy, and overactive bladder

Increasingly failing communication between cells' organelles is main cause of aging, shows study

UAB researchers unravel brain neuron dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies

Scientists use X-ray laser to gain insights into structure of Alzheimer's proteins

Mutations in EBOV-Makona do not alter disease-causing ability in animal models, shows study

TUM researchers unravel mechanism of action for one of pore-forming bacterial toxins

New chemical sensing chip could detect cocaine within minutes

Researchers discover how key brain receptor can function in hostile environment

Fujitsu announces development of molecular simulation technology for drug discovery

New research illustrates how beneficial bacteria establish robust gut colonization

Study reveals essential malaria parasite genes

3D structures of nicotine receptor could lead to new ways for treating addiction

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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