GPCR News and Research

RSS

Study offers explanation for why people's responses to the same drug vary widely

Scientists at Scripps Research have comprehensively mapped how a key class of proteins within cells regulates signals coming in from cell surface receptors.

1 Oct 2020

New technology predicts allosteric sites in proteins

A new technology that uses a protein's structure to predict the inner wiring that controls the protein's function and dynamics is now available for scientists to utilize. The tool, developed by researchers at Penn State, may be useful for protein engineering and drug design.

3 Sep 2020

New methods may contribute to future structure-based drug design

Many pharmaceuticals work by targeting what are known as "G-protein-coupled receptors". In a new study, scientists from Uppsala University describe how they have been able to predict how special molecules that can be used in new immunotherapy against cancer bind to these receptors.

24 Jun 2020

New $26.9 million project aims to create better psychiatric drugs without side effects

Rapidly acting drugs to treat depression, anxiety, or substance abuse without side effects do not exist. Researchers led by Bryan L. Roth, MD, PhD, the Michael Hooker Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, are trying to change that.

16 Jun 2020

Newly identified mechanism regulates activity of nitric oxide-producing enzyme

The liver filters blood, detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. Hepatitis, alcohol and primary liver diseases are common sources of damage in the liver and can result in scarring, known as fibrosis.

5 Jun 2020

Using supercomputers to knock out drug side effects

Psychedelic drugs could be effective in treating psychiatric disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, but medical use of these drugs is limited by the hallucinations they cause.

4 Jun 2020

New study may eliminate dangerous side effects of drugs used for treating various conditions

Psychedelics such as LSD and magic mushrooms have proven highly effective in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorders, but medical use of these drugs is limited by the hallucinations they cause.

20 May 2020

A protein discovery could pave way to better treatments for obesity

A USC-led international team of scientists has found the precise shape of a key player in human metabolism, which could lead the way to better treatments for obesity and other metabolic disease.

23 Apr 2020

Scientists visualize diabetes-related proteins at high resolution

Scientists have examined a key receptor for the first time at high resolution - broadening understanding of how it might function, and opening the door to future improvements in treating conditions such as type 2 diabetes.

24 Jan 2020

Diabetes-related proteins seen in high-res for the first time

A team of researchers have reported, in an exciting study published in the journal Nature Communications, that they were able to examine an important receptor at high definition for the first time. This detailed visualization has helped them greatly to understand its mechanism of functioning. This could help develop better ways to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as other conditions.

23 Jan 2020

Biophysicists shed light on the structure, functioning mechanism of CysLT receptors

Biophysicists from the MIPT Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases have teamed up with colleagues from Canada, the U.S., Japan, France, and Germany to shed light on the structure and functioning mechanism of the CysLT receptors, which regulate inflammatory responses associated with allergic disorders.

21 Jan 2020

Pathios appoints Stuart Hughes as CEO and announces US$8.8M Series A financing round

Pathios Therapeutics Limited, an innovative biotech company focused on the development of first-in-class therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced a US$8.8M Series A financing round with leading international healthcare investors Canaan and Australia’s Medical Research Commercialization Fund managed by Brandon Capital.

9 Jan 2020

Two-drug combination could be effective against malignant mesothelioma

Exposure to asbestos is the major risk factor for malignant mesothelioma, a type of aggressive cancer that mostly affects the pleura - the tissue that lines the lungs - and the peritoneum - the tissue that lines the abdomen. This has been known for decades, yet the molecular characterisation of mesothelioma is barely known and treatment options are scarce.

8 Jan 2020

New computational method can help predict and design allosteric functions in proteins

Called the "second secret of life", allostery is one of the most fundamental processes of biology and has been a central focus among scientists across the life sciences spectrum, from fundamental biology to drug development.

3 Dec 2019

Discovery of human cell signaling systems using bioinformatics

There are many and various receptors on the surface of each human cell, which bind to specific molecules called ligands, to set off signals that modulate cell activity accordingly. These pathways are exploited by therapeutic drugs. In fact, one in three drugs makes use of receptors belonging to a single very large family – the GPCR (G protein receptor coupled receptor) family.

1 Nov 2019

New signaling systems discovered in human cells

The human cell has a wide variety of receptors on its surface that many molecules and therapeutic drugs can bind to in order to activate signals inside the cell to regulate different physiological functions. GPCRs are the largest - and a very important - family of receptors on human cells.

31 Oct 2019

Research finds drugs for better long-term treatment of poorly controlled asthma

The waning effectiveness of drugs over time continues to be a major challenge in treating diseases, including asthma.

11 Oct 2019

Structural biology reveals 3D structure of asthma-linked receptor

A new study has laid bare the structure of a protein receptor called the CysLT1 receptor that is implicated in a range of allergic and cardiovascular conditions as well as some types of cancer. Published in Science Advances, the paper shows how the researchers used structural biology techniques to accomplish this feat.

10 Oct 2019

Accelerating drug discovery process to help patients

An international research team has developed a new strategy that can predict the potential clinical implications of new therapeutic compounds based on simple cellular responses.

15 Sep 2019

Researchers find biological system that manages cells' response to opioid drug exposure

A team at Scripps Research in Florida has discovered a biological system that manages cells' response to opioid drug exposure. The unexpected discovery offers new ideas for improving the safety of the one of the most effective, and most abused, group of pain medications.

19 Aug 2019