Living Cells News and Research

RSS

Amgen outlines key recommendations for implementing approval pathway for biosimilars

Amgen Senior Vice President of Research and Development Joe Miletich, M.D., Ph.D., will urge members of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel charged with implementing a pathway for biosimilars to establish approval standards that ensure patient safety and follow a science-based approach.

3 Nov 2010

Nanomedicine Center for Nucleoprotein Machines receives $16.1 million NIH award

The Georgia Tech-led Nanomedicine Center for Nucleoprotein Machines has received an award of $16.1 million for five years as part of its renewal by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The eight-institution research team plans to pursue development of a clinically viable gene correction technology for single-gene disorders and demonstrate the technology's efficacy with sickle cell disease.

29 Oct 2010

Sunscreens containing nanoparticles alarms consumer group

The consumer group CHOICE is demanding more honesty from sunscreen manufacturers after many leading brands were found to contain nanoparticles. There is controversy as to whether the particles, which are smaller than 100 billionths of a meter, can penetrate the skin and have harmful side-effects, says CHOICE. However many of these sunscreens contain nano-grade titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that enable them to offer the same sun protection but go on clear and with less skin residue.

27 Sep 2010

Protein zyxin necessary for maintenance and repair of cell's cytoskeleton

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered that a protein, zyxin, is necessary for the maintenance and repair of the cell's cytoskeleton, or internal framework, which serves as the muscle and bone of the cell. The research has implications for cancer, as well as other diseases, since alterations in the cytoskeleton are often associated with disease. The research was published in the Sep. 14, 2010, issue of the journal Developmental Cell.

22 Sep 2010

Zyxin protein is critical to maintain and repair internal framework

22 Sep 2010

NIH awards UCSF $15.4 million to set up new National Center for Systems Biology

Cell biologists at UCSF have received $15.4 million from the National Institutes of Health to set up one of two new National Centers for Systems Biology, to study how cells respond to their environment - an emerging field of research that could revolutionize medicine by creating "smart cells" to deliver medications and other therapeutics more effectively.

22 Sep 2010

Researchers identify novel molecular pathway of Parkinson’s disease

A new study led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center has identified a novel molecular pathway underlying Parkinson's disease and points to existing drugs which may be able to slow progression of the disease.

14 Sep 2010

ProteaBio concludes agreement with George Washington University to commercialize LAESI technology

ProteaBio Europe SAS, a leading developer of new technology, announced today that the company has concluded an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with George Washington University for commercial rights to a new technology that provides rapid identification of a broad range of chemicals and biomolecules.

8 Sep 2010

Precision receives stay for patent infringement litigation by Cellectis

Precision BioSciences, Inc., today announced that the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina has granted Precision's request to stay patent infringement litigation brought against Precision by Cellectis, SA.

7 Sep 2010

New hybrid proteins may lead to better gene replacement and editing therapies

An Iowa State University team of researchers has developed a type of hybrid proteins that can make double-strand DNA breaks at specific sites in living cells, possibly leading to better gene replacement and gene editing therapies.

31 Aug 2010

New squeeze test for screening potential drugs for Alzheimer's

Brain cells exposed to a form of the amyloid beta protein, the molecule linked to Alzheimer's disease, become stiffer and bend less under pressure, researchers at UC Davis have found. The results reveal one mechanism by which the amyloid protein damages the brain, a finding that could lead to new ways to screen drugs for Alzheimer's and similar diseases.

21 Aug 2010

Salamander research findings bring scientists closer to future regenerative therapies

Tissue regeneration in salamanders and newts seems like it should be the stuff of science fiction. But it happens routinely. Why can't we mammals just re-grow a limb or churn out a few new heart muscle cells as needed? New research suggests there might be a very good reason: Restricting our cells' ability to pop in and out of the cell cycle at will - a prerequisite for the cell division necessary to make new tissue - reduces the chances that they'll run amok and form potentially deadly cancers.

6 Aug 2010

Toxic protein in bee venom improves liposome encapsulated drug effectiveness

The next time you are stung by a bee, here's some consolation: a toxic protein in bee venom, when altered, significantly improves the effectiveness liposome-encapsulated drugs or dyes, such as those already used to treat or diagnose cancer. This research, described in the August 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal, shows how modified melittin may revolutionize treatments for cancer and perhaps other conditions, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and serious infections.

3 Aug 2010

Researchers discover three disease-causing genes in Salmonella

Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism in Salmonella that affects its virulence and its susceptibility to antibiotics by changing its production of proteins in a previously unheard of manner. This allows Salmonella to selectively change its levels of certain proteins to respond to inhospitable conditions.

30 Jul 2010

Researchers develop new fluorescent biosensor for drug development

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new fluorescent biosensor that could aid in the development of an important class of drugs that target a crucial class of proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).

30 Jul 2010

Vitro Diagnostics, Mokshagundam Biotechnologies enter contract to develop stem cell-derived food

Vitro Diagnostics, Inc., dba Vitro Biopharma, announced that it has entered into a contract with Mokshagundam Biotechnologies, a private research organization established to develop alternative meat sources, to develop cell culture medium for use in exploration of alternative food sources derived from stem cells.

28 Jul 2010

Scientists develop laser activated carbon nanoparticles for drug, gene delivery

Using chemical "nanoblasts" that punch tiny holes in the protective membranes of cells, researchers have demonstrated a new technique for getting therapeutic small molecules, proteins and DNA directly into living cells.Carbon nanoparticles activated by bursts of laser light trigger the tiny blasts, which open holes in cell membranes just long enough to admit therapeutic agents contained in the surrounding fluid. By adjusting laser exposure, the researchers administered a small-molecule marker compound to 90 percent of targeted cells - while keeping more than 90 percent of the cells alive.

28 Jul 2010

New carbon nanomaterial fights disease causing bacteria

A new form of paper with the built-in ability to fight disease-causing bacteria could have applications that range from anti-bacterial bandages to food packaging that keeps food fresher longer to shoes that ward off foot odor. A report about the new material, which consists of the thinnest possible sheets of carbon, appears in ACS Nano, a monthly journal.

22 Jul 2010

AdVnt launches 15 Minute Black Mold Detection Test

AdVnt Biotechnologies, the company known for producing BioWarfare Agent Detection Devices for HAZMAT First Response Teams around the globe to help them rapidly detect such biological agents as Anthrax, Ricin and Botulinum, has just released its newest product for In-Home and Professional use. Building on the expertise gained in the international arena of BioWarfare Agent Detection, AdVnt is now applying its R&D expertise to help defend against another type of bio threat that could be growing in the walls and under the floorboards in your own home.

30 Jun 2010

Engineered allosteric regulation provides precise control of kinase activity in living cells

Cancer occurs when human cells move and multiply inappropriately. Within cells, a process called phosphorylation serves as an on/off switch for a number of cellular processes that can be involved in cancer, including metabolism, transcription, configuration, movement, cell death and differentiation. This process is controlled by a group of enzymes called protein kinases that - working together and separately - modify the structure of proteins, changing them and allowing them to control cellular processes.

28 Jun 2010