Heparin News and Research

RSS

Heparin, a highly-sulfated glycosaminoglycan, is widely used as an injectable anticoagulant, and has the highest negative charge density of any known biological molecule. It can also be used to form an inner anticoagulant surface on various experimental and medical devices such as test tubes and renal dialysis machines. Pharmaceutical grade heparin is derived from mucosal tissues of slaughtered meat animals such as porcine (pig) intestine or bovine (cow) lung.

Research program aims to thwart prion-like spread of tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease

Tangles of misfolded tau proteins in the brain are closely associated with memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In order for this tau pathology to spread, the protein must interact with heparan sulfate, a sugar molecule found on the surface of neurons.

28 Oct 2020

High-impact clinical trial results could improve kidney-related medical care

The results of numerous high-impact clinical trials that could affect kidney-related medical care will be presented online during ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined October 19-October 25.

23 Oct 2020

Self-collection of blood for COVID-19 antibody testing may be a reliable and easy alternative

Some evidence suggests that IgGs appear at 6-15 days after infection and may persist for months. However, large-scale testing over time is required to understand the immunological response to COVID-19 with greater accuracy. A recent pilot study published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 reports the use of self-collected capillary blood for serology, with highly promising results.

29 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infects human embryonic epithelial and lung cells

As COVID-19 continues to spread the world over, investigators are still trying to understand how it ravages the human body. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 shows that the virus is capable of infecting human embryonic cells that are destined to form the epithelial surfaces of the body, both internal and external, as well as lung cells.

29 Sep 2020

Dextran sulphate-induced tau assemblies cause tau propagation in non-transgenic mice

Accumulation of assembled tau protein in the central nervous system is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and several other neurodegenerative diseases, called tauopathies.

23 Sep 2020

Heparan sulfate aids COVID-19 virus to penetrate human lung cells

A molecule known as ACE2 sits like a doorknob on the outer surfaces of the cells that line the lungs. Since January 2020, researchers have known that SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, primarily uses ACE2 to enter these cells and establish respiratory infections.

16 Sep 2020

New antibody assay for COVID-19 promises sensitive mass-scale detection

A new paper by researchers at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020, reports on the development of a serologic assay that is suitable for sensitive high-throughput antibody testing for COVID-19.

15 Sep 2020

Researchers detect significant amounts of DNA traps in lungs of deceased Covid-19 patients

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Liège (Belgium) has detected significant amounts of DNA traps in distinct compartments of the lungs of patients who died from Covid-19.

15 Sep 2020

International trial of blood thinners for COVID-19 treatment begins

These trials, known as ACTIV-4 Antithrombotics, are part of the three planned adaptive trials in this area of clinical research, included in the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) initiative. They are expected to yield new data on the safety and efficacy of these drugs in the treatment of active and convalescent COVID-19 treatment.

13 Sep 2020

Antibody-mediated platelet death linked to COVID-19 severity

A new study by University of Tuebingen researchers shows the strong association between platelet apoptosis and the thrombotic manifestations that may underlie critical COVID-19 illness.

7 Sep 2020

D-dimer - A sensitive novel biomarker of COVID-19 mortality

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* reports the use of D-dimer in predicting the risk of mortality in COVID-19.

7 Sep 2020

Newly designed hydrogels allow the culture of T-cells for use in cancer immunotherapy

A team with the participation of researchers from the Spanish National Research Council has designed new hydrogels that allow the culture of T-cells or T-lymphocytes, cells of the immune system that are used in cancer immunotherapy since they have the capacity to destroy tumor cells.

31 Aug 2020