Lipids News and Research

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Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The main biological functions of lipids include energy storage, as structural components of cell membranes, and as important signaling molecules.

Mild reduction in food intake slows development of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease

A small reduction in food intake—less than required to cause weight loss—dramatically slowed the development of a common genetic disorder called autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in mice, a new study in American Journal of Physiology—Renal Physiology reports.

30 Jan 2016

Sphingosine kinase inhibitor slows castration-resistant prostate cancer cell growth

A first-in-class sphingosine kinase 2 inhibitor slowed the growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells, in part by inhibiting the enzyme dihydroceramide desaturase (DEGS), but did not kill them, according to the results of preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies published in the December 2015 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and others.

30 Jan 2016

Weight loss programs that provide healthy fats have similar impacts on pound-shedding

A University of California, San Diego School of Medicine study finds that weight loss programs that provide healthy fats, such as olive oil in the Mediterranean diet, or a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet have similar impacts on pound-shedding.

29 Jan 2016

Berlin researchers identify defects in myotubular myopathy

Tiny deviations in the body's cells can sometimes have severe consequences. Researchers from Berlin have discovered why cells from patients suffering from the rare muscular disease myotubular myopathy cannot function properly.

21 Jan 2016

TSRI scientists discover molecular ‘switch’ that could reduce nicotine addiction

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that a lipid in brain cells may act as a “switch” to increase or decrease the motivation to consume nicotine.

19 Jan 2016

Study reveals how imbalance of omega-3 fatty acids affects brain development in offspring

Researchers at Tohoku University's School of Medicine have found an explanation for the correlation between eating fish during pregnancy, and the health of the baby's brain.

17 Jan 2016

Higher-fat DASH diet significantly reduces blood pressure and triglycerides

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern, which is high in fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods, significantly lowers blood pressure as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

12 Jan 2016

UA researchers find genetic mutations associated with respiratory disease

Asthma affects more than 278 million people worldwide and can lead to serious consequences later in life. While current approved therapies address symptoms, they do not halt disease progression.

11 Jan 2016

UF researchers reveal link between chronic stress and fat metabolism

In cell and mouse model experiments, University of Florida Health researchers have discovered that chronic stress stimulates production of betatrophin, a protein that then goes on to inhibit an enzyme involved in fat metabolism.

7 Jan 2016

Vtesse receives FDA's Breakthrough Therapy designation for VTS-270

Vtesse, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted its drug candidate, VTS-270 for treatment of Niemann-Pick Type C1 Disease (NPC), Breakthrough Therapy designation status. Both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had previously granted Orphan Drug status to VTS-270, which is currently in a pivotal Phase 2b/3 clinical trial.

6 Jan 2016

Cholesterol essential for health, but also plays key role in longevity

Animals from tiny worms to human beings have a love-hate relationship with fats and lipids. Cholesterol is a famous example of how they are both essential for health and often have a role in death.

23 Dec 2015

Variant signs worldwide exclusive license and development agreement with L&F Research

Variant Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging pharmaceutical company focusing on rare diseases and other specialty conditions with limited or sub-optimal therapeutic options, announced today a worldwide exclusive license and development agreement with L&F Research LLC to advance development of Variant's lead product, VAR 200.

20 Dec 2015

DS Biopharma reports completion of DS102 Phase I trial for treatment of fatty liver disorders

DS Biopharma, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, today announced the successful completion of a Phase I trial with an oral formulation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient DS102 (15-HEPE) which is being explored for the treatment of fatty liver disorders, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and pulmonary disorders, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

18 Dec 2015

UB study traces how enigmatic molecules help cancer self-destruct

You've probably never heard of "sphingolipids" before. But these curiously named organic compounds play a vital role in one of humanity's most well-known diseases: cancer.

18 Dec 2015

New GSA e-book provides detailed overviews of aging process across multiple organisms

A new e-book published by The Gerontological Society of America provides a primary resource for detailed overviews of the aging process across multiple organisms -- from microbes to humans. This seminal publication, "Molecular and Cellular Biology of Aging," is intended as a textbook for emerging scholars of all levels.

15 Dec 2015

Irradiated white blood cells release substances that have positive effect upon tissue repair

Hendrik Jan Ankersmit's research group at the Clinical Department of Thoracic Surgery of MedUni Vienna has successfully shown that irradiated white blood cells release substances that reduce the severity of the damage caused by a heart attack or stroke and in spinal injuries and have a positive effect upon tissue repair. However, up until now it wasn't known exactly which particular substances were responsible for these beneficial effects. This has now been discovered.

14 Dec 2015

Rutgers scientists uncover biological pathways that provide insight into tiny cell bubbles

Rutgers scientists have uncovered biological pathways in the roundworm that provide insight into how tiny bubbles released by cells can have beneficial health effects, like promoting tissue repair, or may play a diabolical role and carry disease signals for cancer or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

12 Dec 2015

Larger crystals of bacteriorhodopsin protein grow by consuming smaller crystals around them

A group of biophysicists from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and their international colleagues have studied the crystallization of molecules of the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin. The scientists have demonstrated that the larger crystals of the protein grow by "consuming" smaller crystals around them and creating "depletion zone" around themselves.

12 Dec 2015

Liver's cannabinoid receptors could be targeted to combat liver cancer in some patients

A new study reveals that the liver's cannabinoid receptors could be targeted to fight liver cancer in some patients; and it offers a way to predict what treatments have the best chance of working.

23 Nov 2015

New approach to regulate people's cholesterol levels

A discovery about how the body deals with the cholesterol contained within its dying cells has suggested an exciting new approach to control people's cholesterol levels - and thus their risk of developing heart disease.

19 Nov 2015