Enzyme News and Research

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Discovery may lead to new treatments for lung cancer and blood cancer

The research team uses a genetically modified mouse that produces a muted and constantly active CAAX protein. This is a new model for an extremely aggressive lung cancer and a mild form of blood cancer. In these mice, the production of an enzyme called GGTas1 can also be stopped.

8 May 2007

Scientists delete enzyme in mice so they can eat any type of fat and not get heart disease

A new study in mice raises a tantalizing possibility, that humans may one day be able to eat any kind of fat they want without raising their risk of heart disease.

8 May 2007

Honey for diabetic ulcers

The sore on Catrina Hurlburt's leg simply wouldn't heal. Complications from a 2002 car accident left Hurlburt, a borderline diabetic, with recurring cellulitis and staph infections.

4 May 2007

Gene-for-gene interactions help bacteria kill their host

Scientists have discovered that a cousin of the plague bacterium uses a single gene to out-fox insect immune defences and kill its host.

4 May 2007

Nitric oxide may be the key to why specific drugs for heart failure or asthma lose their effectiveness over time

A naturally occurring molecule in the body appears to control whether certain medications, such as beta adrenergic receptor agonists used in acute heart failure or in inhalers for asthma, lose their effectiveness over time.

4 May 2007

Study shows effectiveness of Peramivir in mouse model of H5N1 virus infection

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has announced that investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, reported favorable results evaluating peramivir treatment in an animal model of influenza using a highly virulent strain of H5N1 virus (an avian influenza strain that had caused fatal human infection in Viet Nam).

4 May 2007

FDA approves new indication for FRAGMIN for the extended treatment of symptomatic venous thromboembolism

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new indication for FRAGMIN (dalteparin sodium injection), for the extended treatment of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) to reduce the recurrence of VTE in patients with cancer.

4 May 2007

Cause of gender differences in high blood pressure and related kidney disease

While men and women both get high blood pressure and related kidney disease, the path to get there is shorter, steeper and just different for men, researchers say.

4 May 2007

BioMarin starts phase 2a study of 6R-BH4 in sickle cell disease

BioMarin Pharmaceutical has announced that the first patient has initiated treatment in the Phase 2a clinical study of 6R-BH4 (sapropterin dihydrochloride) for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD).

4 May 2007

Peramivir shows promise for H5N1 protection

The antiviral drug peramivir might offer humans significant protection during a pandemic of the avian influenza virus H5N1, according to results of mouse studies conducted by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

2 May 2007

OCT1 required for therapeutic effects of diabetes drug Metformin

The drug metformin is among the most widely prescribed drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and results in an array of therapeutic benefits.

2 May 2007

New treatments have major impact on heart failure rates

Deaths from severe heart attacks following admission to hospital have nearly halved in six years as a result of advances in medical treatment.

2 May 2007

Study provides better understanding of how to treat individuals affected by copper imbalances

Copper is an essential part of our lives. From copper pipes and wires - to important copper-containing proteins in the body, copper is necessary for healthy growth and neurological development.

2 May 2007

Improving outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome

Recent changes in the recommended treatments used for patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndromes, such as a heart attack, are associated with reductions in the rates of heart failure, stroke, heart attack and death, according to a study in the May 2 issue of JAMA .

2 May 2007

Traditional African medicines may hold potential for treating high blood pressure

Medicinal plants are an integral part of African culture, one of the oldest and most diverse in the world.

2 May 2007

Smelling for first time results from knowing abnormalities in congenital loss of smell

New discoveries about the biochemical basis of the majority of cases of the congenital inability to smell any odor, no matter how strong, have enabled their discoverer, Dr. Robert I. Henkin, director of The Taste and Smell Clinic in Washington, DC, to treat such patients, enabling them to smell something for the first time in their lives.

1 May 2007

Scientists find new way to analyze the moving parts of large proteins

Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Rice University have discovered a new way to analyze the moving parts of large proteins , a breakthrough that will make it easier for structural biologists to classify and scrutinize the active sites of proteins implicated in cancer and other diseases.

1 May 2007